CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A recent column regarding the 2010 Kennedy Award and the process by which it found its way into the arms of Magnolia quarterback Justin Fox caused quite a stir.
Comments ranged from the defense of Fox as a worthy winner whose name was besmirched by the suggestion of the award being won based on something other than his performance, to those who debated whether Tyler Harris' role in the infamous South Charleston-Hurricane brawl was actually a negative commentary on the recent SC graduate's character.
Much less whether sportswriters are in any position to judge such a thing to begin with.
Hopefully the Kennedy Award, given annually to the state's best prep football player, will have less drama surrounding it this season.
That brings us to another installment in our two-week look at high school football looking toward the 2011 season.
Question 7 - Who are some of the top players returning in 2011 who could make a run at the Kennedy Award?
Answer - The senior football class of 2010 was an impressively talented and successful one. Because of its dominance in recent years there are few skill position players that have already
become a part of the state's consciousness.
As a result, there are few players that enter the 2011 Kennedy race with the benefit of name recognition. That's typically a feather in the cap of a future Kennedy winner. Of the last 10 Kennedy winners, nine were All-State first team selections the previous year.
By using this metric we can quickly create a short list of candidates.
In Class AAA, just two players that play at skill positions made the top All-State list as underclassmen. Washington junior running back Tyrek Collier (6 feet 2, 210 pounds) made it as a linebacker. George Washington sophomore utility player Ryan Switzer (5-10, 175) made it as a punter.
Those who have taken issue with the fact the Kennedy is primarily a Class AAA award need fret no longer.
Class AA players have won three of the last four Kennedys, with Scott running back Jordan Roberts winning in 2007, Bluefield quarterback Will Cole in '08, and Fox last season.
Returning All-State skill position players in Class AA include Roane County running back Nathan Reynolds (6-0, 185), a rising senior and Magnolia wide receiver Stephen Rogalski (6-0, 165), a rising junior. Greenbrier West linebacker Dylan Trout (5-10, 180) also made the list, but is primarily known for his defensive work.
No Class A player has won the Kennedy since Sistersville's Jeff Swisher in 1986. To put that into more perspective, Swisher's alma mater ceased to exist 18 years ago.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A recent column regarding the 2010 Kennedy Award and the process by which it found its way into the arms of Magnolia quarterback Justin Fox caused quite a stir.Comments ranged from the defense of Fox as a worthy winner whose name was besmirched by the suggestion of the award being won based on something other than his performance, to those who debated whether Tyler Harris' role in the infamous South Charleston-Hurricane brawl was actually a negative commentary on the recent SC graduate's character.
Much less whether sportswriters are in any position to judge such a thing to begin with.
Hopefully the Kennedy Award, given annually to the state's best prep football player, will have less drama surrounding it this season.
That brings us to another installment in our two-week look at high school football looking toward the 2011 season.
Question 7 - Who are some of the top players returning in 2011 who could make a run at the Kennedy Award?
Answer - The senior football class of 2010 was an impressively talented and successful one. Because of its dominance in recent years there are few skill position players that have already
become a part of the state's consciousness.
As a result, there are few players that enter the 2011 Kennedy race with the benefit of name recognition. That's typically a feather in the cap of a future Kennedy winner. Of the last 10 Kennedy winners, nine were All-State first team selections the previous year.
By using this metric we can quickly create a short list of candidates.
In Class AAA, just two players that play at skill positions made the top All-State list as underclassmen. Washington junior running back Tyrek Collier (6 feet 2, 210 pounds) made it as a linebacker. George Washington sophomore utility player Ryan Switzer (5-10, 175) made it as a punter.
Those who have taken issue with the fact the Kennedy is primarily a Class AAA award need fret no longer.
Class AA players have won three of the last four Kennedys, with Scott running back Jordan Roberts winning in 2007, Bluefield quarterback Will Cole in '08, and Fox last season.
Returning All-State skill position players in Class AA include Roane County running back Nathan Reynolds (6-0, 185), a rising senior and Magnolia wide receiver Stephen Rogalski (6-0, 165), a rising junior. Greenbrier West linebacker Dylan Trout (5-10, 180) also made the list, but is primarily known for his defensive work.
No Class A player has won the Kennedy since Sistersville's Jeff Swisher in 1986. To put that into more perspective, Swisher's alma mater ceased to exist 18 years ago.
Nevertheless, East Hardy quarterback Kollin Foltz (5-11, 185) returns for his senior year after lighting up scoreboards and leading the Bobcats to the Class A playoff quarterfinals.
Wirt County utility player Dalton Brindo (6-3, 205) and Fayetteville running back Hunter Hernandez (5-9, 165) also return as seniors in 2011 after impressive seasons a year ago.
Looking at this list and keeping trends of past winners in mind, it would appear that Switzer could be the most viable candidate entering the season, followed by Reynolds.
Collier is a beast of a linebacker, and should certainly begin the year on a watch list of Huff Award candidates. However, Washington High School has a 7-23 record in three years of existence since opening as a splinter school of former Class AAA giant Jefferson.
No player has won the Kennedy Award without reaching the playoffs since Morgantown's David Mayfield, in 1989. Just eight teams in each class qualified for the playoffs back then.
Switzer has been keeping busy in football pursuits since GW finished its Class AAA state championship run in basketball. The Kanawha Valley Freshman of the Year in 2009, Switzer already has a scholarship offer from Marshall. He won the Ohio State senior weekend camp MVP award June 11 and has attended camps at Virginia Tech and Kentucky to positive response from college coaches this spring.
Trips to West Virginia and Penn State have the rising junior's schedule filled the next two weekends.
Reynolds already is Roane County's all-time leading rusher and scorer. He led the Raiders to the second round of the Class AA playoffs in 2010 and is in prime position to wrack up significant numbers in 2011.
This is far from a complete list of players who could enter the conversation as the season opens and evolves. Fairmont Senior quarterback Trevor Malnick, a 6-foot, 200-pound rising senior, is sure to put up big passing numbers in the Polar Bears' spread offense, just as his predecessors Logan Moore and Kyle Allard did.
Allard, who won the Kennedy in 2006, was the only player to win the award in the last 10 years without being an all-stater the year before.
Martinsburg senior quarterback Brandon Ashenfelter (6-2, 220) could also become a candidate after leading the Bulldogs to their first state title as a junior in 2010. Ashenfelter's top receiver, rising junior Cedric Brown, could also find his way into the conversation.
Depending on his team's ability to stop opponents on defense and advance in the playoffs, Parkersburg quarterback Alex Ash (6-1, 170) should also fare well in Coach Don Reeves' pass-friendly offense to become a candidate.
The most enjoyable part of watching the Kennedy race develop, however, is the unexpected emergence of players. With so few known commodities returning in 2011, the race should be one of the more interesting in years.
Wednesday - A closer look at the Mountain State Athletic Conference in 2011.
Contact sportswriter Derek Taylor at derek.tay...@dailymail.com or 304-348-5170.
Source: http://dailymail.com/rssFeeds/201106201299
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