LITTLE ROCK — Bryant senior running back Chris Rycraw has been named among the finalists for the 2009 State Farm Awards for Class 7A-6A Offensive Player of the Year.
In addition, Tim Johnson of North Little Rock and Claude Johnson of Pine Bluff are finalists for the offensive award. Cabot's Spencer Neumann, Springdale Har-Ber's Houston Pruitt and North Little Rock's Colt Schaller are the finalists for the Defensive Player of the Year. Class 7A-6A finalists for Coach of the Year are Perry Esclante of Rogers Heritage, Scott Reed of El Dorado and Chris Wood of Springdale Har-Ber.[more]
Rycraw is the single-season and career rushing record-holder at Bryant High School. He rushed for a 1,651 yards on 261 carries and scored 19 touchdowns (all but one rushing). He ran for 3,205 yards and 36 touchdowns in 556 attempts in his BHS career.
The State Farm Awards will honor Arkansas' top offensive player, defensive player and coach of the year for each classification during a special ceremony catered by MarketPlace Grill on Monday, Dec. 14 in Little Rock. The veteran staff at Hooten's Arkansas Football selects three finalists for each category, and those finalists are invited to attend the State Farm Awards.
State Farm's spokesman in Arkansas, Gary Stephenson, said, "We are pleased to be working with the recognized authority on Arkansas high school football, the Hootens organization. State Farm congratulates all of the finalists for this year's awards."
State Farm has a strong, long-standing commitment to supporting education and community involvement and is proud to honor Arkansas' finest young athletes. More information on the State Farm Awards is available on hootens.com.
