The Grand Canyon State Gridiron Club (GCSGC) is pleased to announce the recipients of the Week 5 Ed Doherty Award Nomination Medallions. Six players are recognized for outstanding play during their respective games on Friday, September 20, 2019: Kadin Beler (Sr. QB, Arcadia); Tommy Christakos (Sr. WR/K, Chaparral); Rand Jensen (Sr. QB, American Leadership Academy - Queen Creek); Kelee Ringo (Sr. DB/ATH, Saguaro); Ty Thompson (Jr. QB, Mesquite); and Daniel Wood (Sr. RB/LB/KR, Highland).
“It was another impressive week of outstanding performances on the gridiron by Arizona athletes, and each week it certainly becomes more difficult to select Medallion Nominees," said Rob Yowell, Selection Committee Chair. “These six players gave memorable performances this week and are deserving of the honor and recognition."
Beler and Ringo were named on the 56-player Week 3 Watch List™ released on September 10, 2019. All six players will receive their Medallions at an upcoming school event this week. By earning these Ed Doherty Award Nomination Medallions, they will attend the end of season Ed Doherty Award Luncheon on December 14, 2019, where one athlete will become the recipient of the Ed Doherty Award.
Details on their individual performances on September 20th are as follows:
Kadin Beler Sr QB - Arcadia HS
Arcadia High School senior QB Kadin Beler passed for 399 yds and 5 TDs, and ran for another score in the Titans 55-27 Week 5 win over Shadow Mountain, leading the Titans to the team's 5-0 start for the 2nd straight season.
Tommy Christakos Sr WR/K - Chaparral
In his season debut delayed due to a hip injury, Christakos led Firebird scoring in Week 5 with a 37 yd TD reception, a 6 yd TD pass and a 37 yd FG to mark all of the Firebirds first half points in the 38 -24 loss to Saguaro HS. In addition to going 3/3 on PATs, all of his five kickoffs were touchbacks.
Rand Jensen Sr QB - American Leadership Academy - Queen Creek
In a Week 5 win over Yuma Catholic, Rand Jensen passed for 310 yds and 6 TDs. So far this season, Jenson leads 3A with 1,339 yds passing, 25 TDs with no interceptions for the 5-0 Wildcats.
Kelee Ringo Sr DB/ATH - Saguaro HS
The talented defensive back stepped into the offensive backfield for the injury stricken Sabercats during the past two weeks. The results in Week 5 were impressive performances on both side of the ball as Ringo rushed for 148 yds and 2 TDs on 11 carries and logged one interception in the 38-24 win over Chaparral.
Ty Thompson Jr QB - Mesquite HS
In a Week 5 55-32 win over Buckeye, Thompson logged 470 yds passing and 8 TDs. Five games into the season, he has already posted 1,678 yds passing and 22 TDs for the 4-1 Wildcats.
Daniel Wood Sr RB/LB/KR - Highland HS
Daniel Wood provided an outstanding two-way Week 5 performance in the Hawks 40-7 win over Basha. Wood rushed 10 times for 150 yds and a TD, recorded 3 sacks on defense and returned a kickoff 65 yards.
To learn more about the Grand Canyon State Gridiron Club and previous Ed Doherty Award winners, visit http://www.gcsgridiron.com/.
About Grand Canyon State Gridiron Club
The Grand Canyon State Gridiron Club is the steward of the Ed Doherty Award and is the most meaningful advocate of high school football in the State of Arizona. The mission of the Grand Canyon State Gridiron Club is to represent Arizona amateur athletics by bringing national attention to the extraordinary qualities of our young people and serve in the pursuit of athletic achievement, academic advancement and greater social affinity.
About the Ed Doherty Award
For 32 years, the Ed Doherty Award has been the State of Arizona’s highest individual high school football honor and is awarded annually to the state’s most outstanding high school football player by the Grand Canyon State Gridiron Club. The Ed Doherty Award recognizes the player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity. The winner of the award epitomizes great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work. In addition to on-field performance, the Ed Doherty Award recognizes the well-rounded accomplishments of community involvement, school pride, and academics.
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