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Pope John Paul II’s George Arata has signed a letter of intent to attend Tulane and play football for the Green Wave.

“A few months ago, I was contacted by Florida State and ULM and where I had always wanted to go to college, and I didn’t know if it was possible, was Tulane,” Arata said. “I came into contact with the Tulane coaches, they invited me up to campus for a visit. I went there, I loved everything I saw, it’s right next to home, so that’s where I can kind of see myself. My family, a lot of my dad’s family went to Tulane and I could definitely see myself there and that’s why I wanted to be there. I also like the program they had at Tulane. I liked all of the coaches there and it just seemed like the best fit for me.”

This season, Arata, who is a Bogalusa resident, played running back for Pope John Paul II and was solid all year. This season, Arata rushed for 1,650 yards on 247 carries (6.7 yards per attempt) and 19 touchdowns.

This year, he was a first-team all-district player in 10-2A.

His other football accomplishments include team captain, team MVP, King of the Jungle and first-team all St. Tammany Farmer Team.

Also, Arata played in the Louisiana High School Coaches Association/Louisiana Football Coaches Association North Shore All Star Game and ran for 12 yards, as the contest lasted just one quarter because of weather.

“George is just a great all-around guy. He is the hardest worker on the team,” Pope John Paul II coach Philip Pigott said. “Great leader. Phenomenal human being. We’re truly really going to miss him. I think he’s going to have a bright future at Tulane.”

Pigott talked about Arata’s biggest strength.

“I think it’s his leadership and he just has a can’t be denied attitude,” Pigott said. “He’s going to make sure that whatever he needs to do to be successful, he’s going to get it done.

Arata also played soccer for Pope John Paul II at center/holding mid.

In soccer, Arata was a first-team all-district player, second-team all-state and academic all-state.

In the last four years, Pope John Paul II, was Division IV state runner up this season, the state champion last year and they were a quarterfinal team the two years prior.

Arata has a 4.29 grade point average.