Palm Beach County Sports Commission Presents
Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award
Palm Beach Sports
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As part of the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Awards program, the Palm Beach County Sports Commission assembles a panel of Palm Beach County High School football coaches and select members of the local media to select the winners of three awards given out for excellence in Palm Beach County high school football:
Near the end of the season, ESPN West Palm, who’s broadcast team covers the local football program all season, provides the nominees for each award. At the annual Lou Groza Awards banquet in December the top three finalists in each category are recognized and the winner is announced. The Palm Beach County Player of the Year Award is given out annually to the top prep football player in Palm Beach County. The award is open to players of all grade levels and school classifications.
2018 PALM BEACH COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Akeem Dent wraps up his high school career as one of the most highly touted prospects to come from Palm Beach County in recent memory. The five-star rated defensive back earned the honor of playing in the upcoming Under Armour All-America Game; no surprise, considering the senior is consistently ranked as one of the top-five backs in the nation and one of the five best seniors at any position in the state. But all of those accolades don’t mean anything unless you back it up on the field, and this year, Dent took on a starring role at Palm Beach Central. In his second season with the Broncos, Dent became the vocal leader of a defense that held opponents to just seven points per game, including four shutouts. Shifting between roles as a shutdown corner and a hard-hitting safety, he lived up to his nickname of Do-It-All Dent, breaking up a dozen pass attempts, reeling in two picks, racking up 77 total tackles, and even getting to the quarterback for a pair of sacks. He also got into the act on offense, serving as an occasional red-zone receiver, scoring twice on four catches, including a touchdown against Palm Beach Gardens in which he caught the ball at the 19, burst straight through three defenders and then beat two more on his way to the endzone. Even in Central’s lone loss to Atlantic, Dent kept the game close with a season-high nine tackles, including a sequence in which he came off his man in the endzone to drive through the ballcarrier on the one-yard line, knocking the ball free and recovering his own forced fumble. The play exemplifies the combination of awareness, speed, and strength that has attracted national attention to Akeem Dent.
PREVIOUS WINNERS
Palm Beach County Place Kicker of the Year The Palm Beach County Place-Kicker of the Year Award is given out annually to the top prep football place-kicker in Palm Beach County. The award is open to players of all grade levels and school classifications 2018 PALM BEACH COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL PLACE-KICKER OF THE YEAR Lowell Carr - Benjamin
Sam Budnyk Coach of the Year The Sam Budnyk Coach of the Year Award is given out annually to the top prep football coach in Palm Beach County. The award is named in honor of legendary coach Sam Budnyk, head football coach at Cardinal Newman High School in West Palm Beach, FL. 2018 SAM BUDNYK COACH OF THE YEAR Brian Coe - Santaluces
PREVIOUS WINNERS
2018 PALM BEACH COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL TEAM OF THE YEAR Atlantic Community High School
If there was going to come a time when the Atlantic football dynasty of recent years was going to take a step back, this should have been it. Despite winning 42 games over the previous four seasons, this year’s team returned just one offensive starter, two on defense, and suffered the tragic loss of standout defensive back, Marc’Allan Derac. But instead of losing steam, this year’s team rolled over opponents with the same dominance that Palm Beach County has come to expect from the Eagles, going a perfect 10-0 for the second time in four seasons. This year’s team faced its biggest challenges early in the season with an opening slate against three of the county’s fellow powers: Palm Beach Central, Dwyer, and Pahokee. But Coach of the Year finalist, T.J. Jackson, prepared his inexperienced squad to come through the trial by fire. Atlantic avenged last year’s loss by shutting out Central, handed Dwyer its only loss of the season, and traveled out to the Muck and returned with a two-touchdown victory. With those three hard-fought wins in hand, the Eagles unleashed one of the most dominating stretches in recent memory. Led up front by Derrick Wells Jr. and Henry Bryant III, the Atlantic defense held opponents to single-digits in each of the last seven games, including two shutouts. On the other side of the ball, quarterback Kelani Ilimaleota found eight different receivers in the end zone, while Montajh Joseph picked up over 500 yards on the ground. With opposing defenses never sure where the next threat was coming from, the Atlantic offense averaged over 35 points per game in those last seven contests. Over the course of the entire season, the average Atlantic game ended with a score of 33-6. Despite having new starters at nearly every position, that 27-point margin of victory matches the success of 2015’s undefeated squad. No matter how many names change, the dominance at Atlantic continues.
PREVIOUS WINNERS
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Groza Committee Chair, Bill Davis welcomes local awards candidates during 2007 Banquet. |
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