BWSMA 2022 regular season football awards announced
This fall, sports media members of the Blue Water Area formed the Blue Water Sports Media Association. This includes Brady Beedon and Dennis Stuckey of Get Stuck on Sports, Brenden Welper of the Port Huron Times Herald, and me, Calli Newberry of The Sports Report.
All season long we followed and covered the eight BWAC teams, five local MAC teams, and Cardinal Mooney. We announced weekly rankings (see the final regular season rankings below) and today, we are happy to announce our regular season award winners.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Kyle Rowley took over the Armada football program in 2020 when the Tigers went 3-4. This fall, they went 7-2 with statement wins over Marine City and North Branch. They also claimed a share of the BWAC title, the program's first since 2004.
TEAM OF THE YEAR
The Port Huron Northern football team went 6-0 to start the season and finished 8-1 overall with a share of the MAC-Blue title. They also broke several program records, such as the fewest points allowed and largest point differential.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Tyler Filinger led the Raiders defense this fall with 81 tackles, including 13 for loss and five sacks. The senior averaged nine tackles per game, helping the Raiders to a 6-4 (5-2 BWAC) record.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
The Broncos set a school record for most points scored in a season this fall, with much credit due to the leadership of four-year varsity quarterback Will Damaska.
He was responsible for 21 of North Branch's touchdowns, throwing for 771 yards and running for another 515.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
A threat to any team on both sides of the ball, Cardinal Mooney senior Brendan Haisenleder wins our Player of the Year award. Not only did he rush for 1902 yards, he also accumulated 110 tackles on the year.
He helped the Cardinals to a 7-2 regular season record which included a perfect 5-0 in conference play and their first Prep Bowl appearance in 21 years.
Here was the final regular season BWSMA Poll:
To stay up-to-date on all the latest in Blue Water Area sports, be sure to follow us on Twitter: