We’ve googled a list of the major college football trophies presented at the end of the season, and will use them as a guide for our midseason prep football honors.
The Gridiron 2Night crew debated all the happenings so far in the prep football season, and we're are pleased to present the Gridiron 2Night Midseason High School Football A
- Heisman Memorial Trophy (Other similar awards: Walter Camp Award, Maxwell Award)
football's most prestigious award.
Our winner:
NOEL DEVINE, NFM 3rd in state rushing, 1st in yds per game. 2nd in scoring
Devine hasn’t disappointed so far this season, meeting every ounce of the hype he received this offseason. He continues to be the most electrifying presence in the region, a threat to score every time he touches the ball. His 15 TD’s are tops in the area, despite the fact he’s only played four games as opposed to the five most of the others near the top of the leaderboard have played. Devine averages 218 yards per game, and hasn’t been the primary option in the second halves of most games as North has been blowing teams out.
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Other nominees:
TYSON BUTLER, Cypress Lake 2nd in state in rushing
AARON HENRY, Immokalee
BRIAN ROLLE, Immokalee
JAMAL HUBERT, Clewiston
- Bronko Nagurski Award (Other similar award: Chuck Bednarik Award, Ted Hendricks Award, )Named after one of college football's greatest players and given annually to the nation's outstanding defensive player by the FWAA/Charlotte TD Club.
Our winner:
BRIAN ROLLE, Immokalee
It’s obvious Immokalee’s offense has been rolling along pretty well all season, however the defense has been nearly perfect. Everyone knew their game against Naples would be a doosie… but few expected either team to be shutout. Thanks to the Indians smothering defense that utilized perfect execution, the number next to ‘Naples’ on the scoreboard was indeed a zero. That shutout was one of three in Immokalee’s five games this season – and in the other two they have only allowed two offensive touchdowns… both to Barron Collier. Brian Rolle is the centerpiece of the defense, and is the most highly touted defensive college prospect in Southwest Florida.
- Davey O'Brien Award (Other similar award: Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award)The Davey O'Brien Award is given annually to the nation's outstanding quarterback by the Davey O'Brien Foundation.
Our winner:
JOEY WOODS, Golden Gate
No team in the area has utilized the passing game as well as Golden Gate this season, and Joey Woods is a big reason why. Woods’ composure in the pocket and super-accurate arm leave him head-and-shoulders above the rest of the signal callers in the region. At the high school level, it’s rare to see teams rely on the pass with the running game serving a supporting role. But the combination of Woods’ talent under center… as well as some terrific receivers (see below)… Golden Gate’s aerial attack is very hard for opponents to prepare for.
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Other nominees:
BUTCH MOORE, Verot – leads area in passing, 3rd in state
MATT KAUTZ, Charlotte
- Doak Walker AwardThe Doak Walker Award, the only major collegiate football award that requires all candidates to be in good academic standing, is presented annually to the nation's premier running back.
Our winner:
TYSON BUTLER, Cypress Lake
We hung the asterisk on Devine’s name below as he would also be the frontrunner for this honor, but we already awarded him another one earlier… so he’s dq’ed from this one. As clearly as Devine is the top runner in the area, Tyson Butler is just as clearly the second best. Butler actually has more yards than Devine this season, 904 to 874, but bear in mind Butler has played five games to Devine’s four. Nonetheless, Butler’s worth to his team is just as much… if not more… than Devine’s. The stats bear that out, Devine has accounted for 58 percent of North’s 1506 total rushing yards while Butler has run for 62.1 percent of Cypress Lake’s total of 1452. Butler may not have the open field speed or moves of Devine, but he’s far more reliable between the tackles. If you need an 80 yard touchdown (and who doesn’t), Devine may be your man. But if you need to convert a 3rd and 2 in the red zone with time running out… Butler would be the pick.
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Other nominees:
NOEL DEVINE*, NFM
GREG WILLIAMS, Barron Collier
ERECK PLANCHER, Lely
JAVON PUGH, Naples
JAMAL HUBERT, Clewiston
- Fred Biletnikoff AwardThe Fred Biletnikoff Award is presented to the nation's best receiver by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club.
Our co-winners:
J.D. WOODS / JENIOR NAPOLEON, Golden Gate
We dubbed Golden Gate’s Joey Woods the QB du jour earlier in the article… now we recognize his supporting cast. Even the best QB needs reliable hands on his flanks, and Woods has it in Jenior Napoleon and J.D. Woods. Napoleon and Woods are 1st and 4th respectively on the area receiving charts with 412 and 293 yards. Woods has taken 6 of his 15 catches to the endzone while Napoleon has 4 TD’s in 12 catches. Teams that bring one solid defensive back to the table can usually handle an opponent with one major receiving threat. Few teams in the area can, or have, been able to handle the two-headed attack Woods and Napoleon provide.
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Other nominees:
AARON HENRY, Immokalee
GARRETT REDDEN – Bishop Verot
- Outland Trophy (Other similar award: Lombardi/Rotary Award, Rimington Award)The Outland Trophy is given annually to the nation's best interior offensive or defensive linemen by the Football Writers Association of America.
Our winners:
NORTH FT MYERS OFFENSIVE LINE
Akin to the Four Horsemen of the 1924 Notre Dame Fighting Irish - the Red Knights offensive line deserves to be recognized as a complete unit. It helps to have talented backs behind them, but the line has been a bulldozer, opening the holes for the Red Knight backs to rush for 376.5 rushing yards per game.
- Lou Groza AwardThe Lou Groza Award is presented annually to the nation's top placekicker by the Palm Beach Sports Commission.
Our winner:
DAVID KITTINGER – SFM
Both Kittinger and O’Jibway have far and away the best legs in the region. While many prep football coaches see a kicking game as a necessary evil, South Fort Myers and North Fort Myers enjoy the luxury of reliable kickers to bail them out when drives stall. We give the nod for the award to Kittinger based on his area-leading six field goals, and near-perfect extra point record.
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Other nominee:
NATHAN O’JIBWAY - NFM
- The Ray Guy Award, honoring the greatest punter of all time, is presented annually to the nation's top punter by the Greater Augusta Sports Council.
Our winner:
BUTCH MOORE - Bishop Verot
Moore, who also pulls double duty as the Verot QB, has the best numbers among punters in our area. It’s tougher to quantify punters than most other positions… so we did this one based strictly on the numbers. Moore’s average is solid and he’s dropped five punts inside the 20.
- Jim Thorpe AwardThe Jim Thorpe Award, named after one of the greatest athletes who ever lived, is presented annually to the best defensive back in college football.
Our winner:
SAM BAPTISTE – LELY
Baptiste is the only player in the area averaging an interception a game. That’s a terrific stat, but it’s even better when you realize opposing teams intentionally try to throw away from Baptiste because he’s such a threat. His three interceptions against Golden Gate were the major reason Lely overcame a halftime deficit to win the game.
- John Mackey AwardNamed for the Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end, the John Mackey Award is presented annually to the nation's top tight end.
Our winner:
SEAN CULLEN – Barron Collier
In a season where standout tight ends have been sparse, Cullen has separated himself from the pack. The tight end is a quarterback’s best friend, and now that Barron Collier’s original starting QB Matt Clements has left the team… Cullen may gain more value as first-time starter Vince Caputo may look to him even more often.
- Harlon Hill Trophy / Gagliardi Trophy (Other similar award: Melberger Award, Walter Payton Award, Buck Buchanan Award, several others)These trophies are given to the most outstanding players in college football’s various smaller divisions: I-AA, II and III.
(We’ll use this award to honor a couple players who are on some of the smaller schools in the area, who don’t usually get the publicity they should)
Our co-winners:
BRIAN PROVIST – St John Neumann – 2nd RB, Defensive leader
ERIC JOHNSON – Florida Christian Institute – QB 8 TD 0 INT
These two players show how much more important great players can be on the smaller teams. Provost plays both sides of the ball for the Celtics, serving as their 2nd RB as well as their defensive leader. Johnson runs the Florida Christian offense that’s arguably the most unstoppable force in all of Southwest Florida. His 8 TD’s without a single interception are one of the most impressive stats at the halfway point of the season.
- Butkus AwardNamed after one of the greatest defenders of all time, the Butkus Award is presented annually to the nation's top college linebacker
Our co-winners:
BEN DALEY – LaBelle – leads area in sacks w/8
CAMERON PAYNE – Cape Coral – 2nd in area in tackles, 3rd in state
- Ted Hendricks AwardThe Ted Hendricks Award, named for the three-time All-American from the University of Miami, is given annually to the nation's top defensive end.
Our co-winners:
KEVIN HILL – FTM – leads area in tackles 72 / 14.4 avg, 2nd in state
ANTHONY MAINS – Golden Gate – 7 sacks
- Coach of the Year
Our winner:
JON WEBER, Immokalee
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Other nominees:
GRANT REDHEAD, South Fort Myers
LARRY ANTONACCI, Clewiston
All three of these coaches have done tremendous jobs this season facing some form of adversity. For Redhead, it was lifting the spirits of a team that struggled to just a single win in it’s first year last season… as well as helping his team cope with the loss of their assistant coach, and his friend, Pat Fahey three weeks in to the season. South has already shown they can compete with most of the teams in the area, a feat many of the newer schools have taken much longer to accomplish.
Antonacci took over a Clewiston team that had enough talent to make it to the State Semifinal last season. With that talent came high expectation, but Antonacci has put the Tigers in place to make another run into the playoffs. Clewiston’s stunning upset of nationally ranked Glades Central last week showed they are a team to watch, possibly one of the best in the state.
But we have to give the honor to John Weber. Immokalee’s coach was blindsided by the FHSAA’s ruling that a player on last year’s team, a bit player at that, was overage. The consequences left the Indians without being able to shoot for district titles, the playoffs or ultimately… another State Championship. Nonetheless, Weber has pulled his team together in a 5-and-0 start. Titles and Championships or not, Immokalee is playing to win. And they’re doing just that.
- Team of the Year
Our winner:
IMMOKALEE
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Other nominees:
NORTH FORT MYERS
CLEWISTON
ST JOHN NEUMANN
FLORIDA CHRISTIAN
All these unbeatens stake good claims to being the most impressive team in the area. But as mentioned above, for Immokalee to be playing with the heart and resolve they have been… under the circumstances they face… is really a terrific story.
- Game of the Year
Our winner:
CLEWISTON DEF. GLADES CENTRAL 21-14 OT
We knew Clewiston was good. We’re not sure we thought they were that good. Glades Central was rated as one of the best teams in the nation by several different sources. – having opened their season in an out-of-state game in South Carolina in a nationally-televised ESPN affair. Clewiston even added to the drama by falling behind in the game… only to score the final two touchdowns of regulation to tie it up… the go-ahead TD in overtime… then halted Glades’ attempt to tie on the 1-yard line on the final play of the game.
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Other nominees:
CYPRESS LAKE DEF FORT MYERS
CHARLOTTE DEF. FORT MYERS
LEHIGH DEF. MARINER
LELY DEF. GOLDEN GATE
- Story of Year
Our winner:
Immokalee rebounds from overage athlete scandal
For reasons explained above, the Indians hold the title of best story… so far. With 5 weeks still to play, as well as the playoffs… there’s plenty of other stories out there just waiting to unfold.
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Other nominees:
FCI fends off accusations of ineligible players
SFM starts season 3-0 in 2nd season after 1 win in inaugural year
Noel Devine approaching Earnest Graham’s Lee County all-time rushing mark
Ft Myers starts season 2-3
