IRVING, Texas (March 5, 2018) – The National Football Foundation (NFF) Gridiron Club of Dallas Chapter announced today the names of the seven Texas collegiate scholar-athletes and the 60 North Texas high school scholar-athletes who will be honored for their accomplishments during the chapter's 10th Annual Awards Banquet Sunday, March 18, at 6 p.m. CT at the Dallas/Addison Marriott Quorum by the Galleria.

A number of scholarships will be awarded, and one high school player will be named the club’s top scholar-athlete. Award-winning sportscaster Scott Murray will emcee for the 10th consecutive year.

“We are incredibly proud of this year’s scholar-athletes,” said Gerald Brence, president of the NFF Gridiron Club of Dallas Chapter and the athletics director for the Plano Independent School District. “In the 10th year of our chapter, we are honoring another great group of high school scholar-athletes who continue to impress, not only on the field competitively but also as scholars and young community leaders. It’s always an honor to meet these young men, showcasing the great stories in North Texas that will inspire future student-athletes to excel in the classroom and become more involved in their communities.”

Selected from a pool of candidates that covers the entire region, the seven collegiate and 60 high school players (listed below) earned NFF chapter scholar-athlete recognition in 2018 after a rigorous review. The selection committee, comprised of coaches, teachers, administrators and business leaders from North Texas, evaluated the college and high school candidates based on their athletic accomplishments, academic performance and leadership in the community. The high school honorees will enroll in the fall at a prestigious list of institutions, including Ivy League schools, state universities and the service academies.


2018 NFF Gridiron Club of Dallas Collegiate Scholar-Athletes

• Evan Brown – SMU
• Michael Downing Jr. – TCU
• Geary Jones Jr. – Texas Wesleyan
• Trevor Moore – North Texas
• Thomas Samonig – Austin College
• Jacob Sherrill – Midwestern State
• Richard Whitaker – Texas A&M-Commerce

2018 NFF Gridiron Club of Dallas High School Scholar-Athletes

• Carlos Aguilar – Mesquite
• Sergio Alvarado – Dallas Molina
• Roddrick Armstrong – Garland Lakeview Centennial
• Austin Brougham – Hurst Bell
• Victor Buenrostro – Mesquite Poteet
• Devin Connor – Dallas Wilmer-Hutchins
• Eric Cook – Dallas W.T. White
• Somdipto Das – Carrollton R.L. Turner
• Colby Delashaw – Frisco Wakeland
• Joe DeVincenzo – Southlake Carroll
• Jose Diaz – Dallas Hillcrest
• Jake Doyle – Plano Senior
• Tykedreaus Elder – Dallas North Dallas
• Jacob Felczak – Keller Central
• Bryan Flores – Dallas Conrad
• Dylan Francis – Colleyville Heritage
• X’Zavea Gadlin – Mansfield Summit
• Jaydan Gilstrap – McKinney
• Luca Gisellu – Lake Highlands
• Jeremiah Gray – Dallas Skyline
• Tyson Hardin – Irving MacArthur
• Arkivion Harris – Dallas Spruce
• Caleb Hart – Richardson J.J. Pearce
• Trey Hempstead – Plano East
• Darryl Herod – Dallas Thomas Jefferson
• Travion Jackson – Dallas James Madison
• Grayson Jarvis – Aledo
• Cedric Johnson – Dallas Pinkston
• Dentalus Jones – Dallas Lincoln
• Angel Juarez – Dallas Adamson
• Josh Jynes – DeSoto
• John Mark Lamb – Carrollton Newman Smith
• Raylon Linvel – Mesquite Horn
• Blake Lodes – Mansfield Lake Ridge
• John Luvender – McKinney Boyd
• Pierce McFarlane – Coppell
• Toney Mitchell – Dallas South Oak Cliff
• Blake Motl – Lucas Lovejoy
• Matt Nagbe – Dallas Bryan Adams
• Noble Nash – Highland Park
• Chibuike Odo – McKinney North
• Noel Ofori-Nyadu – Mansfield Timberview
• Adrian Owens – Dallas Kimball
• Daniel Prosper – Dallas Carter
• Seth Rawlins – North Mesquite
• Moyzes Rivera – Dallas Sunset
• Greg Roberts – Dallas Roosevelt
• Jacob Russ – Arlington
• Dalton Shaw – Dallas Samuell
• Dylan Spoerl – Dallas Seagoville
• Sam Sullivan – Richardson Berkner
• Jake Sweeney – Plano West
• Christopher Teufel – Rockwall-Heath
• Parker Towns – Dallas Jesuit
• Noah Velicer – Frisco Lone Star
• Xavier Walker – Carrollton Ranchview
• Jordan Wander – Richardson
• Mason Ward – Keller
• Boomer Warren – Northwest Eaton
• Travis West – Dallas Woodrow Wilson

The event will also pay tribute to several outstanding individuals for their contributions to the game and the North Texas region. Previously announced honorees include College Football Hall of Fame coach Hayden Fry (Legends Award), Cotton Bowl Stadium general manager Roland Rainey (Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award), Dallas Football Officials Association crew chief Smith Holder (Steve Storie Official of the Year) and NBC5 sports anchor and reporter Pat Doney (Media Person of the Year).

Texas A&M-Commerce head coach Colby Carthel will be honored as the College Coach of the Year after leading the Lions to the NCAA Division II national title. High school coach honorees include Large High School Coach of the Year Terry Gambill (Allen), Small High School Coach of the Year Brady Carney (Muenster) and Assistant High School Coaches of the Year Cory Cain (Allen) and Don Woods (Highland Park).

The event, which will start at 6 p.m. CT, has attracted a sellout crowd of 500-plus people each of the past nine years. For more information on 2018 tickets and/or banquet sponsorship opportunities, please contact club president Gerald Brence at 469-878-5370 or via email at Gerald.Brence@pisd.edu.

The NFF Gridiron Club of Dallas is one of 120 nationwide chapters of the National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame. The NFF is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. NFF programs include the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, The William V. Campbell Trophy^® presented by Fidelity Investments, the NFF Scholar-Athlete Awards presented by Fidelity Investments, the NFF High School Showcases, the NFF Hampshire Honor Society and scholarships of more than $1.3 million for college and high school scholar-athletes.