Meet the Post's 2023 all-county football offense and player of the year nominees

Palm Beach County kept the thrills coming on the gridiron in 2023.

With 14 local teams advancing to playoffs in the Florida High School Athletic Association's state series and two contenders − including first-year program and state champion Oxbridge − in the Sunshine State Athletic Association series, area athletes made sure to keep those in charge of the scoreboard busy.

Along with first team, second team, and honorable mention selections, below are nominees for the offensive player of the year for the Palm Beach County High School Sports Awards to be held in the spring.

Offensive POTY nominees are also designated as first-team members. The winner will be announced at the show, which is sponsored by Baptist Health Orthopedic Care. More details about the program are coming soon.

During the live show, POTY nominees will be honored, along with the top three finalists and the award winner. Those official nominees can receive a free ticket. Check back later for information on how to RSVP.

The Palm Beach County High School Sports Awards show is part of the USA TODAY High School Sports Awards, the largest high school sports recognition program in the country.

Player of the Year nominees

Athletes

Gideon Douglas, Jr., Jupiter Christian

One of Palm Beach County's hidden gems from the 2025 recruiting class, Douglas was a critical factor to Jupiter Christian's 6-4 SSAA playoff run in the fall. The junior dominated on the ground, pinning 1,240 yards on 114 carries for 16 touchdowns. Opposite standout freshman Champ Smith, Douglas caught 24 passes for 304 yards and four touchdowns. He added a score on special teams, too, with a punt return to the house.

Keyon Stephens, Sr., Palm Beach Gardens

Stephens stepped up from typical role of receiver on offense − although he still caught one touchdown on two catches for 35 yards − to play quarterback for Gators in 2023. The underrecruited talent, who especially excels on the defensive side of the ball, went 97 for 177 (54.8 percent) for 1,481 yards, delivering 11 touchdowns against four interceptions. He flourished on the run with 16 touchdowns on 117 carries for 859 yards. Before falling to Santaluces in a one-possession region quarterfinal appearance, throughout Gardens' 6-5 season, Stephens averaged 7.3 yards per carry and contributed three 100-plus yard rushing performances.

Jackson Parke, Sr., St. Andrew's

Parke was the do-it-all guy for the Scots' 9-2 playoff run in Class 2M. The team captain is familiar with role, having been with St. Andrew's since 2020. In his senior season, Parke averaged 9.85 yards per carry, totaling 935 rushing yards for 14 touchdowns. Receiving, he added 245 yards. With his efforts on special teams, highlighted by two kickoff returns and a punt return for touchdowns, Parke totaled over 1500 all-purpose yards.

Jadarius Patterson, Sr., Atlantic

Patterson dominated all three phases of the game for a highly touted squad of Eagles. 228 kick return yards and two touchdowns made for a notable year on special teams. He added three more touchdowns on 333 receiving yards as a consistent target for junior quarterback Lincoln Graf. On the ground, he added 98 yards, and, of course, another touchdown.

Jenorris Wilcher, Sr., Pahokee

Wilcher missed a game due to injury, but Pahokee's two-way senior star is one that can't be kept down. The former Western Carolina commit took the reins of the 1R region semifinalists' rushing attack from Rutgers running back Jashon Benjamin to average 7.2 yards per carry for 10 touchdowns and 923 yards on 129 touches. With a long rush of 65 yards, Wilcher nailed four 100-plus yard performances and 10 touchdowns in 10 games. In the air, he posted 104 yards and one touchdown on six catches.

Linemen

Norris Brinkley, Sr., Atlantic

The 6-foot-4 right tackle graded out at 88 percent against a prickly schedule, in which he accounted for line that helped Atlantic to 2244 total yards of offense, averaging 204 yards per game.

Braden Chisholm, Sr., Cardinal Newman

Newman's two-way tackle had the bragging rights of the most snaps on the team. The 6-foot-5, 273 pound stud also finished the season with the bragging rights of being the repeat 1M region finalists' highest-graded lineman in every game this season, grading out at 92 percent blocking.

Chase Malamala, Sr., Benjamin

Benjamin's three-star left tackle is off to UCF after one last run to remember with the Buccaneers. After a tough year offensively for the Bucs in 2022, Malamala helped carry an O-line that allowed for 3,021 yards of total offense, averaging over 276 yards per game.

Quarterbacks

Luke Douglas, Sr., Jupiter

Patience paid off for Douglas and the Warriors, who have been in rebuild since the arrival of coach Jason Kradman ahead of the 2022 season. The 6-foot-5, 210 pound QB1 − and safety − completed 64 percent of passes (120 for 187) for 2,114 yards and 21 passing touchdowns against seven interceptions to help Jupiter reach state playoffs for the first time in 18 years. Rushing, he added another 300 yards for 12 more touchdowns.

If you can believe it, Douglas' stats could've been higher had he not helped Jupiter force running clocks in the third quarter of six games in the 7A region quarterfinalists' 9-2 season.

Chance Routson, So., Boca Raton

Jupiter's historic year was cut short by Routson and the Bobcats, who had a year full of milestones of their own. To see Boca clinch its first district championship since 2001 and reached 7A region semifinals for the first time since 2015, the sophomore star completed 61 percent of passes (129 of 211) for 2,150 passing yards for 20 touchdowns and posted 599 rushing yards for five more trips to the end zone.

Jayden Vega, Jr., Benjamin

The addition of Vega to the roster was one of the most impactful moves of the 2023 offseason. The junior thrived with targets like Wake Forest commit Jacob Cosby-Mosley and now-senior 5-star Amaree Williams to flip Benjamin from 5-5 to 8-3 and seal a return to 1M region semifinals. Vega accounted for 1,687 passing yards and 20 touchdowns against four interceptions with a completion rate of 62.58 percent and 126.0 QBR.

Luke Warnock, Sr., Cardinal Newman

It was a struggle for Warnock to stay healthy in 2023, but that didn't stop the three-star from leading himself and the Crusaders to success on a 9-2 rout to the region championship. 22 touchdowns against four interceptions on 1,464 yards with a completion rate of 67.9 percent, improved from an impressive 63.7 as a junior, saw Warnock notch a career-best 129.9 QBR.

Running backs

Chauncey Bowens, Sr., Benjamin

The Florida commit-turned-Georgia signee's days with the Bucs have come to a close after four years on the squad. Bowens rounded out his high school days with 842 yds on 121 carries for 10 touchdowns and showed off his versatility with 17 catches for 272 yards and two more touchdowns. The four-star recruit and All-American Bowl selection finished his career with a total of 3,042 rushing yards. Bowens was also the Post's No. 1 pick in this season's Super 11.

Remi DeOrsey, So., Oxbridge

Three touchdowns in his varsity debut were a good omen of what was to come for the ThunderWolves despite the first-year squad's battle to find its footing in the early half of the season. DeOrsey was SSAA state champ Oxbridge's top scorer with 15 touchdowns on 117 touches for 889 yards, averaging 7.5 yards per carry.

Tristian Johnson, Sr., Somerset Canyons

In October interview for his Athlete of the Week win, Johnson said: "I’m getting 1,000 yards this year, I believe it. And 14 touchdowns." Well, Johnson did that and then some. The senior set a school record with 1,466 yards on 169 touches, averaging 8.7 yards per carry for 16 touchdowns. Receiving, he contributed nine receptions for 166 yards and another touchdown.

The Cougars went 7-4 with a playoff berth in Class 2M.

Javian Mallory, So., West Boca Raton

Georgia, Ohio State, Miami, Florida State, Tennessee, Oregon and more are high on this 6-foot, 200 pound sophomore, and with good reason. Mallory recorded 131 carries for 1,415 yards, averaging 10.8 yards per carry, and 18 touchdowns. With six more scores on 22 receptions for 438 yards, his all-purpose total came to 1,853 yards with 24 total touchdowns, helping 6A member West Boca to a 9-3 record and its first-ever playoff appearance.

Marion Victor, Sr., King's Academy

Ranking fifth in Class 2M with 1,287 yards on 194 touches, averaging 6.6 yards per carry, Victor was the face of a 9-3 region semifinal run for King’s. Out of 10 games for the senior, five were 100-plus yard performances on the ground. On top of 11 rushing touchdowns, he added a touchdown catch on 10 receptions for 120 yards.

Receivers

Nedrick Boldin, Jr., Palm Beach Central

Splitting seven touchdowns with Miami commit Waden Charles to lead Central’s receiving corp, Boldin, the top target for sophomore quarterback Caleb Butler, had 56 catches on 418 yards. Rushing, the unrated and underrated playmaker added four touchdowns on nine carries for 76 yards.

Jamar Browder, Jr., Santaluces

Santaluces reached 4M region semifinals in 2023, majorly in thanks to Browder’s best season to date. The 6-foot-5, 210 pound junior led the Chiefs in receiving yards and scoring with 14 touchdowns on 39 catches for 730 yards, averaging over 18 yards per catch.

Dallas Desouza, Sr., Cardinal Newman

Desouza flitted around the field to be one of Newman’s most productive weapons. The senior leader split five touchdowns with four-star and Power 5 prospect Naeshaun Montgomery to lead Crusaders receivers in scoring, recording totaling 348 yards on 25 catches.

Hardley Gilmore, Sr., Pahokee

After ranking No. 4 in Class 1R with 879 yards on 52 receptions, averaging 16.9 yards per catch, Gilmore is off to Kentucky. The two-way stud rarely came off the field, but the four-star didn’t let that stop him from being a scored 15 touchdowns to see Pahokee to a 6-5 playoff run.

Blake Wallace, Jr., Spanish River

Wallace finally got the recognition he deserved after helping Spanish River transform from a team that went 1-9 in 2022 to 7-4 in 2023, which also included a playoff berth in Class 4M where the Sharks met region finalist Palm Beach Central.

On top of being a major contributor to Spanish River’s defensive efforts, Wallace averaged 98.6 receiving yards per game, totaling 1,085 on the season on 57 catches with 17 touchdowns. On the ground, he had four carries for 112 yards and two touchdowns.

Kamare Williams, Jr., Palm Beach Central

A loaded receiver room for the Broncos was led by 695 receiving yards on 49 receptions — long of 80 — for Williams. The four-star averaged 14.2 yards per catch and scored six touchdowns to help a senior-depleted Central back to the 4M region championship.

Special teams

Jake Weinberg, Sr., American Heritage-Delray

Despite being the No. 1 kicker in the nation, per Kohl’s, on a team that’s been undergoing coaching turnover since 2019, Weinberg stayed true to Heritage-Delray and Palm Beach County. Weinberg was the Stallions’ scoring leader with 41 total points, all on special teams, going 26-for-26 from field goal range and nailing five field goals, most notably a 51-yarder.

Kicking off for Heritage-Delray, Weinberg had 31 touchbacks on 35 kickoffs. Punting, the back-to-back Lou Groza Kicker of the Year winner had 22 for 963 yards, long of 65 and putting eight inside the 20. On December 20, Weinberg made his January commitment to Florida State official and joined the fourth-ranked recruiting class in the nation.

First team

Athletes

Tayegan Briskey, So., Somerset Canyons − 45 catches for 915 yards — long of 80 — and nine touchdowns led Cougars receiver room.

Jacob Cosby-Mosley, Sr., Benjamin − Wake Forest signee led Buccaneer receivers in yards with 528 on 38 catches for four touchdowns.

Devin Connally, Sr., Park Vista − Defensive standout was also top target for Vista quarterbacks, recording team-high 52 catches for 567 yards — long of 40 — and five touchdowns.

Bobby T. Smith, Sr., Boynton Beach − Averaged nearly 11 yards per carry on the ground with over 800 all-purpose yards and 10 touchdowns − eight rushing, one receiving, and one kick return touchdown.

Amaree Williams, Sr., Benjamin − On top of defensive role, exploded on offense this season to lead Benjamin receivers in scoring with eight touchdowns on 16 catches for 497 yards, long of 73.

Linemen

Dequan Bradley, So., West Boca Raton − Top OL on top rushing team statistically in Palm Beach County, averaging 175 yards per game. Offer from Bethune Cookman.

Christ Charles, So., St. Andrew's − 6-foot-1, 215 pound guard and tackle helped the Scots average 171.6 rushing yards per game this season.

Jack Costello, Sr., Jupiter − 6’2 220 pound starting center was “anchor” of Jupiter offensive line and team captain.

Jentriee Gray, Sr., Palm Beach Lakes − Team leader didn't allow a sack all season. Controlled "the flow of the offense" at center.

Landon Rapkiewicz, Jr., Benjamin — 6-foot-4, 315 pound tackle and guard laid out opposition for Vega, Bowens, and company to reach region semifinals.

Kymani Santos, Jr., Atlantic − 6-foot-2, 310 pound tackle graded out at 85 percent against top teams.

Jalen Sime, Sr., Somerset Canyons − Anchor for leading 1,000-yard rusher and part of 4,000 total yards of offense in 2023. Graded out at 90 percent with 29 pancakes and 20 knockdowns.

Quarterbacks

Caleb Butler, So., Palm Beach Central − Completed 58.8 percent of passes for 2149 yards and 29 touchdowns in first year as starter for the Broncos. Added two rushing touchdowns.

Shyeia Deveaux, Sr., Santaluces − Battled through injury in latter half of the season and finished with impressive stat line of 120 for 176 (68.2 percent) with 26 touchdowns against seven interceptions. 1,970 passing yards ranked first in 4M. Added 43 carries for 109 yards and another touchdown on the ground.

Lincoln Graf, Jr., Atlantic − Three-year starter returned Eagles to playoffs with 2,179 all-purpose yards. 1,995 passing yards accounted for 16 touchdowns. Posted seven rushing touchdowns on 184 rushing after none in sophomore campaign.

Mason Mallory, So., West Boca − Responsible for “Hail Mallory” pass heWent 104 for 171 with 1,796 passing yards and 25 touchdowns and QBR of 121.1. Holds offers from Pitt, Indiana, USF, FAU, Akron, UMass.

Dylan Mayers, Sr., St. Andrew's − Went 101 for 170 (59.4 percent) for 1,811 yards and 25 touchdowns and QBR of 116. Averaged 6.7 yards per carry on the ground for 321 on 48 carries and two more touchdowns.

AJ Truiolo, Sr., Spanish River − Sharks newcomer forged path to playoffs going 133 for 204 (65.2 percent) to score 24 touchdowns against five interceptions, totaling 2,247 yards on the season with an average of 224.7 per game, On the ground, averaged 8.8 yards per carry with 388 yards on 44 touches for five touchdowns.

Running backs

Da'Marion Alberic, Sr., Atlantic − UMass commit contributed 1,200 all-purpose yards for 10 touchdowns as Atlantic won districts once again and returned to 3M playoff.

Jaylin Brown, Jr., RB, Cardinal Newman − Averaged 6.8 yards per carry for 894 yards on 132 touches. Top scoring running back for Crusaders with eight touchdowns. Four 100-plus yard performances on Newman's region final run.

Phoenix Donghia, So., Benjamin − Backed up Bowens, averaging 7.5 yards per carry for 555 yards and nine touchdowns with no fumbles. Added seven catches for 111 yards.

Ze'Quan Wright, Jr., Palm Beach Central − Led Bronco running backs in scoring with eight touchdowns on 48 carries for 473 yards. Two 100-plus yard performances against Boca Raton and Wellington.

Wide receivers

Waden Charles, Jr., Palm Beach Central − Four-star Miami commit came second in yardage amongst receivers with 478 on 30 catches, averaging 15.9 yards per catch, splitting seven touchdowns with Boldin.

Rodney Green Jr., Sr., Dwyer − Averaged over 13 yards per catch on 43 receptions for 731 yards. 6-foot-2 speedster runs 4.45 in 40-yard dash.

Teddy Hoffman, Jr., St. Andrew's − 927 yards on 51 receptions ranked in Top 5 for Class 2M. for 927 yards 15 TDs. Second on team in scoring with 15 touchdowns behind 16 for Parke.

Javian Jones, Jr., King's Academy − Dynamic receiver delivered 12 touchdowns on 33 catches for 661 yards. Led Lions receivers in yardage and scoring.

Zacharias Walls, So., West Boca − Moved chains for Bulls with 31 catches for 538 yards and two touchdowns. Holds offers from Pitt, Indiana, Akron, UMass, and EKU.

Tight ends

Preston Douglas, Jr., TE/LB, Jupiter − Before late season-ending injury, contributed nine touchdowns on 23 catches for 455 yards, averaging nearly 20 per reception.

Branden Hoch, Jr., West Boca − Came second on roster in receiving yards with 485 on 22 catches for nine touchdowns.

Special teams

Jack Beylo, Jr., K/P, Cardinal Newman — Set Newman up right on special teams. Went 37-for-38 on PATs with one blocked. 91 percent of kickoffs were touchbacks (43-for-47). Averaged 42 yards per punt with 10 out of 15 inside the 20. Completed two of three attempts from field goal range.

Ethan Dagostino, Jr., K/P, Palm Beach Central — Lou Groza finalist contributed 50 extra points, went 7-for-9 from field goal range, and 24 touchbacks.

Britton Holmes Jr., Sr., WR/KR/PR, Palm Beach Central — Ranked 20th in Florida and Top 5 on Class 4M with an average 31.25 yards per kickoff return. Added seven catches for 63 yards and a touchdown.

Second team

Cayden Alula, So., WR/LB, Jupiter Christian

Trent Asble, Jr., WR, Spanish River

Devin Atwaters, Sr., WR, Palm Beach Gardens

Vaughn Braynen, Sr., RB, Lake Worth

Joe Dailey, Jr., QB, King's

Nomo Davis, Fr., WR, Palm Beach Gardens

Ryan Dooley, Jr., WR, Jupiter

Dylan Elie, Jr., RB, Dwyer

Dylan Frechette, Jr., OL, Cardinal Newman

Mark Hanniford, So., WR, Atlantic

Jayden Harrington, Jr., QB, Somerset Canyons

Christopher Holmes, Jr., ATH, Palm Beach Lakes

Owen Holowecky, Sr., K/P, Seminole Ridge

Jyron Hughley, So., ATH, Cardinal Newman

Ty Jackson, Jr., LB/WR, Seminole Ridge

Tim Jakubek, WR/DB, Jupiter

Michael Manna, Sr., WR, American Heritage-Delray

Israel Marion, Jr., WR, Santaluces

Jayden Morton, So., WR/DB, Dr. Joaquin Garcia

Matthew Nadeau, Jr., WR, Park Vista

Preston Parker Jr., Jr., WR, Palm Beach Central

Carson Perusse, Sr., LS/WR/LB, Wellington

Elijah Rodriguez, Sr., WR, Santaluces

Zachary Anthony-Russell, Sr., RB, Spanish River

Paul Schindler, Sr., K/P, Atlantic

Xanai Scott, Jr., RB/SS, Cardinal Newman

Carter Simonson, Sr., RB, Jupiter

Ana'Tay Smith, Jr., ATH, Santaluces

Champ Smith, Fr., QB, Jupiter Christian

Damien Taylor, Jr., WR/DB, Boca Raton

Ryan Vanscoy, Sr., TE, American Heritage-Delray

Robbie Venero, Sr., Seminole Ridge

Derrick Williams, Sr., Santaluces

Leon Williams, Sr., RB, Palm Beach Central

Reggie Workman, Sr., King's

Randolph Wilkerson, Jr., RB, Jupiter Christian

Honorable mention

Cristoffer Benardo, Jr., St. John Paul II

Dylan Bennett, Cardinal Newman

Aidan Burgess, Jupiter

Cristian Clavijo, Santaluces

Nolan Hollinger, Jupiter

KJ Larsen, Jupiter

Christopher Morinvil, Boynton Beach

Jonathan Paul, Wellington

Tyree Pearson, Wellington

Vincent Ruggieri, Boca Raton

Tristan Stewart, King's

Peyton Surtain, American Heritage-Delray

Jaylin Woods, Wellington

Emilee Smarr is a sports reporter for the Palm Beach Post. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Meet the Post's 2023 all-county football offense and player of the year nominees