GAINESVILLE, Fla. – After a successful 2021 season, FloridaHSFootball.com is happy to announce the award winners for the following awards in Class 4A.
CLASS 4A OVERALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
QB Davin Wydner, Sr., Cocoa
Wydner had a huge season for the Tigers with his passing attack going 223-of-320 passing for 3,529 yards and throwing 24 touchdowns in just 13 total games played to help the Tigers reach the Class 4A State Championship Game. Wydner’s passing yards set a new Brevard County record.
CLASS 4A OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
ATH Kemper Hodges, Sr., Santa Rosa Beach South Walton
Primarily a quarterback for the Seahawks, Hodges was damaging both through the air and on the ground with feet with 3,077 yards passing with 34 overall touchdowns while rushing for 1,169 yards and 26 more touchdowns while leading the Seahawks to the deepest playoff run in school history and finishing the season with a 10-2 overall record.
CLASS 4A DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
DL R Mason Thomas, Sr., Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons
Thomas was a leader for the Chiefs’ defense and helped guide them to their second straight Class 4A State Championship with 64 total tackles, 12 sacks, 19 tackles for loss, and forcing 2 fumbles while recovering a fumble. Thomas also recorded a safety, returning a fumble for a touchdown, and had a rushing touchdown on a 55-yard fake punt.
CLASS 4A COACH OF THE YEAR
Matt DuBuc, Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons
DuBuc who has been the head coach for the Chiefs since 2016, led the Chiefs to their third overall state championship in school history with an 11-2 overall record playing a very tough schedule with their only losses coming to Plantation American Heritage and Class 7A State Champion Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas en route to the Class 4A State Championship.
FAN VOTE RESULTS
Haggard runs away with fan vote poll for Offensive Player of the Year
Pinecrest Gulliver Prep quarterback Carson Haggard who threw for over 3,000 yards this season led the way with the fan vote with 55.7% of the vote while Santa Rosa Beach South Walton athlete/quarterback Kempe Hodges finished a distant second with 23.2% of the vote. Finishing in third place was Cocoa quarterback Davin Wydner with 8.5% of the vote while Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons running back Kamari Moulton finished in fourth place with 8.3% of the vote. Cocoa running back OJ Ross rounded off the voting with 4.4% of the vote.
Pyburn runs away with the Defensive Player of the Year fan vote
Jacksonville Bolles linebacker Jack Pyburn ran away with the fan vote with 62.3% of the vote after finishing the season with 109 tackles (80 of them being solo), 14 sacks, 16 quarterback hurries, 2 pass breakups, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery and blocking a punt and field goal each. Miami Gardens Monsignor Pace defensive lineman Shemar Stewart finished second with 27.6% of the vote after racking up 80 tackles with 40 tackles for loss and sacking opposing quarterbacks 17 times during the 2021 season. St. Petersburg Lakewood utility/athlete Terrell Crosby finished with 6.5% of the vote to finish third while rounding off the vote was Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons defensive lineman R Mason Thomas with 1.9% of the vote and Cocoa defensive back Cedrick Hawkins with 1.8% of the vote.
Close race in the fan vote for Coach of the Year
In the Coach of the Year fan vote, Jacksonville Bolles head coach Matt Tobllin came out on top with 46.9% of the fan vote while Pinecrest Gulliver Prep’s Earl Sims came in second with 40.1% of the fan vote. Rounding out the vote in order was Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons head coach Matt DuBuc with 6.3% of the vote to finish third, Cocoa head coach Ryan Schneider with 4.7% of the vote to finish fourth, and St. Petersburg Lakewood head coach Cory Moore with just 1.9% of the vote to finish fifth.
