It’s never easy to pick the best of the best.

It’s tougher when the choices are mostly subjective.

Who’s the best quarterback in the NFL right now? Patrick Mahomes, with all those Super Bowl appearances, maybe a third straight championship? Lamar Jackson, the reigning MVP, perhaps a repeat winner? Joe Burrow, who considering his supporting cast, probably had the best production of any passer this season? Josh Allen … and there’s cause to consider Jalen Hurts, even Jayden Daniels.

At least there are statistics that are absolute comparables in that debate.

But it gets tougher sorting through, say, nominees for all-district football teams. A lot of districts just punt and overload their first teams so that a second team is really what used to be honorable mention and honorable mention is anybody who gets nominated. Not often enough do we see all-district squads that reserve top billing for 22 or so who are selected by the majority of voters as best at their positions.

I’ve never voted on an all-district team. I have voted for all-conference, All-Louisiana, All-America and Academic All-America on the college level. For one season I was one of the media voters on the Associated Press major college Top 25 poll – the top teams in 1988 were Miami and Notre Dame, and I got some attention (and scorn) by voting Miami No. 1 although in the regular season, their failed two-point conversion try cost them a win at South Bend. How could an Ireland not pick the Irish? The U was the best team, I thought. Still do.

The last vote I cast was just a few days ago, as a board member for the S.M. McNaughton North Louisiana Chapter of the National Football Foundation, to narrow a field of 18 high school senior scholar-athletes down to nine receiving $1,000 scholarships.

All due respect to coaches who vote on all-district teams – and BTW, all 18 finalists were all-district selections last fall – but their votes didn’t award $1,000 to one kid and nothing to another.

So as we sat around a table, advocated our choices, submitted our ballots, tallied the results, there was careful deliberation. There were a few unanimous selections. There were a lot of votes spread among the other candidates, and we had a budget. We could easily have picked 18 and been proud of every choice, but only nine were going to be chosen.

Reading these applications and recommendation letters was an honor. Each nominee was impressive. They were undeniably each the best football-playing senior scholar-athlete at their school, a role model to teammates, to classmates, and to younger students, even boys and girls in elementary school.

Several had glowing letters from church leaders and business people, attesting to their leadership, their character, their integrity. Nearly every one had a recommendation from their head coach, and each coach was convinced their kid was not only the best on his campus, but was as good as any in the 318 area code.

They were right.

That’s what made it so challenging to select nine winners, and to have to leave nine finalists unrewarded for all their excellence.

I believe we had 18 winners, and just nine scholarship recipients.

Thanks to the 18 coaches who nominated. Thanks to the teachers and guidance counselors and administrators and janitors and cafeteria workers and teachers’ aides who inspired these Class of 2025 scholar-athletes to be the best they could be.

Who knows? There might be a future All-American, Academic All-American, or even Pro Bowler among them. Regardless of whether they ever play another snap, this much is certain: every one of the 18 is a winner.

Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com