To The Max
Eight from PAC receive Mini Max awards
Maxwell Football Club President, Ron Jaworski, announced the 2016 Mini Max High School Award winners for the state of Pennsylvania on Tuesday morning. The sixty-two players selected are from schools located in Districts 1,3,11 and 12 in the eastern half of the state. Players were nominated by their coaches throughout the 2016 season and were evaluated based on a criteria that includes: football performance, academics, and community service.
Among those selected from the Mercury’s coverage area were Ryan Okuniewski (Daniel Boone), Ryan O’Toole (Methacton), Nick Duliakas (Owen J. Roberts), Stephen Sturm (Perkiomen Valley), Matt Garcia (Phoenixville), Nick Yerger (Pope John Paul II), Ryan Finn (Pottsgrove), Isaiah Mayes
(Pottstown) and Stone Scarcelle (Spring-Ford). A look at each local player nominated:
RYAN OKUNIEWSKI >> Senior wide receiver finished with a team best 836 receiving yards on 41 receptions. His season totals are No. 2 in the Berks Conference, behind only Exeter’s Gabe Schappell.
RYAN O’TOOLE >> Senior running back/free safety led Methacton in all-purpose yards with 1,049 (654 rushing) and six touchdowns. O’Toole was also a force on defense, coming up with three interceptions.
NICK DULIAKAS >> Senior defensive lineman was a cog on Owen J. Roberts’ defense that allowed only 19.5 points against per game (third best in PAC) and posted three shutouts. Duliakas finished with 3.5 sacks in OJR’s 29-0 victory over Boyertown.
STEPHEN STURM >> Senior quarterback threw for a PAC record 3,438 yards and 42 touchdowns against just nine interceptions for Perkiomen Valley. His 94 career passing touchdowns tied Manheim Township’s Pat Bostick’s career mark set from 2003-2006.
MATT GARCIA >> Senior running back/outside linebacker provided a needed spark in Phoenixville’s backfield. Garcia broke the school’s single-season rushing record which had stood since 1966, posting 1,820 yards and 17 touchdowns in just 10 games.
NICK YERGER >> Senior outside linebacker/fullback proved reliable for a Pope John Paul II program that posted one of its most memorable seasons in program history. Yerger hauled in a touchdown reception and ran in another as the Golden Panthers earned a trip to the District 1 Class 4A playoffs, posted a threegame win-streak and also beat Pottsgrove for the first time.
RYAN FINN >> Senior quarterback/outside linebacker was the consistent signal caller Pottsgrove needed to claim a District One Class 4A title and a PIAA-4A playoff berth. Though his numbers rarely jumped off the sheet, he was consistent, completing 50 percent of his passes for 13 touchdowns and 864 yards. He also rushed for 447 yards and seven touchdowns.
ISAIAH MAYES >> Senior running back/outside linebacker finished fourth in PAC in rushing yards (810) on 156 carries with seven touchdowns. Mayes’ season was highlighted by a three-touchdown performance during the Trojans’ 20-6 win over Upper Merion.
STONE SCARCELLE >> Senior wide receiver/defensive back finished tied for most career touchdown receptions in Spring-Ford history, his 20 touchdown catches tying the mark set by Andrew Scanlan (Northwestern) in 2011. Scarcelle had a school-record 13 touchdown grabs in 2016 to go along with 864 yards (second best in PAC).
The Mini Max Award recipients will be honored at a dinner to be held on Thursday January 12, 2017 at the Drexelbrook Catering Ballroom in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. The awards dinner is open to the public and tickets are available on the Club’s website www. maxwellfootballclub.org beginning on Friday, December 2nd.
The Maxwell Football Club will select one player from the group of Mini Max winners as the winner of the Pennsylvania High School Player of the Year. The Pennsylvania High School Player of the Year will be announced on January 8, 2016 at the Awards Dinner.
The sixty-two 2016 Pennsylvania Mini Max Winners are listed alphabetically by school: