GAINESVILLE (December 18) — The finalists for the 2018 Florida Dairy Farmers Mr. Football and Football Coach of the Year have been announced following balloting by a statewide panel of high school football coaches and prep media representatives.
Every finalist was the leading vote-getter in his classification, making each one the Player of the Year or Coach of the Year in his class. The two overall winners will be announced following a final round of balloting by coaches and media.
2018 Mr. Football Finalists:
Carson Beck, Junior, Quarterback, Mandarin (Jacksonville), Class 8A Player of the Year
Led his team to the state championship by completing 185-of-329 passes for 3,559 yards with 41 TD passes and 7 interceptions. Has committed to the University of Alabama.
Demarkcus Bowman, Junior, Running Back, Lakeland, Class 7A Player of the Year
Led his team to the state title by rushing for 2,452 yards on 205 carries (12.0 avg.) with 36 TDs. Rushed for 211 yards including an 84-yard scoring run in state game win over St. Thomas Aquinas.
Damean Bivins, Senior, Running Back, Pace, Class 6A Player of the Year
As a senior, rushed for 2,273 yards on 273 carries (8.3 avg.) with 32 TDs. Finished his career with 5,281 rushing yards, 6,693 total yards and 70 touchdowns.
Marcus Crowley, Senior, Running Back, Trinity Christian (Jacksonville), Class 5A Player of the Year
Led his team to the state Final Four by rushing for 2,325 yards on 222 carries (10.5 avg.) with 28 TDs. Also caught 10 passes for 181 yards and 3 TDs. Has committed to Ohio State University.
Brandon Marshall, Senior, Running Back, Raines (Jacksonville), Class 4A Player of the Year
Led his team to the state championship by rushing for 1,916 yards on 242 carries (7.9 avg.) with 24 TDs. Set his school’s alltime rushing record with 4,100 career yards.
Justin Wake, Senior, Quarterback, King’s Academy, Class 3A Player of the Year
Led his team to the state championship game by completing 166-of-301 passes for 2,490 yards with 27 TDs and 7 interceptions. Also rushed for 528 yards and 12 TDs.
Jenson Jones, Senior, Quarterback/Outside Linebacker, St. John Neumann, Class 2A Player of the Year
Completed 90-of-152 passes for 1,525 yards and 14 TDs. Rushed for 1,970 yards on 202 carries (9.7 avg.) with 33 TDs. On defense, had 55 tackles with 5 tackles for loss.
Travis Jay, Senior, Quarterback/Defensive Back, Madison County, Class 1A Player of the Year
Led his team to the state title by completing 55-of-99 passes for 1,326 yards and 13 TDs. Rushed for 1,096 yards on 102 carries (11.9 avg.) with 18 TDs. On defense, had 66 tackles (45 solo) with 6 interceptions. Named an Under Armour All-American and has committed to Florida State University.
Jalen Carr, Senior, Running Back/ Defensive Back, Orlando Christian Prep, Independent Player of the Year
Led his team to the Sunshine State Athletic Conference title by rushing for 1,073 yards on 94 carries (11.4 avg.) with 15 TDs. Also caught 13 passes for 300 yards and 4 TDs. Has committed to Illinois State University.
2018 Football Coach of the Year Finalists:
Bobby Ramsay, Mandarin (Jacksonville), Class 8A Coach of the Year
In his second year at Mandarin, Ramsay led his team to an 11-4 record and a state title after finishing 2-8 in 2017. Prior to Mandarin, he compiled a record of 77-48 in nine years at Yulee.
Bill Castle, Lakeland, Class 7A Coach of the Year
Led his team to a 15-0 record and the state title with a 33-20 win over St. Thomas Aquinas. In 43 years at Lakeland, Castle has compiled a 432-91 record with seven state titles (1986-96-99-2004-05-06-18).
Max Edwards, Northwestern, Class 6A Coach of the Year
Led his squad to a 10-5 record and its second straight state championship. In four years at Northwestern, Edwards has posted a 39-14 record.
Matt DuBuc, Cardinal Gibbons, Class 5A Coach of the Year
In his third year as head coach at Cardinal Gibbons, DuBuc led his team to a 13-2 record and the state championship. His overall record is 33-6.
Deran Wiley, Raines (Jacksonville) , Class 4A Coach of the Year
Led his squad to a 13-1 record and a second consecutive state title. In 10 years at Raines, Wiley has posted a 93-31 record with a state runnerup finish in 2015 when he was named state coach-of-the-year.
Dameon Jones, Chaminade-Madonna, Class 3A Coach of the Year
In his third year at Chaminade, Jones led his squad to a 12-2 record and a second straight state championship. He has posted a 33-8 record at the school with an overall record of 104-26 (nine years at Hallandale High School).
Steve Price, North Florida Christian, Class 2A Coach of the Year
In his third year at NFC, Price compiled a 9-4 record and led his squad to the state title. He has posted a record of 24-11 at NFC and also had an 8-3 record in his one year at Taylor County.
Mike Coe, Madison County, Class 1A Coach of the Year
Coe led his squad to a 13-1 record and a second straight state championship. In nine years at the school he has a 98-19 record with state runnerup finishes in both 2011 and 2012.
Guerschom Demosthenes, Orlando Christian Prep, Independent Coach of the Year
Demosthenes compiled a 9-2 record and led his squad to the Sunshine State Athletic Conference title. In five years at OCP, he has posted a 48-15 record.
