What’s completely blowing my mind are the amount of people that are defending a Class A player winning the Mr. Football Award over some straight up studs playing at the highest levels of Class 6A ball. Jack Kiser actually won it after the coaches that were voting ran a hustle to keep the most deserving kid in the state, Romeir Elliott who rushed for 2,980 yards and 40 touchdowns that led Warren Central to a 14-0 Class 6A state title, off of the finalist list. Then the best athlete in the state, wide receiver David Bell, who’s a US All-American, Gatorade Player of the Year and a 4-Time Max Preps All-American was treated like he’s been playing 8th grade ball all season.
Sure, the kid from Pioneer, Jack Kiser, had a great season but he was playing what is essentially 8th grade football relative to what Bell and Elliott faced all season. Stop with this foolishness. It’s cool that you want to support the “little guy football” in the state but please don’t act like the guy was playing against real competition. Now you’re playing with people’s intelligence. Giving a guy that’s playing Class A football the highest football award in the state is like giving a kid over at Martin University the Heisman Trophy over Kyler Murray.
I don’t care what kind of numbers he put up or how many games he won. He’s not playing against anybody. Stop it!! I literally showed up to the Class 6A title game down at Lucas Oil Stadium early on the Friday after Thanksgiving and watched the Class 4A game. It was like watching freshman football and these were the two best teams in the state at that level.
So let’s drop down three more levels of play and you’re telling me that someone playing there should win the Mr. Football Award over kids that are playing against D1 prospects in every game? Don’t get it twisted, Jack Kiser is a ball player but how many other cats at his level were? He’s obviously a stud but did he deserve to win the award over kids that played tougher competition week end and week out?
How many Division 1 players did Kiser actually play against all season at Pioneer? Let’s talk turkey. How many defensive backs did he see during the course of the season that were good enough to play at mid-major D1 programs like Ball State let alone at a big time program? How many stud offensive lineman did he shed or running backs did he run down playing defense? I’m not even talking Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame type players. I’m talking Miami of Ohio or Kent State type players? He’s playing against cats that are going to Wabash, Martin University, UIndy and Depauw University if that.
And that’s not to say that Ben Roethlisberger wasn’t a stud at Miami of Ohio but did he deserve to win the Heisman Trophy?
The kids playing in the M.I.C. face real D1 competition EVERY week!! Not just once during the season or none at all. They’re playing against kids that not only will play at the next level but some of them will walk right into big time programs and start as freshmen. How do I know that? Because I see it happen every year.
So when you try to defend the Mr. Football Award going to a kid that hasn’t sniffed D1 competition it’s laughable and disrespectful to the kids that actually play Class 6A ball and especially those playing in the M.I.C. Oh yeah, and shame on the four Class 6A coaches that didn’t even vote for David Bell when you obviously know better. Out right ridiculous. Stop me when I start lyin’!