Naples Daily News, The News-Press announced 2020-21 Player of the Year winner

Paris Thompson and Brennan Van Hoecke were among the best in their respective sports this season, perhaps among the best in the country.

For their outstanding performance on the court and on the mat, the two took home the grand prizes at the Southwest Florida High School Sports Awards on Monday night. Thompson, a senior volleyball player at Fort Myers High, was named Sportswoman of the Year. Van Hoecke, a junior wrestler and soccer player from Palmetto Ridge, was named Male Athlete of the Year.

The Sports Awards is the annual ceremony at which The News-Press and Naples Daily News announce their 2020-21 Player of the Year in all high school sports. The USA Today Network’s two newspapers also announced the winners of their premium awards such as Athlete and Trainer of the Year.

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The virtual ceremony was broadcast on the newspapers’ websites. The awards were announced by famous professional athletes and coaches such as Aaron Rodgers, Kevin Garnett and Katie Ledecky. The award ceremony video can still be viewed at news-press.com, naplesnews.com or sportsawards.usatoday.com/swflorida/.

The nomination as the best female athlete in the region is the latest in a series of awards Thompson has received in recent months. She was named Miss Volleyball of the Florida Dairy Farmers by the national media that year and also won Gatorade Florida Volleyball Player of the Year. She was an Under Armor second-team All-American. On Monday night, the Notre Dame commit also won their third consecutive SWFL volleyball player.

Thompson, a 6-foot-1 outdoor hitter, led Fort Myers to county and regional championships this season. She had 413 kills and 228 as senior and alumni as the Green Wave’s all-time lead on kills (1,334).

“It’s a great honor to be named Sportsman of the Year,” said Thompson. “It shows that all the hard work I’ve put in is paying off.”

The award for Sportswoman of the Year was presented by Sue Bird, the WNBA’s All-Time-Assist-Leader and 11-time All-Star. The other three finalists for the award were Canterbury runner Jessica Edwards, St. John Neumann runner Leah Martin-Gonazalez, and Dunbar runner Lucheyona Weaver.

Thompson said winning the award was very special because of the caliber of the Lee and Collier Counties athletes she competed against. She credits her Fort Myers volleyball coach, Steph Martin, for helping her achieve her athletic goals.

“She’s been with me since I started playing volleyball,” Thompson said. “She’s like a second mother to me.”

Van Hoecke, the best male winner, formed the Daily News first team in the all-area in both sports, but was most dominant on the wrestling mat. The Palmetto Ridge Junior went 49-0 that season and won the Class 2A title with 132 pounds. He finished his first two seasons with the Bears as a state runner-up and has a 164-7 varsity record.

Although Van Hoecke was 1.70 m tall and fought at 132 pounds, he was inducted into the Daily News Football All-Area team as a defensive lineman. He had 13 tackles for the loss, 5 sacks and 3 forced fumbles, one of which he returned one for a touchdown for the Palmetto Ridge 9-1 playoff team.

It was Van Hoecke’s first college football season after playing JV sophomore.

“I shouldn’t play that much, but in the end I was good,” said Van Hoecke. “It’s been a really fun year. When wrestling started I changed my mind. I didn’t want to (come second again). Whoever stepped in front of me, I would do my best to kick (butt) them. . “

The Male Athlete of the Year Award was presented by NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal. After announcing Van Hoeck as the winner, O’Neal said. “Congratulations Brennan. I love that last name.”

“Hearing Shaq say it was really cool and amazing,” said Van Hoeck. “Just hearing someone with their background and athletic ability say that about me felt really cool.”

Also at the awards ceremony on Monday, Dunbar track and cross-country trainer Guy Thomas received the Jeff Sommer Memorial Coach of the Year Award. That spring, Dunbar’s boys’ track team finished third in the Class 3A finals, while the girls in the state finished sixth. Thomas trained the Tigers for eight years. In the last three years he has led the cross-country team to the state finals.

Fort Myers High’s softball roster was named Team of the Year. The Green Wave won the Class 5A state title in a dramatic way by closing a three-run deficit and winning with a base-loaded walk in the lower portion of the seventh inning. It was the program’s second state title in four years.

The Green Wave won Team of the Year over the Gulf Coast and Canterbury Boys’ Football Teams, the only other programs in southwest Florida to win state titles in the 2020-21 school year.

Barron Collier swimmer Emery Muller was named Scholar Athlete of the Year. In addition to being a finalist for Girl Swimmer of the Year, Muller also had a weighted grade point average of 4.82. She was a member of the National Honors Society, the Rho Kappa Honors Society, the Spanish Honors Society and was even President of the Pottery Club.

Riverdale wrestler Dominic Rodriguez won the Courage Award after returning from a cruciate ligament rupture to win a state championship that season. Rodriguez missed his sophomore year with the injury but went 38-1 that year as a junior and won county, regional and Class 3A titles with 160 pounds.

The I AM SPORT Award, which is given to a socially committed athlete, went to Eric Feichthaler from Oasis Charter. Feichthaler, a tennis player, has spent more than 400 volunteer hours with the Kiwanis Thrift Store and the Cape Coral Caring Center Mobile Food Handouts in the past two years. As Vice President of the Oasis Key Club, he participates in even more service projects.

TJ Johnson of North Fort Myers High School won the Special Olympics Award. Competing on North’s college bowling team, Johnson played four sports with the Lee County’s Special Olympics chapter – bowling, swimming, tennis, and stand-up paddleboard.

The St. John Neumann baseball team won Fan Favorite Team of the Year, an award voted on by the audience.

News Press reporter Dustin Levy contributed to this article

Southwest Florida Sports Awards 2021 winners

Sportswoman of the year: Paris Thompson, Fort Myers

Male athlete of the year: Brennan Van Hoecke, Palmetto Ridge

Jeff Sommer Trainer of the Year: Guy Thomas, Dunbar

Scholar-Athlete: Emery Müller, Barron Collier

Team of the year: Fort Myers softball

Fan favorite team of the year: St. John Neumann Baseball

Courage Prize: Dominic Rodriguez, Riverdale

I AM SPORT award: Eric Feichthaler, oasis

Special Olympics: Terry (TJ) Johnson, North Fort Myers

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Baseball: Jacob Marlowe, Barron Collier

Boys basketball: Tony Green, Naples

Girls basketball: Reese Tremitiere, Gulf Coast

Bowling for boys: Brandon Rucker, North Fort Myers

Girl bowling: Dakota Kirk, Fort Myers

Cross country for boys: Kolton Pickard, Estero

Girls Cross Country: Amy Meng, Fort Myers

Football offense: Malik Curtis, Bishop Verot

Football defense: Chris Thomas, Dunbar

Boys golf: Sam Kodak, Naples

Girls Golf: Talia Rodino, Bishop Taxes

Boys Lacrosse: Trace Davidson, Gulf Coast

Girls Lacrosse: Prentice Atterbury, Community School of Naples

Boys soccer: Chase Johnson, Canterbury

Girls soccer: Jasmine Perez-Acosta, Canterbury

Soft ball: Julia Knowler, Fort Myers

Boys swimming: Andrew Garner, Barron Collier

Girls swimming: Olivia McMurray, Fort Myers

Boys tennis: Davide Procacci, Gulf Coast

Girls tennis: Kaitlin Quevedo, Community School of Naples

Boys athletics: Leonard Mustari, Dunbar

Athletics girls: Jessica Edwards, Canterbury

Volleyball: Paris Thompson, Fort Myers

Boys Weightlifting: Tyson Eveque, Cypress Lake

Girls Weightlifting: Jenna McClain, LaBelle

Wrestling: Brennan Van Hoecke, Palmetto Ridge

See similar https://www.news-press.com/story/sports/2021/06/29/naples-daily-news-news-press-2020-21-player-year-winners-revealed/7687627002/

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