For one of the rare times in his life, possibly the only time, Governor Mifflin’s Nicholas Singleton was caught flat-footed when it came to football. The eyes of hundreds looking up at the gifted 6-foot, 215-pound running back had him stuck.
The humble Singleton didn’t know he would have to give a brief acceptance speech before the gathering at the annual Pennsylvania Mini-Maxwell awards on Thursday night at the Drexelbrook Catering and Events Center, in Drexel Hill, PA.
As the winner of the Pennsylvania Player of the Year, Singleton thanked his parents and coaches and couldn’t get away from the mic fast enough. He better get used to making more speeches over the next few months, after the Penn State freshman tailback was chosen on Thursday by the prestigious Maxwell Club as the 2021 Maxwell Football Club Offensive National High School Player of the Year.
Singleton will be joined at the national Maxwell Awards dinner on Friday, March 18, at Harrah’s Atlantic City Resort by Mykel Williams from Hardaway High School (Columbus, GA), chosen as the 2021 Maxwell Football Club Defensive National High School Player of the Year.
For Singleton, who rushed for 2,043 yards and 41 touchdowns, averaging 13.2 yards per touch, including 12.4 yards per rushing attempt this past season, this is all just sinking in.
“It’s sinking in a little bit,” he admitted. “During the end of the season (when Mifflin was knocked out of the PIAA Class 5A state playoffs), I was upset. But the next day, I had to get over it, because I realized I’m going on to bigger and better things at Penn State.
“That last game was very emotional. It was like someone died. My parents had a talk to me about it. I moved right into Penn State (on Jan. 10) right after the All-American Bowl (on Jan. 8). So, it’s been a big adjustment and I have to get used to it.”
Everything around Singleton has been moving so rapidly that he’s hardly had much time to reflect on an amazing high school career. There’s the traditional Mifflin Fourth of July hill run, the bus drives with his teammates, the goofiness in team meetings, and summer morning workouts.
Singleton will graduate with his class at Mifflin and will come back to attend his prom.
“I miss everything at Mifflin,” Singleton said. “It used to take me a few minutes to go from one class to the next, and it takes 25 minutes, going from one building to the next. I’m trying to slow this whole process down a little.”
“I am trying to take all of this in, sitting back with all of these awards.”
Singleton is now in the rare company of special high school tailbacks to win the national Maxwell Offensive Player of the Year award like Derrick Henry (2012 Yulee HS – Alabama).
He says he’s getting used to wearing suits. He’ll just need to get a little used to giving speeches.
After he received the call from Maxwell Club Executive Director Mark Wolpert on Wednesday that he would be the National Offensive Player of the Year, Singleton basked in the news for a few moments—then “I went to sleep, between meetings, and workouts, and class,” he said.
Mifflin coach Jeff Lang openly admits he will never have a player like Singleton again.
“What will resonate with me is when Nick came in before his freshman year and he was working with one of the strongest kids on the team, Sam Mueller, and Nick was adding more weight on than Sam,” Lang said. “I was always looking for the year when he was going to plateau, when is he going to plateau, when he is going to plateau. Nick never plateaued. He keeps getting better and better. At Penn State, he is only going to get better.”
Singleton just may need to brush up on his acceptance speeches, because more awards will be coming his way.
Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sportswriter who has been covering high school football since 1992 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be followed on Twitter @JSantoliquito. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball.
