In the 37th year of honoring the best high school athletes in the country, Gatorade today named Derrick Moore of St. Francis Academy the 2021-22 Gatorade Maryland Football Player of the Year. Moore is the second Gatorade Maryland Football Player of the Year to be selected from St. Francis Academy.
The award, which not only recognizes outstanding athletic excellence, but also the high quality of academic achievement and exemplary character displayed on and off the field, distinguishes Moore as one of Maryland’s best high school football players. Moore Emit Smith (1986-87, Escambia High School, Ph.D.), a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Football Player of the Year award announced in December, joins an elite alumni association of state award winners, including Matthew Stafford. (2005-06, Highland Park High School, Texas) and Christian McCaffrey (2012-13 and 2013-14, Valer Christian High School, Colo.).
The 6-foot-4, 245-pound senior defensive end recorded 55 tackles, 24 tackles for the loss, and 12 sacks last season, leading the Panthers to an 8-1 record and the No. 5 national ranking in the USA Today Super 25. Moore, who is 2022 under. Armor has been selected to play in the All-America game, helping St. Francis Florida Power IMG Academy recover from its first home loss since 2014. He is ranked as the 23rd employer in the country in 2022 by ESPN.
Moore has volunteered locally for the Youth Sports League and the camp. “Derrick Moore is one of the best defenders I’ve ever coached against in 20 years,” said Justin Alumbaugh, head coach of De La Salle (Calif.) High School. “He has great speed and physique. He’s the whole package, an incredible player. ”
Moore maintains a B average in the classroom. He remains uncertain about a collegiate destination.
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia, and each of the 50 states approves high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls football, baseball, softball. , And the boy’s and girls’ track and field, one player in each game is awarded the National Player of the Year. The selection process is conducted by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which assists experts including coaches, scouts, media, and others to assist in the evaluation and determination of state winners in each sport.
Moore has recently joined Gatorade Maryland Football Player of the Year Damien Robinson (2020-21, Queens Orchard High School), Blake Quorum (2019-20, St. Francis Academy), Brian Brassey (2018-19, Damascus High School), and Anthony Lytton. Junior (2017-18, Dr. Henry A. Wise, Junior High School), in the list of former state award winners.
Gatorade has a long history of serving the athlete community and understands how the sport builds valuable life skills on and off the field. Through Gatorade’s “Play It Forward” platform, Moore has the opportunity to make a 1,000 grant to a local or national organization of their choice to help young athletes realize the benefits of the sport. Moore is also eligible to submit a short video explaining why the company they chose is eligible for a $ 10,000 Spotlight grant, which will be announced throughout the year. To date, Gatorade Player of the Year winners has donated more than 3 3.5 million to more than 1,300 organizations.
Since the program’s inception in 1985, Gatorade Player of the Year award recipients have won hundreds of professional and college championships, and many have become pillars of their community, coaches, business owners, and educators.
