MaxPreps National Football Player of the Year Watch

By Kevin Askeland Dec 13, 2012, 12:26pm

Browning sets one state record in loss to De La Salle.

As the season draws to a close for most competitors, Derrick Henry of Yulee appears to be in line to end his record-setting high school career with yet another honor.
As the season draws to a close for most competitors, Derrick Henry of Yulee appears to be in line to end his record-setting high school career with yet another honor.
Photo by Gray Quetti
Folsom's Jake Browning broke one California state record and fell just short of another in the Open Division North Regional against De La Salle last week.

Browning was one of the few candidates for the National Player of the Year still competing. He will likely be in contention with Austin Kafentzis of Jordan (Sandy, Utah) for the National Sophomore of the Year award.

Another contender for the National Junior Player of the Year emerged in Louisiana where Trey Quinn of Barbe completed a spectacular season. Look for him to challenge many all-time receiving marks in 2013.

MaxPreps National Player of the Year Watch



Favorite

Derrick Henry, Yulee (Fla.)

Henry ends his career with 12,122 yards on 1,387 carries, both national and Florida state records. His 4,261 yards for the season is also a new Florida state record and ranks third all-time. Henry completed his career with 47 straight 100-yard games as well and was recently named Gatorade Florida Football Player of the Year.

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Top Contenders

Max Browne, Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.)



Browne finishes the year with 277 completions in 377 attempts for 4,526 yards and 49 touchdowns. Browne, who was named the Gatorade Washington Football Player of the Year, ends his career with a state record 12,953 yards. He also holds the career record for completions, with 882, and is third in career touchdowns with 146. His season yardage total ranks second all-time.

Thomas Tyner, Aloha (Beaverton, Ore.)

Tyner finished his senior season with 3,415 yards rushing on 299 carries with 42 touchdowns.

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Kelvin Taylor, Glades Day (Belle Glade, Fla.)

Taylor ends the season with 2,380 yards rushing and 41 touchdowns. He finishes his career with a Florida career rushing record of 12,033 yards. On the official National Federation of High Schools Record Book career rushing list, Taylor has 10,475 yards.

Keep an Eye On




Trey Quinn, Barbe (Lake Charles, La.)

Quinn had a huge season for Barbe, catching 111 passes for 2,094 yards and 26 touchdowns in helping Barbe to a runner-up finish in Class 5A in Louisiana. For his career, the junior already has 245 catches for 4,552 yards and 47 touchdowns. His best effort came against Evangel Christian when he caught nine passes for 341 yards and five touchdowns.

Connor Mitch, Wakefield (Raleigh, N.C.)

Mitch ended the season with 306 completions in 497 attempts for 4,701 yards and 63 touchdowns. He had a single-game high of 667 yards and nine touchdowns this year.

Austin Kafentzis, Jordan (Sandy, Utah)

For the season, Kafentzis completed 200 of 313 passes for 3,018 yards and 32 touchdowns. He also rushed for 1,884 yards on 237 carries with 26 touchdowns. In his first two varsity seasons, Kafentzis has thrown for 6,206 yards and he has run for 3,261 yards. Kafentzis was chosen as the Gatorade Utah Football Player of the Year.



Shuler Bentley, Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.)

Bentley finished the season with 299 completions in 462 attempts for 4,718 yards and 59 touchdowns. He was named the Gatorade South Carolina Football Player of the Year.

Jake Browning, Folsom (Calif.)

Browning completed 38 of 64 passes for 284 yards and two touchdowns in a 49-15 loss to De La Salle in the CIF North Open Division Regional. Browning fell two short of the state single-season record for touchdowns with 63. The state record was reported as 63 earlier this season, but recent research determined that the official mark is 65 touchdowns by Robert De La Cruz of Cathedral in 1999. Browning did break the state single-season record for passing yardage with 5,248 yards.

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Cody Thomas, Heritage (Colleyville, Texas)



Thomas completes his senior year with 267 completions in 421 attempts for 4,203 yards and 46 touchdowns.

Will Grier, Davidson Day (Davidson, N.C.)

Grier completed his junior year with 324 completions in 414 attempts for 5,785 yards and 69 touchdowns. Grier was also named the Gatorade Football Player of the Year in North Carolina.

Drake Harris, Christian (Grand Rapids, Mich.)

For the season Harris, a junior, had 91 catches for 2,016 yards and 25 touchdowns.

Mark Dodson Jr., Whitehaven (Memphis, Tenn.)



Dodson finished the season with 3,295 yards rushing and 37 touchdowns. Dodson was named the Gatorade Football Player of the Year for Tennessee.

Kenny Hill, Carroll (Southlake, Texas)

Hill's season ended with a 49-45 loss to DeSoto in the Class 5A quarterfinals. He ends the season with 3,369 yards (205 of 306) with 27 touchdowns. Rushing, Hill had 1,421 yards on 188 carries with 33 touchdowns.