Maxwell Football Club President, Mark Dianno, announced the 2021 Maxwell Football State Players of the Year. The winners were Wayne Knight from Smyrna High School (Delaware), Pat Caughey from The Delbarton School (New Jersey) and Nicholas Singleton from Governor Mifflin High School (Pennsylvania). Players were nominated by their coaches throughout the 2021 season and were evaluated based on criteria that include: football performance, academic achievement, and community service. The Maxwell Club’s High School Awards are proudly supported by Montage Mountain Resort.
Knight was a first-team All-Conference and All-State running back during the 2021 season. He has signed a national letter of intent to play football at the University of Delaware.
During the 2021 season, Caughey garnered All-Conference, All-Group, All-County, and All-State honors. The defensive lineman is committed to Stanford University, where he will continue his football career.
Singleton was named to multiple All-State teams and was recognized as the Gatorade National Player of the Year. He was also selected as the Maxwell Football Club/Adidas National High School Player of the Year on Offense. He was selected to play in the All-American Bowl and will continue his football career at Penn State University.
The winners of Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania Player of the Year awards will be the candidates for the Club’s 36th Jim Henry Award as the Outstanding Player in the region. The winner of the Jim Henry Award will be announced on February 1, 2022.
Recent winners of the Jim Henry Award include Kyle McCord (St. Joseph Prep – Ohio State Univ.), Will Howard (Downingtown West H.S. – Kansas State), Keith Maguire (Malvern Prep – Clemson), Shayne Simon (St. Peters Prep – Notre Dame), Jonathan Taylor (Salem H.S. – Wisconsin), Brandon McIlwain (Council Rock North H.S – South Carolina/Cal), Kyle Shurmur (LaSalle College H.S. – Vanderbilt), Mark Pyles (Lebanon H.S – Bucknell), Fran Walsh (Archbishop Wood H.S – Villanova), Brendan Nosovitch (Allentown Central Catholic – University of South Carolina), Bill Kim (Upper Dublin H.S – Johns Hopkins), Brad Herzlich (Conestoga H.S – Brown University), Daniel Persa (Bethlehem Liberty H.S – Northwestern), Brent Caprio (Mainland Regional H.S. – William & Mary), Steven Rizzo (Audubon H.S. – Colgate), Pat Devlin (Downingtown East H.S. – Delaware), Ryan Greiser (Pennridge H.S. – Liberty), Dan Connor (Strath Haven H.S. – Penn State) and Austin Scott (Parkland H.S – Penn State).
“This year’s group of Mini-Max winners really stood out and rose to meet the challenges of being exceptional performers on the fields, in their classrooms, and in their respective communities. Our three State Players of the Year consistently represented themselves, their coaches, schools, and families with distinction and exemplified all the best of a student-athlete. On behalf of the entire Board of Directors and all the members of the Maxwell Football Club, we congratulate and salute the MFC State Players of the Year on their tremendous accomplishments and wish them much success in their future endeavors.” – Mark Dianno – Maxwell Football Club President
Knight, Caughey, and Singleton will be honored Friday, March 18, 2022, at the 85th Maxwell Football Club National Awards Gala which will be held at the Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City, NJ. Also receiving awards at this event will be Bryce Young – Alabama (Maxwell Award), Jordan Davis – Georgia (Chuck Bednarik Award), Pat Narduzzi – University of Pittsburgh (Andy Talley Regional Coach of the Year Award), Kenny Pickett (University of Pittsburgh – FBS) and Forrest Rhyne (Villanova – FCS) (The Brian Westbrook Regional Player of the Year Award), Brock Bowers –Georgia (Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award), and Dave Aranda – Baylor (The George Munger College Coach of the Year Award) and Ray Didinger (The Francis Reds Bagnell Award for Contributions to Football). The Club will be announcing additional winners of professional awards and special awards next week.
Tickets for the Maxwell Football Club National Awards Gala are available for purchase on the Club’s website https://maxwellfootballclub.org/purchase-tickets/ or by calling 215-643-3833.
Questions concerning any of the Maxwell Football Club’s awards or programs can be directed to MFC Executive Director Mark Wolpert at info@maxwellfootballclub.org.
About the Maxwell Football Club
The Maxwell Football Club (MFC) was founded in 1935 and is a registered 501c3 Non-Profit Corporation. The MFC promotes and recognizes excellence at all levels of football from youth leagues through the professional ranks. Each year the MFC offers programs that focus on player and coach development, safety, and player wellness. The Club also presents many of the premier awards in the football world each year. Membership is open and additional information on the Club can be found at www.maxwellfootballclub.org.