EDITORS NOTE: This has been updated with corrected statistics for JP Pickles and Leon Washington Jr. for North Florida Christian. FloridaHSFootball.com was provided incorrect statistics from the school.
All-State teams for the 2022 season will be dropping next week on FloridaHSFootball.com and in the led up to that, we have narrowed down the list of the five candidates that are in consideration for our Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Coach of the Year in each of the nine classifications as well as in the Sunshine State Athletic Conference. Also, one of the players between the Offensive Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year candidates will be named Overall Player of the Year for their classification.
And for the second year in a row, we are giving fans a vote to decide on who will win the fan vote for each of our three categories for Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Coach of the Year in every classification.
Voting will run through 9 PM EST / 8 PM CST on Thursday, February 16, 2023. You may vote unlimited times during the poll and the poll does have trackers to prevent bot voting.
Here are the candidates for the Class 1S Offensive Player of the Year, Class 1S Defensive Player of the Year, and Class 1S Coach of the Year along with polls for each section!
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
RB Beau Beard, Trinity Catholic (Ocala) – The leading offensive weapon for the Celtics in their run to the Class 1S state championship game, Beard rushed for 1,556 yards and 22 touchdowns and had 1,727 overall yards in 2022.
WR Ahmari Borden, Munroe Day (Quincy) – Borden was one of the top playmakers for the Bobcats’ improbable run to the state semifinals hauling 63 catches for 1,237 yards and 15 touchdowns.
WR Olsen Patt-Henry, First Baptist (Naples) – The top receiver for the Lions in their run to the Class 1S state championship, Patt-Henry hauled in a whopping 1,253 yards and 14 touchdowns in just the 12 games played the entire season including the state championship game.
QB JP Pickles, North Florida Christian (Tallahassee) – The top passer in Class 1S, Pickles threw for 3,382 yards and 39 touchdowns while rushing for 620 more yards and 9 touchdowns in helping the Eagles go undefeated in the regular season and reaching the regional finals.
ATH Leon Washington Jr., North Florida Christian (Tallahassee) – Was a Mr. Do Everything for the Eagles with 45 catches for 1,005 yards receiving along with 345 yards rushing and 10 more scores. He also accounted for one passing touchdown on offense. On special teams, Washington had a kickoff return and a punt return for a touchdown while leading North Florida Christian to the regional finals.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
DL Wilky Denaud, John Carroll (Fort Pierce) – A dominant force for the Golden Rams’ defense, Denaud would make big plays even when teams avoided him with 63 tackles, five sacks, and 16 tackles for loss in the run to the state semifinals.
DL Mack Estrada, Lakeland Christian – The leading defensive player for the Vikings, Estrada racked up 86 tackles and 11 sacks on the season.
DL Avery Howard, St. John Paul II (Tallahassee) – The leading defensive player for the Panthers, Howard racked up 103 tackles, 28 tackles for loss, 24 sacks, 13 quarterback hurries, an interception which was returned for a touchdown, four pass breakups, forcing two fumbles and recovering two fumbles while helping the team make the playoffs as a district champion.
LB Donathan LeCorn, Trinity Catholic (Ocala) – LeCorn was one of the best defensive players for the Celtics all season long with 84 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, one sack, two quarterback hurries, and knocking down two passes.
ATH Richemard Mellien, First Baptist (Naples) – One of the top athletes anywhere in the state the last few years Mellien made his impact known everywhere with 63 tackles and 10 tackles for loss along with four sacks and four interceptions. He added three forced fumbles, two blocked punts, and two blocked kicks to his stats. On offense, Mellien had 141 yards passing for a touchdown, 51 carries for 565 yards and 6 touchdowns, and two touchdown receptions all while helping the Lions win their first state championship.
COACH OF THE YEAR
John Brantley III, Trinity Catholic (Ocala) – Guided Trinity Catholic to their first state championship appearance since 2010 during his first stint as head coach. The Celtics finished the year 9-3 overall.
Russell Ellington, Munroe Day (Quincy) – Guided the Bobcats to their deepest playoff run in program history, reaching the state semifinals and finishing the year 6-7 overall.
Mickey Groody, John Carroll (Fort Pierce) – Guided the Golden Rams to their deepest playoff run in many years with a trip to the state semifinals finishing the season 10-2 overall.
Brent Hill, North Florida Christian (Tallahassee) – Guided the Eagles to an undefeated regular season with a 10-0 overall record and finishing 11-1 overall in the regional finals.
Billy Sparacio, First Baptist (Naples) – As the only head coach of the program since launching 14 years ago, Sparacio finally accomplished the goal of winning a state championship and winning it in the Lions’ first appearance in the big game. First Baptist finished the 2022 season 10-2 overall.
