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 SSAC Offensive Player of the Year, the SSAC Defensive Player of the Year, and the SSAC Coach of the Year along with polls for each section!
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
ATH Reginal Allen Jr., Interlachen – Allen was a hard-working machine for the Rams in their best season in Interlachen history with 145 carries for 1,011 yards rushing and eight touchdowns while adding in 232 receiving yards along with five touchdowns. In the passing game, Allen threw for 244 yards and five touchdowns against two interceptions. Allen also recorded four tackles and a tackle for loss on defense. That is all while guiding them to the SSAC Atlantic League championship.
QB Anthony Barbar, Westminster Academy (Fort Lauderdale) – Had 2,204 yards passing and 20 touchdowns while leading the Lions to the SSAC State Championship playoffs.
TE Dylan Provencher, Oak Hall (Gainesville) – One of the top players for Oak Hall the last few years, Provencher also has excelled in the classroom. Provencher had 12 catches for 260 yards and four touchdowns and spent time at right tackle for the Eagles in the final four games of the season due to injuries.
RB Alex Rosario, Jupiter Christian – Rosario had 1,360 yards rushing for 20 touchdowns on 124 carries while helping the Eagles reach the semifinals of the SSAC State Championship playoffs.
RB Romelo Ware, Lake Highland Prep (Orlando) – One of the top rushers in the SSAC in 2022, Ware had 1,206 yards rushing on 127 carries and 21 touchdowns while helping the Highlanders win their second straight SSAC State Championship title.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
DL Aidan Jerkins, Oak Hall (Gainesville) – Only a sophomore, Jerkins was a leader of the defense and racked up 35 tackles along with six sacks, 10 tackles for loss, and forced a fumble while helping the Eagles reach the SSAC State Championship playoffs. Jerkins also graded out at 97% with 12 pancake blocks at offensive guard.
LB Der’tavius Mack, Interlachen – Racked up 83 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, and 15 sacks along with three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, a blocked punt, a blocked kick, and breaking up two passes. On offense, Mack added 10 catches, for 180 yards and four touchdowns while being a leading part of winning the SSAC Atlantic League title.
ATH Jahlan Paul, Westminster Academy (Fort Lauderdale) – Was a force on both sides of the ball with seven interceptions and two blocked kicks on defense while adding 894 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns on offense while helping the Lions reach the SSAC State Championship playoffs.
DB Evan Tempro, Westminster Academy (Fort Lauderdale) – The leading defensive player for the Lions, Tempro had 65 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks. He also added 416 receiving yards and four more scores on offense while helping Westminster reach the SSAC State Championship playoffs.
DL Austin Varga, Saint Stephen’s Episcopal (Bradenton) – Varga collected 27 tackles, four tackles for loss, 10 sacks, and a fumble recovery in helping the Falcons to the SSAC 5A championship.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Baz Alfred, Jupiter Christian – Guided the Eagles to a 6-4 overall record and to the semifinals in the SSAC State Championship playoffs.
Ben Bullock, Lake Highland Prep (Orlando) – Guided the Highlanders to a 10-0 overall record along with a second straight SSAC State Championship title.
R.J. Fuhr, Oak Hall (Gainesville) – Guided the Eagles to a 7-1 record on the field (8-0 after a forfeit win was awarded) and the SSAC State Championship playoffs.
Erik Gibson, Interlachen – Guided the Rams to their best season in school history with a 10-0 overall record and the SSAC Atlantic League championship title.
Ben Waldrop, Cocoa Beach – Guided the Minutemen to their best season in many years while contending in the SSAC Atlantic League.
