Rick Patrick: Greene Publishing, Inc.
Madison County High School (MCHS) head football coach Mike Coe is not one to concentrate on post-season honors. His philosophy is, “do your job to the absolute best of your ability and people will take notice.” For Coach Coe and MCHS running back Derrick Staten, Jr., people have taken notice. It was recently announced that Staten has been named the Class 1A Football Player of the Year by the Florida Dairy Farmers High School Sports Awards Program. Coach Coe has also been named the Class 1A Football Coach of the Year.
Staten helped lead the Cowboys to their third State title this season. Staten rushed for 1,342 yards on 119 carries (11.3 avg.) with 17 TDs. Staten also caught 33 passes for 640 yards (19.4 avg.) and six TDs. He had 663 yards in punt and kickoff return yardage with six returns for touchdowns.
Coe led the Cowboys to a perfect 14-0 record this season en route to winning the State Class 1A Championship. In eight years at MCHS, he has an 84-19 record with state runner-up finishes in both 2011 and 2012.
Since 1992, the Florida Dairy Farmers High School Sports Awards program, which recognizes all 30 FHSAA-sanctioned and recognized sports, has honored more than 5,000 of the state’s top student-athletes and coaches. Past winners have gone on to star at the collegiate and professional levels, and some have even represented their country in the Olympic Games.
Being named the Class 1A Football Player of the Year qualifies Staten to be considered for the title of “Mr. Football” for the state of Florida. Past players who have won the title of “Mr. Football” include Dalvin Cook, Tim Tebow, Xavier Lee, and Anquan Boldin, just to name a few. Ballots from sports writers and coaches from around the state will be completed and tallied in order to determine “Mr. Football.” That announcement will come at a later date.
The same balloting process will be followed in order to determine the “Florida Coach of the Year.” The “Coach of the Year” announcement will also be made at a later date.