Kennedy Award Watchlist: Early Frontrunners
With high school football in West Virginia battling against the Coronavirus and making it seemingly difficult for games to be played players are still battling it out on Friday nights and winning games. The Kennedy Award which is awarded to…
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Continue ReadingWith high school football in West Virginia battling against the Coronavirus and making it seemingly difficult for games to be played players are still battling it out on Friday nights and winning games. The Kennedy Award which is awarded to the the states best overall player is voted on by West Virginia Sports Writers Association and is the biggest award presented in the state of West Virginia. These 5 players have been fantastic for their teams and should be in the conversation for the award.
Ethan Payne: 6’1 215 Poca High School 2021
Hudl:https://www.hudl.com/profile/9716321/Ethan-Payne
The 2019 Kennedy Award winner and Marshall football commit is still as dominant as he was in his junior year campaign. Ethan fits every box when being considered a division 1 running back. He’s a very strong runner, he’s elusive and can pretty much do anything on the field that he wants. In his first game Ethan accounted for 4 total touchdowns and over 200 yards rushing. Unfortunately Poca has only been able to 1 game the entire season due to the virus but Ethan is still one of the top players in the state.
Blake Hartman: 5’11 190 Musselman High School 2021
Hudl:https://www.hudl.com/profile/9031359/Blake-Hartman
Blake broke his schools record for most rushing yards in a career with over 5200 yards with 7 games remaining in his senior year. So far Blake has rushed for close to 600 yards and 12 touchdowns through 3 games. Blake is a strong runner and doesn’t go down on first contact. His speed is underrated and he has great vision. A central part of the offense Blake is committed to Lehigh as a running back and he’s been one of the top players in the state since his freshman year.
Keon Padmore-Johnson: 5’8 160 Spring Mills High School 2021 QB
Hudl:https://www.hudl.com/profile/7724612/Keon-Johnson
Keon has accounted for over 14 touchdowns and 1200 yards in just 3 games of the season. Keon is a smaller quarterback but a very elusive runner and one of the fastest players in the state and can deliver the ball anywhere on the field. He missed his entire junior year with a knee injury but has definitely picked up from his sophomore campaign leading the Cardinals to an undefeated season so far the only remaining team in the Eastern Panhandle to be undefeated.
Atticus Goodson: 6’0 2020 Independence High School 2022 RB
Hudl:https://www.hudl.com/profile/12311808/Atticus-Goodson
Atticus is a very physical downhill runner with great balance. He currently has close 700 yards rushing through his first 3 games along with 15 touchdowns. Atticus is a all around talented athlete and doesn’t go down on first contact easily and can score from anywhere on the field at any given time. Atticus is leading his team to an undefeated season so far and is averaging 5 touchdowns a game rushing.
Jaydyn Johnson: 6’3 210 Cabell Midland High School 2021 QB
Hudl:https://www.hudl.com/profile/9646229/Jaydyn-Johnson
Jaydyn has close to 300 yards rushing on the season in 2 games with 2 touchdowns. Jaydyn is a strong runner that runs through tackles and can score from anywhere on the field. Jaydyn has great elusiveness and speed that is underrated because of his size at 6’3 210. He’s also playing quarterback in a successful downhill option offense and gets the job done running the offense at quarterback. He’s also leading his team right now with an undefeated record so far.
Notable Players to Watch:
Naieem Kearney (Martinsburg RB 2021), Gage Michael (Fairmont Senior QB 2021), (Jeremiah King Robert C. Byrd RB), (Bryson Singer Parkersburg QB).