Palm Beach County Sports Commission Presents
Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award
Palm Beach Sports
|
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.
2019 PALM BEACH COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Football is a team sport and an offense needs all 11 players working in sync to hit its stride. But with that said: Johnathan Mosley was virtually a one-man wrecking ball at Jupiter this season. The dual threat quarterback routinely accounted for every touchdown the Warriors would score in a game while leading the program to its best season since 2005. Coach Tim Tharp put his star weapon at the center of the offense, mixing up designed runs, options, play-action, and big throws over the top. The season opened with two road wins in which Mosley threw for four touchdowns and ran for three more. But he saved the best for his final performance, putting up arguably the best single game of any area player this season, torching South Fork for 419 yards and five touchdowns with his arm, and adding four more scores and 135 yards with his legs. In all, he scored 26 total touchdowns, accounting for 2 out of every 3 points the Warriors put on the board. Mosley led the Warriors from a 3-7 record in 2018 to a 6-4 winning record in 2019, which is one of the best turnaround performances of any Palm Beach County High School football team this year.
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 2019 PALM BEACH COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL PLACE-KICKER OF THE YEAR Morgan Suarez - Wellington
Last season, Morgan Suarez earned a spot as a finalist for Kicker of the Year by showing off a powerful leg and making crucial kicks for Wellington. This year, he built off that success to become one of the most consistent kickers in the area, leading all Palm Beach County kickers with 11 field goals. While his leg strength still saw him called on for some truly eye-popping long attempts, including a 58 yarder at the end of the season that fell just short, he dazzled from shorter range, going a perfect 10-for-10 on attempts inside the 50. He put it all together on the road against Glades Central, kicking a 50 yarder in the rain, a 27-yard make to force overtime, and 22 yarder in the extra period.
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. 2019 SAM BUDNYK COACH OF THE YEAR Al Shipman - Palm Beach Lakes
PREVIOUS WINNERS
2019 PALM BEACH COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL TEAM OF THE YEAR Palm Beach Lakes High School
Palm Beach Lakes lost 26 seniors from last year’s playoff team, but that’s the only losing they did all year. Coach of the Year finalist Al Shipman got his next wave of players to dominate like veterans on their way to a 9-0 district championship season, the only undefeated campaign in Palm Beach County this year. The Rams hammered teams on both sides of the ball, outscoring opponents by an average of 27 points. With all of the senior departures, new faces needed to step up, and two big ones came together to form perhaps the county’s most balanced offense. Quarterback Tre’Von Taylor and running back Antonio Outler made defenses pick their poison. Taylor completed 60% of his passes for nearly 1,900 yards and 26 touchdowns through the air. On the ground Outler rumbled for 1,780, going for over 100 in every game and making 14 trips to the endzone. When things were really firing, the two gave Lakes unstoppable weapons virtually every snap. In a 53-27 victory of district rival Dwyer, Taylor threw for 330 yards while Outler ran for 225, with each scoring four touchdowns. It would be the first of back-to-back 53-point games for Palm Beach Lakes, who averaged over 40 per game. On defense, the preseason departures included more than just seniors, as the Rams also saw their defensive coordinator, linebacker coach and secondary coach all leave for new opportunities. Yet the Rams held opponents to just under 13 points per game, including a shutout of Pahokee and holding district rivals Royal Palm Beach and Seminole Ridge to a combined 10 points in two road games. Defensive back Ajay Bradley led a ballhawking defense with 9 of their 17 picks, including a pair of pick-six touchdowns. Taken together, Palm Beach Lakes dominated week after week like no team in Palm Beach County.
PREVIOUS WINNERS
|
Groza Committee Chair, Bill Davis welcomes local awards candidates during 2007 Banquet. |
|
Contact Us:
2195 Southern Blvd. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
.png)
