Isaiah Wilson Of Poly Prep Country Day School Receives Top High School Football Award

Isaiah Wilson, an offensive tackle at Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn, is the recipient of the 2016 New York City Player of the Year Award presented by the New York City Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.

Coached by Kevin Fountaine, Wilson served as co-captain of the varsity team. He is headed to the University of Georgia to play for Coach Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs. The six-foot-seven, 350-pound Brooklyn native was the second ranked prospect nationally in the ESPN Top 300.

Wilson was named to the American Family Insurance 2016 USA Today All-USA second team. He also was named the 2016 New York State Player of the Year and was a first team All New York State selection during his junior and senior years by the New York State Sports Writers Association. Wilson played in the 2017 Under Armour All American Game.

The Whitmore Group of Garden City in Nassau County, and its founder and CEO James C. Metzger, sponsored the New York City Player of the Year Award. The Whitmore Group is one of the leading insurance brokerage firms in the New York City area. Metzger is a former star athlete at Half Hollow Hills East High School and Hofstra University, where he is a member of the Hofstra Athletics Hall of Fame. He supports many youth athletics and education programs in Nassau and Suffolk counties and in New York City.

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Photo: From left -- Marc T. Hudak, chairman of the New York City Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame, New York City Player of the Year Isaiah Wilson from Brooklyn's Poly Prep Country Day School and James C. Metzger, founder and CEO of The Whitmore Group.

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Elite High School Eleven

Eleven other outstanding New York City high school football players representing The Bronx, Brooklyn and Staten Island also were honored with Wilson at last week’s 2016 “Elite Eleven” Scholar-Athlete Award Banquet presented by the New York City Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.

The athletes represented public and private high schools – Brooklyn Tech, Cardinal Hayes, Curtis, Fordham Prep, Fort Hamilton, McKee Staten Island Technical, Monsignor Farrell, New Utrecht, Poly Prep Country Day, St. Joseph by the Sea and St. Peter’s. The award criteria is 40 percent based on GPA and academic achievement, 40 percent based on football ability and achievement, and 20 percent based on leadership, school and community involvement.

Other Awards

The organization also honored Peter Gambardella, head football coach of Curtis High School in Staten Island, with its Vincent O’Connor Coach of the Year Award. The award is named for Vincent O’Connor, who finished his career at Saint Francis Preparatory School in Queens as the second-winningest football in New York State high school history with 341 wins over 61 years.

Retired NFL executive Ernie Accorsi received the organization’s Founders Award. He is a founding member of the New York City chapter of the foundation and a current member of the board of directors. New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning received the Ernie Accorsi Humanitarian Award. The award is presented to a person who has made significant contributions to the game and the community.

The event was organized by Marc T. Hudak, the chairman of the New York City Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame. A graduate of Ithaca College, Hudak was a two-time All-America selection in football and captain of the 1988 National Championship Team. He is a member of the Ithaca College Athletic Hall of Fame and serves as s a partner and member of the The Whitmore Group’s management committee.

The New York City Chapter of the National Football Foundation was founded during 2012. It honors the top high school football players who participate in the five boroughs, recognizing them for their performance
on the field, in the classroom and as leaders in the community. The organization also honors outstanding individuals for their contributions to the game.