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Cretin-Derham Hall?s Floyd is Player of Year
AP West Central Tribune and wire reports
Published Wednesday, November 29, 2006
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) ? St. Paul?s Cretin-Derham Hall High School has produced plenty of top-notch players in not just football but every sport over the years. Michael Floyd is the latest and, perhaps, on his way to becoming the greatest.
?He?s got it all for a wide receiver,? Raiders coach Mike Scanlan said. ?He?s got the speed. He?s a basketball guy. It?s a brave statement, but I think he might be the best athlete we?ve ever had at the school. When you think he can?t make a better play than he has, he does.?
Just a junior, Floyd had 63 catches for 1,240 yards and 16 touchdowns this season for the Raiders, who were beaten by Class 5A state runner-up Lakeville South by one point in the section championship game. Possessing the kind of speed that has big-time college coaches circling him like vultures in search of a scholarship commitment, Floyd averaged nearly 20 yards per reception this year ? his second as a starter.
For his performance, Floyd was named Player of the Year for Minnesota by The Associated Press, as voted on by a statewide panel of sportswriters and broadcasters who regularly cover high school football. Floyd?s quarterback, Joe Springer, also received strong consideration for the honor, along with Eden Prairie linebacker Blake Sorensen.
Two Tribune area players ? Morris Area senior quarterback Taylor Witt and Litchfield senior quarterback Kent Johnson ? were both selected honorable mention.
Joining Floyd, Springer and Sorensen on the AP?s all-state team were 24 other players: running backs DeAngelo Brackins (International Falls), Chris Atkins (St. Paul Johnson), and B.J. Otto (Hill-Murray); offensive linemen Trey Davis (Farmington), Ryan Orton (Eden Prairie), Chris Bunders (Osseo), Steve Herold (Sartell), and Ryan Wynn (Maple Grove); tight end Seth Noreen (St. Cloud Apollo); wide receiver Matt Veldman (Becker); defensive linemen Broderick Binns (Cretin-Derham Hall), junior Willie Mobley (Eden Prairie), Anthony Jacobs (Northfield), and Matt Ulrich (Rushford-Peterson); linebackers Bryce McNaul (Eden Prairie), junior Sam Maresh (Champlin Park), and Jake Harmon (Triton); defensive backs Takarai Hill (Minneapolis South), Nick Andreas (Lakeville South), Matt Griswold (Totino-Grace) and junior Cody Hendrickson (Cromwell); punter Andrew Tewes (Mayer Lutheran); kicker Joe Stormont (Stillwater) and junior return specialist Jeremy Randle (DeLaSalle).
Floyd, at 6-4 and 195 pounds, is not just one of the most sought-after receivers in the country. He?s simply one of the nation?s hottest recruits.
?If you?ve seen him run in person or on film, it?s like he?s a thoroughbred,? Scanlan said. ?He?s just got that long, driving stride.?
What makes Cretin-Derham Hall?s coaches most proud, though, is his character and work ethic. Though he has spots on the basketball and track teams, Floyd is a fixture in the school?s weight room.
Floyd was unavailable for an interview Monday night because he was out enjoying his 17th birthday. And with scholarship offers from the University of Minnesota, Iowa and Notre Dame, as well as interest from Ohio State, he has plenty to celebrate.
?It?s nice to see something like that happen to such a nice guy,? Scanlan said. ?I just get the feeling that when my back?s turned, he?s the same guy.?