KFDM COOP Posted December 6, 2006 Report Posted December 6, 2006 Mallett is Gatorade Texas Football Player of the Year By JOHNNY GREEN Sports Director Texas High quarterback Ryan Mallett is the winner of the prestigious Gatorade Texas Football Player of the Year Award for 2006-2007. Mallett, who passed for more than 3,300 yards and 31 touchdowns in Texas High’s 12-1 season that ended last week, started 40 games for the Tigers, including three as a freshman. His record as a starter was 33-7. “To be selected from the thousands of kids who play football in Texas is quite an honor, and I think Ryan is very deserving of it,†said Texas High coach Barry Norton. “Ryan’s as good a high school quarterback that I’ve seen in 19 years of coaching. I don’t think I’ve seen a better one either having coached or played against.†Mallett was selected as much for his citizenship as his abilities on a football field. He owns a 3.7 GPA in the classroom and actively mentors elementary and middle school students as par of his school district’s Literacy Campaign. He has also volunteered in food drives to benefit underprivileged children and a local homeless shelter. Additional community service projects include decorating nursing homes during the holiday season, making Christmas stockings for needy children and coaching at area youth football camps. “What stands out about him is his dedication to being the best he can be,†Norton said. “You have to kick him out of the gym, the weight room and the film room. But for all his accolades and recognition, not one time has he failed to put his team first.†Perhaps that’s why the news of the award didn’t exactly cheer its recipient up, coming on the heels of the state quarterfinals loss. “It’s an honor, but I’m still upset over the game last week,†Mallett said. “The bar at Texas High has been raised since the 2002 state championship, and we wanted to do the same thing. We just couldn’t get it done. Winning a state championship was the only goal I had. Individual awards don’t mean that much to me.†Mallett, who will leave Texas High at the end of the current semester to enroll at the University of Michigan, has also set the bar extremely high for Tiger quarterbacks of the future. “When you watch Ryan, the first thing you see is his size and arm strength,†Norton said. “I think sometimes the cerebral part of being a quarterback is overlooked. He’s studied the game as much as anybody, and he’s way ahead of a lot of kids in that area.†“When you watch Ryan, the first thing you see is his size and arm strength,†Norton said. “I think sometimes the cerebral part of being a quarterback is overlooked. He’s studied the game as much as anybody, and he’s way ahead of a lot of kids in that area.†Mallett has managed to avoid injury throughout his Texas High career, and Norton thinks if that trend continues, he will know success at the next level. “If he stays healthy, I think he will be tremendously successful,†he said. “Ryan will work hard to be a great player and to help his teammates. His work ethic is really impressive. It would have been easy for him to simply rely on his ability alone, but he’s worked very hard to be the best he can be.†Mallett joins recent honorees Matthew Stafford (2005-06) of Highland Park, Demarcus Granger (2004-05) of Dallas Kimball and Graham Harrell (2003-04) of Ennis on the all-time list of Gatorade Texas Football Players of the Year. The Gatorade Player of the Year program recognizes one winner in each of the 50 states and District of Columbia in football, girls volleyball, boys and girls soccer, boys and girls basketball, baseball, softball and boys and girls track and field. The selection process is administered by Rise Magazine, which works with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport. congrats to ryan
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