National Football Foundation to honor local players, coaches
Press Sports Editor
sports@presspublications.com
The National Football Foundation recognizes athletes and coaches for their efforts on and off the field, and this season, there were plenty of players who are being honored for their efforts.
The Toledo/Wistert chapter will honor dozens of athletes and coaches, including eight area players and one coach for their performance in 2023, on March 12 at the Glass City Center (formerly known as The SeaGate Convention Center) in downtown Toledo.
The keynote speaker will be Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman.
Eastwood has four players — Andrew Badenhop, Austin Maize, Caiden Maize and Ian Sibbersen — who are being recognized. Genoa has three — Aiden Brunkhorst, Caleb Gittus and Denver Stewart — and Oak Harbor’s Scott Smith and its head coach, Mike May, are being honored as well.
Sam Cotterman, who just finished his first year coaching the Eagles, talked about his players.
“I think about the old quote, ‘How you do something is how you do everything.’ I think this shows the well-rounded student-athletes these guys are,” Cotterman said. “Not only have they worked hard in their multiple fields and gyms of play and been successful in those, but they have also worked in the classroom and community, and this is an awesome recognition to acknowledge that success.”
Cotterman says he’s impressed with the foundation and how it recognizes the players.
“Last year was the first year I attended. Most of my coaching career, I was heavily involved in wrestling during this time. But I was so amazed last year with this banquet, Cotterman said. “The foundation does a fantastic job putting a spotlight on these kids. I hope these kids puff out their chests that evening and put on a big smile and enjoy being atop that mountain, because they have worked hard to get there and deserve it. My coaches and I are excited to celebrate them and their families.”
Genoa coach Bill Fisher had high praise for each of his three players being honored, all of whom have excellent GPAs.
“These three young men fit the mold of what a scholar-athlete represents. ‘A commitment to excellence’ is the phrase that comes to mind. They performed on the field (first-team all-league, third-team all-Ohio), and were three of the four captains this year, selected by their teammates,” said Fisher. Their grade point averages in the classroom were Brunkhorst — 4.225 (No. 1 in his class); Gittus — 4.181 and Stewart — 3.833. They each have their own amount of volunteer hours and contributions to the community and/or school. If there ever is an offseason (is that even a thing nowadays?), they would be in the weight room with 90%-plus attendance rate.”
Smith, who played on the offensive and defensive lines, led the Rockets to back-to-back league titles in the Northern Buckeye Conference and the Sandusky Bay Conference Bay Division and two playoff appearances, including a run to the regional semifinals last year, and a 22-3 record.
“Scott Smith is very deserving of being honored by the National Football Foundation. He is everything that we want in our student-athletes at Oak Harbor. Scott leads by example with his outstanding character and work ethic. Last season, he was elected captain by his teammates and he did a phenomenal job in that role. His consistency is one thing that really stands out about him. We always knew that Scott would give tremendous effort at every workout, practice and game. He was one of the main reasons that we were back-to-back league champions and had a 22-3 record during his junior and senior seasons.”
May, who has been honored four times before, was quick to praise his assistant coaches, many of whom have been with him for years.
“Even though the award will have my name on it as the head coach, I refuse to consider it an individual award. Over the years, the administration and board of education have done a phenomenal job of hiring tremendous teachers that are also coaches. That commitment has allowed us to build a great staff in our football program,” said May. “We currently have seven varsity football coaches that teach at Oak Harbor High school. We are very fortunate to work in a district that is committed to both academic and athletic excellence.”
May talked about the NFF and what makes the event so special.
“The National Football Foundation is a first-class organization and the awards banquet is always well done. In my opinion, this is the most prestigious honor that a football player in Northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan can receive,” said May. “The award winners are selected by people who are heavily involved with the game of football and who value education in addition to production on the field.”