Dec. 14, 2009
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Blanchard named Player of the Year in Alabama Staff Reports Quarterback Coty Blanchard, who led the Cherokee County Warriors to their first-ever state football championship, has been named the Gatorade Player of the Year from the state of Alabama.The announcement was made last week on www.ESPN.com. Blanchard led the Warriors to a 15-0 record and a win in the Class 4A title game over Jackson at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa on Dec. 4. The game ended in dramatic fashion, with Blanchard scoring the winning touchdown in the final seconds. For the game, Blanchard rushed for 100 yards and two scores, and threw for 187 yards and another TD. Blanchard finished his senior season with 1,141 yards rushing on 153 carries, with 20 touchdowns. He passed 287 times, completing 199 (69.3%) for 2,924 yards and 35 TDs. In its 25th anniversary year of honoring the nation's best high school athletes, the Gatorade Company, in conjunction with ESPN RISE, annually announces its State Football Player of the Year winners for the 50 states and District of Columbia. The award recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field. The National Player of the Year will be named at a later date. |