The 2017 season created several headaches, mostly of Mother Nature’s doing, but it also gave us plenty of quality material to unpack. There were some surprises along the way, and in some cases—the more things changed, the more they stayed the same. The selection process for the All-BCP teams is a tireless one, and while we really do wish we could list twice as many players as we do, simply put—that would defeat the purpose of designating the best-of-the-best from this entire region. While there are ballers to be found all across the six counties and beyond, only a certain few can stake their claim as “the best.” Those are the rules. Now that the dust has settled and the postseason parade of honors are in full march, we would like to introduce to you four players from their designated categories that stood out above all the rest throughout the season and one coach of the year. Heartfelt congratulations towards those that made it, and to those that didn’t—we can’t wait for you to prove us wrong on the field in the future!

Player of the Year – Michael Penix Jr. (QB), Tampa Bay Tech

There are valuable players, and there are valuable leaders. Get you one that can be both, like this young man. The southpaw signal-caller from Tampa Bay Tech and newly-minted signee to Indiana was an offensive machine for the Titans his senior season, en route to an 11-2 record and Class 7A regional finals appearance. Penix Jr. finished the 2017 campaign completing 129 of his 244 attempts for a total of 2,165 yards with 30 touchdowns and just five interceptions. That was good for an average of 166.5 yards per game through the air. It certainly doesn’t end there. The young man is listed as dual-threat QB for a reason and that’s because he can boast a first down-plus average at 12.1 yards per carry, finishing the season with 449 yards on 37 carries and good for another 10 touchdowns. Penix Jr. broke the 200+ yardage mark through the air five times this season along with rushing for 100+ twice. He finishes his high school career with 6,986 total yards and 76 touchdowns in three years at Tech and one at Pasco High School. Penix Jr’s 11-2 record as a starter this season caps a two-year period at a record of 20-4, which is TBT’s best run in their school history, dating back to 1969.

Offensive Player of the Year – Jaylin Jackson (QB), Cambridge Christian

Another southpaw, another offensive machine. The Lancers really hit the “jackpot” on this one. This young man plays in Class 2A, but his numbers and his freakish athletic ability transcends all classes in our estimation. Jackson finished this season with 3,585 total yards and 45 touchdowns to his credit en route to a 9-3 record and a state semifinal appearance. Jackson completed 150 of his 263 passes for 2,883 yards with 34 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He also rushed for 702 yards on 153 carries, adding 11 touchdowns to his totals. Jackson eclipsed the 200+ yards passing mark seven times this season, with three of those being 300+, one of those at 400+, and another 500+ performance. Six times this season, Jackson went over the 300+ total yardage mark, with three of those performances at 400+ total yards. The Lancers averaged 42.3 points per game this season. Jackson finishes his gridiron career with 7,479 total yards and 96 touchdowns. Jaylin also has skills on the hardcourt during hoops season much like Michael Penix Jr, showcasing his freakishly athletic talents. Jackson carries offers from Army and Air Force, as well as Colorado State, Georgia State, and Troy.

Defensive Player of the Year – James Miller (MLB), Armwood

This 6-1, 225-pound beast beats out some of the toughest competition for this honor in a very long time. The defensive side of the ball throughout the six counties was as deep as we can remember, but it was the man-in-the-middle from Seffner that gets our nod. Miller finished the season with 164 tackles—114 of those solo, for his Hawks that finished at 14-1 and Class 6A runners-up. Miller added 44 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, 13 QB hurries, 7 passes defensed, 3 fumble recoveries, 9 caused fumbles, 5 blocked punts, and 2 blocked field goals. You got all that? Miller finished in double-figures for tackles in 12 of his 15 games this season and recorded a sack in nine of those contests. He stood tall when his team needed him the most, recording 20 tackles in the loss to Northwestern in the finals. Miller also scored twice this season and recorded a safety. Miller was a two-year starter for the Hawks, finishing his career with 244 tackles, 15 sacks, 16 QB hurries, and an interception in addition to those aforementioned seasonal numbers. While Miller may have some huge offers on his plate, there isn’t a program that wants him more than the hometown USF Bulls, and they’ve already made their intentions crystal clear that he would be a centerpiece right away.

Specialist of the Year – Mikey Roussos (ATH), River Ridge

When you are labeled as a “specialist” you had better be special. For the Royal Knights, this young man was the very definition of special and was a true specialist at scoring points when needed the most, in whatever way necessary. Roussos (6-1/180) scored touchdowns via four different methods this season. He scored eight times via the rush, six times via the pass, four times via punt return, and twice on kickoff returns for a total of 20 touchdowns on the season. Roussos averaged 34.5 yards per return on kickoffs, while averaging 31.0 yards per return on punts. He also scored twice on two-point conversions. On offense, he completed 7-of-8 passes for 72 yards and a touchdown. He carried the ball 51 times for 394 yards (7.7ypc), and caught 30 passes for 439 yards good for a grand total of 1,444 all-purpose yards. On defense, he chipped in with 19 tackles—14 solo—along with 3 interceptions and 12 passes defensed. If that’s not enough to call him a specialist, consider the fact he scored 24 of River Ridge’s 38 points vs. Zephyrhills, scored more than half of their 35 points versus Hudson and scored a third of their total points versus Sunlake. Roussos finishes his career with 3,508 all-purpose yards along with 100+ tackles and 30 touchdowns to his credit. He can also claim he’s taking his talents to the biggest stage of them all—Manhattan—as a member of the Ivy League and a member of the Columbia Lions.

Coach of the Year – Andy Schmitz, Mitchell

Pasco County may not get the love nor credit it deserves on a yearly basis, but one thing is for certain—you’re going to respect it moving forward, and that respect has been earned. One of those reasons is because of programs like Mitchell and because of coaching staffs led by guys like Coach Schmitz. This season, his fourth after taking over the reigns from his father Scott out in Trinity, the Mustangs finished 11-1 before losing in a heartbreaker in the second round to Ocala Vanguard in the final seconds. The Mustangs completed their first undefeated regular season since their inception as a school in 2000. It was also Mitchell’s third-consecutive district championship. Schmitz and his staff also can take credit for Mitchell experiencing their first double-digit win total in school history as well. The Mustangs stepped outside their scheduling comfort zone and played Clearwater, Berkeley Prep, and Tarpon Springs in the regular season going 3-0. As mentioned, his father coached at the school for 10 of its first 12 years as a program went 15-27 in his first four seasons on the job, after the school was built to alleviate overcrowding at River Ridge. In his first four seasons at Mitchell, son Andy is 34-11, and has the program moving at a full stampede.

Eligible County Players From: Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Manatee

2017 ALL BCP
BCP Coverage Area: Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Manatee

FIRST TEAM	OFFENSE
Pos	Name	Yds	Pct	TD	Int
PSQB	Tyler Riddell – Jr Chamberlain	2464	0.612	30	4
Pos	Name	Yds	TD	Rush	Rush TD
DTQB	Charles Harrison iii – Sr Zephyrhills	2337	35	792	12
Name	Pos	Yds	Yds/G	Yds/Car	TD
RB	Cameron Myers – Sr Durant	1738	193.1	11.1	21
RB	Lawrance Toafili – So Pinellas Park	1691	153.7	11.6	21
RB	Brian Snead – Sr Armwood	1329	94.9	6.7	16
Pos	Name	Yds	Yds/G	Rec	TD
WR	Knowledge Mcdaniel – Jr Braden River	1360	123.6	75	14
WR	Terrel Ferrell – Jr Bloomingdale	1162	116.2	55	14
WR	Khaishef Edwards – So Northeast	1138	113.8	54	10
Pos	Name	Rec	Yds	All Purpose Yds	TD
TE	Larry Hodges – Jr Jesuit	26	249	664	8
OT	Nicholas Petit-Frere – Sr Berkeley Prep
OT	Will Putnam – Jr Plant
OG	Jack Pigozzo – Sr. East Lake
OG	Garrett Wiwi – Sr Mitchel
OC	Brendan Bengtsson – Sr Braden River
Pos	Name	Rush+Rec Yds	Ret Yards	All Purpose Yds	TD
ATH	Jerome Ford – Sr Armwood	955	150	1105	14
ATH	Adrian Thomas – Sr Wiregrass Ranch	1304	95	1399	13
Pos	Name	Total	KO Yds	Pnt Yds	TD
RET	Emmanuel Forkuoh – Sr Chamberlain	680	334	346	2
Pos	Name	FG Att	FG Made	PAT Att	PAT Made
PK	Alfredo Manriquez – Sr Palmetto	13	17	–	–
FIRST TEAM	DEFENSE
Pos	Name	Tot Sacks	Solo	Tot Tcks	TFL
DE	Patrick Keenan – Sr Blake	18	51	53	25
DE	Fitzroy Gardner – Sr Armwood	16	67	100	34
DE	Sterlin Williams – Sr Zephyrhills	12.5	30	53	12
DT	Judge Culpepper – Sr Plant	8	28	77	9
DT	Malcolm Lamar – Sr Armwood	5	35	48	19
DT	Jonathan King – Sr Tampa Bay Tech	5.5	30	60	17
Pos	Name	Solo	Tot Tcks	SK	TFL
ILB	Micah McFadden – Sr Plant	114	195	7	37
ILB	Logan Doublin – Sr Largo	47	156	2	6
ILB	Deandre Fitzhenley – Sr Clearwater Central Catholic	25	149	4	19
OLB	Dylan Ridolph – So Wiregrass Ranch	63	89	15	23
OLB	Nick Terrana – Sr Jesuit	111	71	10	25
OLB	Dorian Gooch – Sr Tampa Cathoic	60	102	9.5	20.5
Pos	Name	Solo TKL	Tot Tcks	INT	PB
CB	Anthony Johnson Jr. – Senior St. Petersburg	23	36	4	3
CB	Kendrick Torain – Sr Jesuit	19	26	3	5
SAF	Demetrius Thurman jr. – Sr Spoto	48	78	6	7
SAF	Adam Rogers – St Mitchell	47	96	5	4
Pos	Name	Tot Tcks	INT	All-Purpose Yards	TD
UTL	Jerzhan Newton – So Clearwater Central Catholic	38	0	1427	15
UTL	Fred Billy – Sr Saint Stephen’s Episcopal	22	0	140	20
Pos	Name	Att	Avg	Long	Ins 20
P	Antwan Wilson – Sr Lakewood	38	43.8	70	10
SECOND TEAM	OFFENSE
Pos	Name	Yds	Pct	TD	Int
PSQB	Bryan Gagg – Jr Braden River	2252	0.681	28	5
Pos	Name	Yds	TD	Rush	Rush TD
DTQB	Devin Black – Sr Armwood	2265	25	702	11
Name	Pos	Yds	Yds/G	Yds/Car	TD
RB	Mychael Hamilton – Sr Mitchell	1602	133.5	7.5	22
RB	Chase Brown – Sr Saint Stephen’s Episcopal	1392	139.2	17.2	24
RB	Deshaun Fenwick – Sr Braden River	1401	127.4	8.6	14
Pos	Name	Yds	Yds/G	Rec	TD
WR	Cyle Kurina – Sr Alonso	997	99.7	63	13
WR	Kyle Benedict – Jr Carrollwood Day	983	109.2	50	11
WR	Darryl Mercer jr. – Sr Cambridge Christian	942	85.6	38	22
Pos	Name	Rec	Yds	All Purpose Yds	TD
TE	Keon Zipperer – Jr Lakeland	15	337		4
OT	Ethan White – Jr Carlvary
OT	Cleveland Reed – Sr Fort Meade
OG	Isaiah Roseville – Sr. Tampa Bay Tech
OG	Luke Andrews – Sr Braden River
OC	JJ Copeland – Jr Lake Gibson
Pos	Name	Rush+Rec Yds	Ret Yards	All Purpose Yds	TD
ATH	Walter Wilbon III – Jr Plant	588	637	1225	7
ATH	Cedric Roberts – Sr. Spoto	620	376	996	11
Pos	Name	Total	KO Yds	Pnt Yds	TD
RET	Kym-Mani King – Jr Mitchell	666	460	206	3
Pos	Name	FG Att	FG Made	PAT Att	PAT Made
PK	Jesse Williams – Sr Lakeland	9	11	41	45
SECOND TEAM	DEFENSE
Pos	Name	SK	Solo	Tot Tcks	TFL
DE	Marcus Williams – Sr Wharton	12.5	38	57	17
DE	Connor Jewel – Sr Gaither	12	43	56	13
DE	Jontrell Oliver Jr – East Bay	9	25	46	21.5
DT	Tre Huntley – Jr Lakeland	4.5	29	72	25
DT	Jaquaze Sorrells – Jr Largo	6	17	58	17.5
DT	Ja’Vaughn Dorsey – Sr Hernando	1	51	87	17
Name	Pos	Solo	Tot Tcks	Sacks	TFL
ILB	Austen Wittish – Sr Wesley Chapel	–	160	5	6
ILB	Braden Gilby – Sr Jesuit	74	119	3	19
ILB	Robert Madden Sr- Lakeland	72	123	5	29
OLB	Ricardo Watson – Jr Armwood	54	79	9	33
OLB	Matt Tauber – Sr Clearwater Central Catholic	32	169	4	11
OLB	Deshard Hughes – Sr Armwood	55	85	6	20
Pos	Name	Solo	Tot Tcks	INT	PB
CB	Derrick Bradley – Sr Palmetto	–	77	3	–
CB	Bryce Smith – Sr River Ridge	20	40	5	27
SAF	Jeremiah Ashe – Jr Freedom	25	50	6	–
SAF	Darren Turner – Sr Tampa Bay Tech	21	45	5	12
Pos	Name	Tot Tcks	INT	All-Purpose Yards	TD
UTL	Troyvon Johnson – Sr Lakewood	45	3	1238	10
UTL	Jordan Miner – Sr Wiregrass Ranch	39	4	1183	9
Pos	Name	Att	Avg	Long	Ins 20
P	Andrew Ilcken – Jr Wharton	39	40	65	5
THIRD TEAM	OFFENSE
Pos	Name	Yds	Pct	TD	Int
PSQB	Tyler Hunter – Sr Bloomingdale	2484	0.5	27	11
Pos	Name	Yds	TD	Rush	Rush TD
DTQB	Chris Butash – Jr Carrollwood Day	2088	18	570	6
Name	Pos	Yds	Yds/G	Yds/Car	TD
RB	Ja’veon Marlow – Sr Winter Haven	1366	136.6	7.9	15
RB	Niko Duffey – Jr Jefferson (Tampa)	1305	118.6	6.9	8
RB	Treshaun Ward – Jr Tampa Bay Tech	1272	97.8	7	15
Pos	Name	Yds	Yds/G	Rec	TD
WR	Jaquan Sheppard – Jr Zephyrhills	797	66.4	35	13
WR	Norman Love – So Lake Wales	805	89.4	29	5
WR	Caleb Young – Sr Cambridge Christian	758	68.9	40	8
Name	Pos	Yds/Rec	Rec	All Purpose Yds	TD
TE	Johnathan Allion – Sr Central	26	331	519	4
OT	Richard Gouraige – Sr Cambridge Christian
OT	Donovan Jennings – Sr Gaither
OG	Jarrett Whitehead – Sr Lake Gibson
OG	Antwaun Williams – Jr Auburndale
OC	Conner Pouchie – So Bloomingdale
Pos	Name	Rush+Rec Yds	Ret Yards	All Purpose Yds	TD
ATH	Travell Jones – Sr Lake Gibson	1313	0	1313	16
ATH	Ygenio Booker – Sr. Hernando	800	121	921	11
Pos	Name	Total	KO Yds	Pnt Yds	TD
RET	Joshua Bowers – Sr East Lake	446	245	201	5
Pos	Name	FG Att	FG Made	PAT Att	PAT Made
PK	Michael Webster – Sr River Ridge	10	15	47	51
THIRD TEAM	DEFENSE
Pos	Name	SK	Solo	Tot Tcks	TFL
DE	D.J. Bullard – Sr Largo	12	16	53	13
DE	Adrian White – Sr Lakewood	12	14	53	17
DE	AJ Thomas – Jr Lakeland	13.5	26	44	27.5
DT	Hunter Delones – Sr Bloomingdale	5	34	61	10.5
DT	Nicholas Syms – So Pinellas Park	5	30	67	15
DT	Almosse Titi – Sr Jefferson	12	37	66	6
Pos	Name	Solo	Tot Tcks	SK	TFL
ILB	Adrian Cabrera – So Springstead	53	116	0	19
ILB	Alonzo Sampson – Sr Zephyrhills Christian Academy	–	129	4	18
ILB	Alonzo Houston – Sr Palmetto	–	115	6	18
OLB	Chase Knopf – Sr Braden River	40	62	4	12
OLB	Tsyrus Gordon – Sr. Tarpon Springs	42	90	9	14
OLB	Jack Smith – Sr. Lakeland	40	85	0.5	14.5
Pos	Name	Solo	Tot Tcks	INT	PB
CB	Ceith Rivera – Sr Hudson	11	25	7	6
CB	Anthony Kendall Sr River Ridge	26	53	5	15
SAF	Dane Belton – Jr Jesuit	34	56	4	4
SAF	Carlos Best – Sr. Lakeland	32	63	4	5
Pos	Name	Tot Tcks	INT	All-Purpose Yards	TD
UTL	Ricky Mann – Sr. Cambridge Christian	39	4	1275	10
UTL	Stephaun Peters – Sr. Mitchell	32	3	518	7
Pos	Name	Att	Avg	Long	Ins 20
P	Evan Passath – Jr Plant	42	39.1	57	7