CHICAGO (November 29, 2012) — In its 28th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with USA TODAY High School Sports, today announced Kenny Hill of Southlake Carroll High School as its 2012-13 Gatorade Texas Football Player of the Year. Hill is the second Gatorade Texas Football Player of the Year to be chosen from Southlake Carroll High School.

The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Hill as Texas’s best high school football player. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Football Player of the Year award announced in December, Hill joins an elite alumni association of past state award-winners in 12 sports, including Mark Sanchez (2004-05, Mission Viejo HS, Calif.), Wes Welker (1999-00, Heritage Hall HS, Okla.), Terrell Suggs (1999-00, Hamilton HS, Ariz.), Anquan Boldin (1998-99, Pahokee HS, Fla.) and Jerome Bettis (1989-90, Mackenzie HS, Mich.).

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound senior quarterback led the Dragons to an 11-1 record this season entering the Class 5A Division 1 regional finals, scheduled for November 30. A returning Honorable Mention All-American as named by Sports Illustrated, Hill completed 170-of-248 passes (69 percent) for 2,918 yards and 26 touchdowns against just two interceptions through 12 games. Also the returning Dallas Morning News Offensive Player of the Year, Hill has rushed for 1,192 yards and 28 scores on 119 carries. As a junior, Hill completed 19-of-24 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns in addition to rushing for 117 yards and two scores on 24 carries in a 36-29 victory against Fort Bend Hightower High in the 2011 Class 5A Division I state championship game.

Also a baseball standout, Hill has maintained a 3.38 GPA in the classroom. He has volunteered locally on behalf of his school’s peer leadership program, the Young Men’s Service League, the Special Olympics and Play it Forward, which provides sports equipment to disadvantaged youth.

“Kenny Hill exemplified the characteristics of what makes Texas high school football special,” said Scot Hafley, head coach of rival Haltom High. “He was more than just a great athlete. He displayed tremendous leadership on the field. His poise and self-confidence were evident with the way he handled himself and encouraged those around him to play hard on every snap.”

Hill has verbally committed to play football on an athletic scholarship at Texas A&M beginning in the fall of 2013. The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade high school sports leadership team in partnership with USA TODAY High School Sports, which work with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.

Hill joins recent Gatorade Texas Football Players of the Year Johnathan Gray (2011-12, 2010-11, Aledo High School), Scotty Young (2009-10, Billy Ryan), Garrett Gilbert (2008-09, Lake Travis High School) and Riley Dodge (2007-08, Southlake Carroll) among the state’s list of former award winners.

Four Texas HS Football Teams are in the USA Today Pre-Season Top 25. They are as followed:

8 – Southlake Carroll
18 – Katy
20 – Euless Trinity
24 – Lake Travis

Other notables in the Top 25 are:
11 – Miami Booker T. Washington (plays Cedar Hill in Week 2)
12 – Tulsa Union (plays Euless Trinity in Week 1)
15 – Bellevue (plays Euless Trinity in Week 0)

The complete look at the USA Today Top 25 can be found by clicking this link

Pool A
SA Alamo Heights
Lake Travis*
SA Highlands
SA Southwest

Pool B
SA Central Catholic
Laredo Nixon
SA MacArthur
SA Clark

Pool C
SA Johnson
SA O’Connor
SA Reagan
SA Alamo Heights #2

Pool D
SA Madison
Laredo United
SA Warren
Boerne Champion

Pools Courtesy of Carl Padilla (@padillapoll)
Lake Travis cannot advance past pool play; have already qualified for State 7on7 Tournament
Click Here for Complete List of State 7on7 Tournament Qualifiers & Upcoming Tournaments

Pool A
Pflugerville Connally
Austin Bowie
Temple
Waco

Pool B
Bastrop Cedar Creek
Marble Falls
Copperas Cove
Belton**

Pool C
Elgin
Killeen
Grand Prairie
Lake Travis**

Pool D
Georgetown
Pflugerville Hendrickson
Cedar Park Vista Ridge
Killeen Shoemaker

Pool Play begins at 9:00am; Semifinals start at 1:15pm
** Belton and Lake Travis have already qualified for the State Tournament and cannot advance past pool play.
Click Here for a Complete List of State 7on7 Tournament Qualifiers and Upcoming Tournaments

Four Down Daily: Sunday June 3
Austin Area 5A 2013 Sleeper Players
Taking a look at the Austin area 5A districts of 15-5A and 16-5A, the two big powers of Austin Westlake and Lake Travis will immediately standout amongst the attention getting crowds in terms of teams to watch and marvel at. Instead of looking at teams in general, we will take a grasp at the individual players themselves and more specifically players that are flying under the radar in the recruiting scene that we believe will be valuable commodities by season’s end.

1st Down
Isaiah Jones – WR (Austin High)
Austin High’s Isaiah Jones, the younger brother of Cayleb Jones, now at Texas, was a solid go-to guy for the Austin High Maroons in 2011 with 41 receptions and 396 yards while grabbing four touchdowns. Jones put up those numbers with his brother also in action. While we will consider him a sleeper, mainly because of a very deep wide receiver class of 2013 in Texas, he is getting plenty of looks from across the country. Look for Jones to see an increased role in the offense and on special teams. The 2012 season could be a very big year for the six-foot one receiver.

2nd Down
Sam Lawliss – ATH (Round Rock)
Sam Lawliss is probably one of the more versatile athletes in the Austin/Round Rock corridor and could be a very solid pick up for a wide variety of schools across the country. Lawliss has spent some time playing a number of positions including quarterback, punter, safety and outside linebacker. Wherever the 6-2, 210 pound Lawliss is placed on the field, there is a guarantee that he will be among the the more aggressive and determined athletes on each and every play. Taking his game up the next level will be key in 2012 after being injured for most of 2011.

3rd Down
Christian Ahrens – ATH (Round Rock Stony Point)
If the Stony Point Tigers intend the have a big bounce back season after a disappointing 2011 season, they will have to rely on the services of Christian Ahrens, who will be spending his time as the quarterback and may see some time on defense. Ahrens is a player that comes with a solid burst of speed and a very high football IQ. Learning how to be a leader in 2011 will be his biggest asset in 2012 and what he lacks in size, he makes up for it in his athleticism. He may be a steal for a D1 or D2 college program looking to fill some holes in their roster.

4th Down
Anthony Patino – DE (Austin Westlake)
Austin Westlake DE Anthony Patino is probably one of the more aggressive and talented defensive players in the entire state and his stock could rise fairly quickly. Once he gets into an opponent’s backfield, he can be very dangerous and will pick up speed once he gets out into the open aiming for his target. With a solid non-district slate, Patino will have a golden opportunity to prove his worth against some of the state’s top teams early. Closing out the regular season with Lake Travis and Austin High will also be a big test. If he performs well against the elite teams, he should have no problems landing a spot on a Division I roster.

Four Down Daily: Friday June 1
Four Teams in Class 4A To Watch
Lake Travis is now in Class 5A and Aledo will have to adjust to life without Johnathan Gray, Matt Bishop and others. So that means we will see at least one new champion crowned in 4A in 2012 and very likely two. While we will wait awhile to unveil our pre-season rankings and district projections, we will spill the beans on a set of teams that will very likely have an impact on Class 4A, not necessarily in the title picture but in the ballpark of getting around three or four rounds deep. For this edition, we will go region by region with one team in each.

1st Down
Region I – Amarillo
The Golden Sandies of Amarillo are moving down from  5A to 4A and they do have a good group of talented players returning to the squad in the 2012 season. Among those returning is WR/CB Ryan Sluder, RB Cole Sanchez and QB Gabe Rodriguez. A couple of year’s under Maxfield’s system will be a big plus and 4A Region I in Division I, which will be the likely playoff  landing spot, is not exactly the big headliner or with a wealth of dominant teams.

2nd Down
Region II – Frisco Centennial
The Centennial Titans in 2011 went through what was a very surprisingly strong 9-4A and got to the Regional Round. The Titans will have highly touted recruits in CB Ranthony Texada and  DT K.J. Smith to help out on the defensive side of the ball. The offense will have to reload, but the sky is the limit for the Titans if they can hold defensively. There will be several road blocks in the playoffs that may come to light, but expect the Titans to go toe to toe with almost any team in Region II.

3rd Down
Region III – Fort Bend Marshall
Gone is Manvel. Gone is La Marque. Hello to four new schools in the region alone (two in 22-4A) and hello to the Fort Bend Marshall Buffaloes, which has had its own share of success in recent years at the 5A level. The Marshall Buffaloes find themselves in a much weaker than normal Class 4A Region III. The return of Maurice Porter on the offensive line and Del Shon Waller at running back will be a big reason why the Buffaloes could be a sleeper in the regional picture. Deon Hollins, a big time recruit on the defensive line is also back. If their talent and physical play holds up, Region III is in trouble.

4th Down
Region IV – Leander
Leander was a pretty good 5A playoff team over the last few years. Much like Fort Bend Marshall and Amarillo, some teams may find themselves napping at the wrong time if Leander is anywhere close to what they have had over the last few years and don’t pay too much attention.  RB Dylan Bauer, DE Jacob Green and DB Tevin Smith are possible headliners on the this year’s Lions squad. With no Lake Travis and Smithson Valley lurking the region, Leander has a golden opportunity to take their playoff aspirations to new heights.

Pool A
Lake Travis**
Belton
Georgetown
RR Cedar Ridge

Pool B
Copperas Cove
Austin Bowie
Leander Rouse
Elgin

Pool C
Austin High
Pflugerville Hendrickson
CP Vista Ridge
Hays Consolidated

Pool D
RR Stony Point
Cedar Park
Dripping Springs
Austin McCallum

** Lake Travis & RR Westwood cannot advance past pool play; already have qualified for State 7on7 Tournament 

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