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Choosing the Male Athlete of the Year for Fort Walton Beach-area high school sports is not a cut-and-dried process.
Is the best candidate built around the multi-sport mold, or can he simply be a specialized talent? Does being overwhelmingly the best at one sport shine brighter than being solid in two or three? And how do you weigh individualized sports versus team sports, or projectability at the next level?
Last year Cole Tabb represented the best case scenario: He dominated three sports, was a state champion in two, was selfless in continuing to play sports after the football season, and he secured a scholarship to Stanford where he worked through an initial injury to make an immediate impact.
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This year’s nominees for his successor are no doubt destined for great things, and here’s the kicker: Your vote decides the winner. Voting runs through 2 p.m., Monday, June 16, so vote now and vote often.
Committed to Auburn, Borthwick’s MLB draft prospect undoubtedly rose this year.
At the dish in 35 games, the 6-foot-6, 250-pound two-way player slashed a career-best .628/.894/1.522 with 20 extra-base hits, six homers, 51 RBIs, 37 runs and nine stolen bases, all while drawing 41 free passes compared to just five strikeouts and committing one error in 40 fielding chances.
On the mound, where his high-90-mph fastball complements a devastating slider and changeup, the right-hander allowed one earned run over 33 innings. While fanning 55 batters, Borthwick allowed only 4 walks and 17 hits as opposing batters hit .143, with nary an extra-base hit.
In the weight room, no one worked harder than Mathews. And on the gridiron, no one was tougher to tackle. Together, the result was a senior season that resulted in state weightlifting titles three and four in Lakeland and also a 1,406-yard, 15-touchdown football campaign that helped the Eagles advance to the Final 4.
Fittingly, his bright future will take him to the United States Air Force Academy.
He departs with three Florida weightlifting records — overall snatch (305 pounds), clean and jerk (390 pounds), Olympic total (695 pounds) — after defending his Olympic and traditional titles at 219 pounds.
It’s rare for a big man to anchor two sports at Niceville, yet Krider is doing just that for the powerhouse football program and dynasty “Throwsville.”
In the fall, Krider delivered 11 sacks and 67 tackles for Kody Martin’s vaunted defense while becoming an integral part to the heavy package to help lift the Eagles to the Final 4. Come the spring, Krider shattered the shot put school record with a throw of 61 feet, 10 inches at regionals to pave the way for a state championship that nearly led the track and field program to a fifth straight state ring.
His swansong has as much promise as any senior in the 8-5-0.
Miles’ offer sheet speaks of a young man who could play on Sundays.
Narrowing down around 30 offers to Colorado, Louisville, Florida State, Vanderbilt and Syracuse, the 6-foot-6, 220-pound tight end/wide receiver enters his senior campaign ranked No. 78 in the USA Today Top 100 list of Florida high school football recruits. The two-way star eclipsed 900 yards with nine touchdowns as a junior, all while hauling in three interceptions, forcing three fumbles and recovering another two.
He did all that before averaging 27.5 points and 10.7 rebounds on the hardwood for the 13-9 Bulldogs. Come this winter, he could eclipse 2,000 points for his basketball career after eclipsing the 1,000-yard season mark on the gridiron.
This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Fort Walton Beach-area Male Athlete of the Year voting for 2024-2025
