For the first time ever, FloridaHSFootball.com is giving fans a chance to vote for Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Coach of the Year in each classification as part of our 2021 All-State honors.
From now until 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, Feb. 17, you can vote once per hour, per device to keep the integrity of the poll legitimate and fair for everyone.
Here are the nominees for each category and polls for you to vote in for Class 6A. Please remember to click the share buttons above to share this with your friends and family so they can participate in the fan polls as well.
CLASS 6A
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR NOMINEES
QB Julian Calvez, Sr., Orlando Jones
Leading the Tigers to the Class 6A State Semifinals, Calvez went 186-of-305 passing for 3,131 yards throwing 26 touchdowns and only having 8 passes intercepted. He also rushed for 561 yards on 102 carries, scoring 6 more times on the ground.
QB Taron Dickens, Jr., Miami Northwestern
An electrifying quarterback for the 2021 season, Dickens led Florida in passing yards with 3,743 yards completing 223-of-320 pass attempts, tossing 42 touchdowns while only seeing 8 passes intercepted in 14 games played while leading the Bulls to the Class 6A State Semifinals. Dickens also carried the ball 53 times for 487 yards rushing and scoring 9 more touchdowns.
ATH Donielle Hayes, Jr., Pensacola Pine Forest
Hayes was a huge playmaker for the Eagles in 2021 hauling in 30 catches for 722 yards and 10 touchdowns while returning 12 kickoff returns for 468 yards with two of those kickoff returns resulting in a score while adding one more touchdown with a punt return while leading the Eagles to the first State Championship game appearance since 2006.
RB Joquez Smith, Jr., Tampa Jesuit
A top prospect coming up in the 2023 class, Smith blasted off during the Tigers’ run to the Class 6A State Championship with 235 carries for 1,976 yards rushing and scoring 29 touchdowns. Overall, he scored 30 total touchdowns during the season which saw the Tigers go a perfect 15-0 that included a major victory over Class 7A State Champion Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas.
UTL Junior Vandeross, Sr., Tampa Jesuit
Jesuit’s Mr. Do-It-All on offense and special teams, really did do it all for the Tigers in their perfect 2021 season that was capped off with the Class 6A State Championship. So, where do we start about Vandeross? Let’s start with his 932 yards receiving on 53 catches, scoring 10 touchdowns. From there he had 14 punt returns for 366 yards, returning 3 of those punts for touchdowns. He also amassed 427 yards on 17 kick returns. Oh, and he did carry the ball on the ground as well rushing for 251 yards and 41 attempts, scoring twice. And finally, to put this all in a bow, Vandeross was also the Tigers’ punter averaging 38.0 yards per punt on 27 punts during the season.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR NOMINEES
LB Troy Bowles, Jr., Tampa Jesuit
Projected to be one of the top linebacker prospects for the Class of 2023, Bowles showed dominance for the 2021 season with the Tigers racking up 103 tackles, of which 71 were solo tackles, intercepting a pass, batting down 4 passes, forcing 2 fumbles, and recovering one fumble. He also added 9 quarterback hurries, 6 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, and blocked 2 kicks en route to helping the Tigers win the Class 6A State Championship.
LB Toddrick Brewton, Jr., Miami Northwestern
Brewton racked up 86 tackles on the season for the Bulls who won the District 6A-16 Championship and the Class 6A-Region 4 Championship. He also added 7 sacks to his total on the season as the Bulls dominated most teams during the season.
ATH Elijah Hopkins, Sr., Ocala Vanguard
A shutdown corner for the Knights helping them reach the Class 6A-Region 2 Finals this year with 25 tackles and 1 interception as most teams avoided throwing towards him. However, Hopkins’ damage on the field was done in other places as well as he had 285 yards rushing on 34 carries, catching 14 passes for 266 yards and having 162 yards on special teams, making him a weapon wherever Coach Edwin Farmer need him to be on the field.
DL Rasheed Lovelace, Sr., Pensacola Pine Forest
A dominating force on the line for the Class 6A State Runner-Up, Lovelace racked up 121 tackles and 26 tackles for loss while collecting up 5 sacks, 2 quarterback hurries, and also intercepting a pass all while helping the Eagles reach their first state championship game appearance since 2006.
DB Wade Woodaz, Sr., Tampa Jesuit
A dominating safety for the Class 6A State Champion, Woodaz made the opponent pay with his 97 tackles and 8 tackles for loss on the field. He also collected up 2 interceptions, 2 sacks, 3 quarterback hurries, batted down 5 passes, forced 4 fumbles, and blocked a kick while helping Jesuit complete a perfect 15-0 season, the best in Florida in 2021.
COACH OF THE YEAR NOMINEES
Ronnie Douglas, Pensacola Pine Forest
The Eagles suffered a lopsided 4-5 season in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic which was Douglas’ first year and was predicted to finish last in the Pensacola region, surprised everyone, including us in the state this year. That surprise came with a 12-game winning streak that took the Eagles all the way to the Class 6A State Championship Game in Fort Lauderdale, marking the first state championship appearance for Pine Forest since 2006. The Eagles finished the season as the Class 6A State Runner-Up with a 12-2 overall record.
Max Edwards, Miami Northwestern
There should be no surprise that Edwards is once again in the mix for Coach of the Year after leading the Bulls to another solid season but finished short of expectation at the hands of Tampa Jesuit in the Class 6A State Semifinals. The Bulls however did with the District 16-6A Championship and the Class 6A-Region 4 Championship with a 10-4 overall record.
Matt Thompson, Tampa Jesuit
Over the years Thompson has found him so close, yet so far from the state championship game, something that had haunted the Tigers six times including the previous three seasons before the 2021 season. However, a change in scenery with a bump up to the Class 6A changed the dynamics with one of the most talented rosters that Thompson has had as a head coach finally saw the Tigers win their first State Championship in 53 years, going a perfect 15-0 that included a huge victory over Class 7A State Champion Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas and finishing with a No. 5 overall ranking in High School Football America’s Top 100 rankings.
Tommy Joe Whiddon, Lynn Haven Mosley
In the previous two seasons prior to Whiddon’s arrival in Lynn Haven, the Dolphins were a combined 6-12 on the field, had not reached the playoffs since 2014, and had not won a district championship since 1982. All it took was one season and Whiddon had a different result on the field and had the City of Lynn Haven in jubilation as the Dolphins secured a 9-1 regular-season record with a District 6A-2 Championship and reached the Class 6A-Region 1 final before falling to eventual Class 6A State Runner-Up with a final record of 11-2 overall.
Elijah Williams, Orlando Jones
Jones has found success under Williams and in 2021 it was no different with the Tigers finding their way to the District 6A-6 Championship, the Class 6A-Region 2 Championship, and a trip to the Class 6A State Semifinals. That came after playing a tough schedule including losses to Orlando Edgewater and Bradenton IMG Academy’s National Team in the regular season. The Tigers finished the 2021 season with an 11-3 overall record.
