Early 2012 Simone Favorites

The Simone Award.

The History 

Originally, the award for the best high school football player in the Kansas City metropolitan area was the D.M. Nigro Award. The award was given annually from 1931 until 1975 (the year of D.M. Nigro's death). Following Nigro's death, no top player award was handed out from the years of 1975 to 1982.

In April of 1983, Tommy Simone, a 12-year-old from the Northland was stuck and killed by a police car that was responding to a distress call. Tommy was known as the  ultimate competitor and his death left the community in shock. To honor Tommy, his parents came up with the idea of reinstating the annual award for the best high school football player in Kansas City, hence the arrival of the Simone Award.

The Simone Award has been given annually since 1983. The final verdict on the winner of the award is made up of by votes casted by members of the Greater Kansas City Coaches Football Association and select members of the local media. By maintaing the elite prestige of the Simone Award on a yearly basis, the memory of Tommy Simone has been enshrined in Kansas City history.

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Past Winners

Perhaps the more recent and most intriguing of the winners include NFL players the likes of Ladell Betts (1996), Darren Sproles (2000), Chase Coffman (2004), and Josh Freeman (2006). But the most interesting thing about many of the winners that haven't gone on to the NFL is the lives they lead after their Simone days that don't necessarily involve the stardom they received in high school.

Josh Brewer (1997) and Michael Keenan (2003) went on to join the Armed Forces after deciding that serving their country was of the very high importance in their lives. Some, like Jason Thoren (1993) have decided the coaching route is the best option (Thoren serves as the defensive coordinator at Baker University). Others, like Arland Bruce (1995) have even headed North of the border to reach their peak (Bruce starred in the Canadian Football League for the Toronto Arganauts).  Recent winner Bubba Starling (2010) was drafted fifth overall in the 2011 MLB Draft and is currently in the Royals' minor league system.

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Early Favorites for the 2012 Simone Award 

Montell Cozart. Rivals.com.

Montell Cozart, Bishop Miege  
Quarterback
6-foot-2, 180 lbs.

Cozart was the one of four finalists for the Simone Award last season and he's since committed to play football at the University of Kansas (Miege's previous head coach, Tim Grunhard, took the job as KU's offensive line coach this past spring, all but securing Cozart's commitment).  By all means Cozart enters the fall of 2012 as the prohibitive favorite to claim the award as the top high school football player in the Kansas City area.  His junior numbers were fantastic as he completed 161 of 255 passes for 2,448 yards and 31 touchdowns.  He also added 550 rushing yards.  He did lose his favorite target from 2011 in Tre' Parmalee (a Kansas commit for the class of 2012) but Cozart should still produce big time numbers.

Brad Strauss. LJ World.

Brad Strauss, Lawrence
Quarterback
6-foot-1, 185 lbs.

The LHS faithful would love nothing more than seeing Strauss become the school's first Simone Award winner since linebacker Jason Thoren claimed the award in 1993.  Last season Strauss passed for 1,554 yards and 11 touchdowns, rushed for 707 yards and 11 touchdowns, intercepted three passes on defense and returned a kick for a touchdown.  He's a lights-out type of player that should have no problem producing big numbers in his third year as the starter, assuming he can stay healthy (his shift from safety to cornerback on defense should help).  I would guess that Strauss will have at least a few non-BCS, FBS offers on the table by season's end as well.

Trent Hosick. Rivals.com

Trent Hosick, Staley
Quarterback
6-foot-2, 215 lbs.

Hosick has commited to play quarterback at Mizzou which means he'll get plenty of attention from both high school and Missouri fans alike.  His personal statement, which you can read here, is really a piece of work and the type of monologue that seems geared towards inspiring people to recycle their sandals and/or join the Peace Corps.  He plays in an offense at Staley that is basically designed to produce Simone Award candidates given its fluidity and high intensity.  Right now he's the only player from Missouri who I would consider an early favorite to be amongst the four finalists for the award come December.

Traevohn Wrench. Rivals.com

Traevohn Wrench, Gardner-Edgerton
Running Back
6-foot-0, 185 lbs.

I haven't witnessed Wrench in a game but I've only heard good things about him from those who have.  Wrench is a good enough athlete to basically out-maneuver anyone he goes up against and it explains things like his seven touchdown, 458-yard rushing performance last season in Regionals versus Bonner Springs.  Wrench has early offers from Iowa, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri and Nebraska, but that list should increase as the season continues.  Also, don't forget that Wrench plays for the legendary Marvin Diener, who's coached Kansas high school greats like Terence Newman, Jake Sharp and Bubba Starling and certainly knows how to the put the ball in the hands of his best athletes.

Sunflower League Extra: Sectional Round Edition

Eli's First and Ten

1. The smack talk between the Olathe South and Olathe North folks has been pretty intense ... it would be interesting to see what level it would be at if Olathe North plays Olathe East (right) in the Sub-State round.

2. You can call SM Northwest this year's darkhorse. Who would of thought the Cougs would make Sectionals after their disappointing 0-3 start to the season?

3. The Sunflower League's top three rushing offenses still remain in the playoffs--this doesn't seem like a coincidence to me.

4. Adonis Saunders and Victor Simmons combined to rush for 339 yards and five touchdowns on 27 carries. Those totals equate to 12.5 yards per carry. Sickening numbers, regardless of the defense.

5. If this year's Sectional matchups look familiar there's a reason for it. In 2007 the Sectionals featured the exact same four teams. Olathe East, Olathe North, and SM Northwest all sat at 9-1, while Olathe South was 7-3. Who came out on top? The team with the worst record--the Olathe South Falcons who went on to lose to Hutchinson in the state championship game.

6. With their Regional victory Olathe East claimed their ninth win of the season. The nine wins marks the sixth time the Hawks have reached that win total in the past eight years, which is more than any other Sunflower League team during that stretch.

7. We're nearing the announcement of the 2010 Simone Award candidates. While Gardner-Edgerton's Bubba Starling seems to be the clear favorite at this point in time, watch out for a Sunflower League invite or two. Brandon Willingham (1,617 rushing yards and 21 TDs) will most certainly be in the discussion.

8. The player with the ability to impact a game the most? Perhaps that title belongs to SM Northwest's Kenny Mings. His prowess on offense, defense, and special teams made him a nightmare for SM West last week, and he could cause similar headaches for Olathe East.

9. During the summer Olathe South head coach Jeff Gourley predicted that Nick Sands would rush for 2,000 yards. Sands currently sits at 1,470 yards rushing (147 ypg), 530 yards short of that plateau. It's highly unlikely Sands will reach those numbers unless Olathe South makes it to the state title game--but we'll keep it in mind just in case.

10. The team with the most pressure to perform? It's either Olathe East or Olathe North. The Hawks hold the top seed and are playing a four-loss SM Northwest team, while Olathe North is working on defending a state title.

Stat Leaders (among those still playing)

Passing Yards

Stephen Mangelsdorf, SM Northwest: 1,345

Frankie Suerer, Olathe South: 424

Trent Kuhl, Olathe East: 376

Victor Simmons, Olathe North: 299

Rushing Yards

Brandon Willingham, Olathe East: 1,617

Nick Sands, Olathe South: 1,470

Adonis Saunders, Olathe North: 1,413

Victor Simmons, Olathe North: 1,268

Austin Fulson, Olathe East: 749

Jake Crist, Olathe South: 676

Receiving Yards

Kenny Mings, SM Northwest: 413

AJ Spencer, SM Northwest: 296

Tanner Gentry, Olathe North: 276

Tackles

Tanner Ginavan, Olathe South: 112

Kyle Swartz, Olathe North: 96

Dylan Hanson, Olathe South: 93

Sam Todd, Olathe North: 79

Dylan DeVries, Olathe South: 77

Vince Gerstner, Olathe East: 76

Austin Fulson, Olathe East: 74

Greg Fry, Olathe South: 68

Interceptions

Kenny Mings, SM Northwest: 4

Taylor Sheffield, Olathe South: 3

Derec Olson, SM Northwest: 2

*SM Northwest player statistics do not include last week's game

Stats courtesy Mid-Statesports.com

Photo courtesy the Kansas City Star

Early 2010 Simone Award Favorites

At this point in time last year the only I made a similar list detailing my preseason favorites to win the 2009 Simone Award. The list included Olathe North's James Franklin (who obviously won the award), Blue Valley's Anthony Abenoja, Rockhurst's Sal Belfonte, Blue Springs' Keeston Terry, Free State's Camren Torneden and Bishop Miege's Justin McCay. As it turned out, Franklin was the only player on the list who was among the top four for the presitgious award (although it's worth noting that Terry won the Taylor Award as the top receiver in Kansas City).

Last year's results indicated two things. Most importantly, a player who is a finalist as a junior has a pretty decent shot at winning the award as a senior. Franklin, as well as 2008 winner Blaine Dalton were each finalists following their junior seasons and won the award as seniors. The only junior finalist in 2009 was Blue Springs running back Darrian Miller.

The second key thing to note is that the award is really a crapshoot--a sample of the the greater whole that is high school football.

In 2003 Rockhurst's Tony Temple was the talk of the Kansas City high school football scene. Temple was being hailed as the greatest high school football player in the history of the city, and was an overwhelming favorite to win the Simone Award in his fourth season as a starting running back. In the first game of the 2003 season Temple rushed for 249 yards and four touchdowns and was named the USA Today high school football player of the week. In week two Temple suffered a shoulder injury that virtually ended his senior season of high school football and chances of winning the Simone Award.

In 2007 the Simone was awarded to Rockhurst's Nathan Scheelhaase, the first junior to ever win the award. Scheelhaase looked like a lock to claim the award again in 2008, but in the end Dalton from rival Blue Springs South won the award.

Despite all the uncertainty, I have formulated a list of six players who I feel have the best chances at winning the award.

Darrian Miller

Blue Springs (MO) High School

Miller, like Temple and Scheelhaase were as seniors, is an overwhelming favorite to win the Simone Award in 2010. He was a finalist for the Simone Award in 2009, and many believe he actually should have won the award over Franklin--and if you base it on stats alone he maybe should have. As a junior Miller carried the ball 309 times for 2,798 yards and 37 touchdowns (by comparison Franklin rushed for 2,803 yards and 31 touchdowns). Miller also caught 24 passes for 375 yards and three touchdowns. Had Miller's Blue Springs team beat Hazelwood Central for the Missouri 6A crown, there was a pretty good chance he would have been the second ever junior to win the award. As a senior the 5-foot-10, 181 pound Miller is rated by Rivals.com as the 77th best player in the nation, and he holds offers from Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa. Blue Springs will once again be one of the top teams in Missouri Class 6A in 2010 and Miller will be receiving his fair share of publicity. He is the early and clear favorite to claim the 2010 Simone Award

Victor Simmons

Olathe North (KS) High School

Simmons notoriety in Kansas City received a huge boost a week ago when he was offered by Kansas and shortly thereafter committed to the Jayhawks. Notoriety, after all, is perhaps the biggest key to winning the Simone Award and for Simmons he is now a household name with thousands of Kansas alumni throughout Kansas City. The biggest knock on Simmons is that he is simply a glorified running back. Simmons didn't do much passing for Olathe North last season, that duty was left to the other Eagle quarterback David Blazevic. Simmons primary role was executing the zone read option. He did well rushing for over 1,000 yards and he also helped Olathe North out in the defensive backfield. Ultimately the team won the 6A crown with the major boost that Simmons provided as a running threat. Olathe North, like Blue Springs, will be receving a great deal of publicity in Kansas City and Simmons had a chance to impress many of the Kansas alumni who are looking forward to seeing him play.

Brandon Willingham

Olathe East (KS) High School

Willingham won't be leaving the field much in 2010. Slotted as a starting running back, defensive back, and return specialist should help to boost Willingham's all-around statistics. Willingham will be leading yet another inexperienced, but talented Olathe East team in this upcoming season and just how well the Hawks do will be much attributed to how well Willingham is able to perform. Two players from Olathe East come to mind--Andre Jones and Derek Miller. Both players were multipurpose stars for Olathe East in the mid 2000s and both were Simone finalists. Willingham will play as important of role as both of those guys had for their respective teams, and should he tear it up, Willingham has a shot at the Simone.

Noah Pearl

Rockhurst (MO) High School

Pearl is quite an intriguing player. He split carries in the Hawklets backfield as a junior and churned out 1,400 yards, but he still remains under the radar. While he projects as as defensive back at the next level his skills at the running back position are undeniable. I see Pearl as an athlete with a boatload of untapped potential. Since Rockhurst runs a fairly balanced offense I think it will be hard for Pearl to surpass 2,000 rushing yards as a senior (the unwritten watermark for Simone Award winning running backs), but I still expect him do do big things for Rockhurst and potentially claim a spot amongst the four finalists for the award.

Adonis Saunders

Olathe North (KS) High School

It's not a stretch to call the running back position at Olathe North the "most highly acclaimed" of any position for any team in the metro. When you go back through the years Olathe North has never lacked a big time back. From Arland Bruce to Beno Gore to Darren Sproles, Maurice Mack to Jim Bouknight, Justin to Josh Gore, and the aforementioned James Franklin. Saunders looks to carry on the torch of the elite position in 2010. Saunders is probably the fastest player in the Sunflower League. He won the Kansas Class 6A 100 and 200 meter crowns as a sophomore, and may have repeated the feat this past Spring had he not injured his hamstring before the state meet. With speed to kill, Saunders will continue to be used in a variety of ways by Olathe North head coach Pete Flood--the first of which will be out of the team's highly successful Wildcat formation. Five Olathe North running backs have won the Simone Award, and Saunders has a good shot at being the sixth.

Cameron Coffman

Raymore-Peculiar (MO) High School

The Coffman family bloodlines run rampant throughout Jackson County. The father, Paul, played tight end for the Chiefs in the 1980s. Eldest son Chase plays for the Cincinnati Bengals and won the Simone Award in 2004 at Ray-Pec. Carson led Ray-Pec to two state titles and is the starting quarterback at Kansas State. Cameron has all the makings of the next great Coffman. With offers from Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa State, Arizona State and Wyoming, Cameron is by no means flying under the radar. In fact he is likely the most talented prep quarterback in the Kansas City metro. Coming off consecutive 2,000+ yard passing seasons Cameron has big expectations on his shoulders for the 2010 season.

Bubba Starling

Gardner-Edgerton (KS) High School

I initially completed this list with only the aforementioned six players, but something was telling me I was forgetting somebody. Low and behold Gardner-Edgerton's Starling committed to Nebraska several days later and I immediately realized who I had been forgetting. The 6-foot-5 Starling is one of the most dominant athletes the Kansas City Metro has seen in a few years. Not only is he rated by Rivals.com as the 99th high school football player in the nation, but he also boasts a 95 mph fastball and is expected to be selected in the first five rounds of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft. Starling is also a star on the basketball court for the Blazers. As a sophomore Starling passed for 1,141 yards and 11 touchdowns, and rushed for 1,033 yards and 10 touchdowns, in leading Gardner-Edgerton to the Class 5A Sub-State round. Last season as a junior he passed for 1,433 yards and 18 touchdowns and rushed for 1,381 yards and 19 touchdowns in leading the school to its first ever appareance in the 5A state championship.

(Side Note: My apologies for the lack of seperation of paragraphs. Blogger's space formating is nearly impossible to work with when you insert pictures, and it prevented me from properly spacing this entire post.)