Gridiron Hero is down to two
From PD staff reports, October 27, 2008 7:41 a.m.
After 10 weeks, The Plain Dealer's seasonlong Gridiron Hero contest to determine the area's best high school football performer has come down to two linemen from playoff-bound schools - Aurora's Adam Bellamy and Mayfield's Cody Hayes."It's about time the linemen get love," Bellamy joked.
Well said.
Bellamy, a senior defensive end / offensive tackle, has advanced through all of the weekly online polls, which began at the start of the season and have attracted thousands of votes each week.
Hayes, a senior nose tackle / fullback, was one of two wild-card players added at midseason following a separate online poll. See a breakdown of both players' seasons in the accompanying story.
Considering we're also in election season, we asked both players why fans should vote for them.
Said Bellamy, "I think I've done a pretty good job playing both ways on the line and staying in most of the game, and mentally and physically being on the top of my game."
Said Hayes: "The hard work that I've put in playing football and what I've achieved so far. It's hard being a lineman who is in the middle getting double- and triple-teamed making as many plays as I do and getting that many tackles."
Voting in the final poll is under way.
Vote at
cleveland.com/gridironhero until noon Thursday. The player with the most votes will be crowned as The Plain Dealer's Gridiron Hero.