Cedar Cliff High School standout named Gatorade Pennsylvania Football Player of the Year

Written by: David Mika on Thursday, December 5th, 2013. Follow David Mika on Twitter.

CHICAGO (December 5, 2013) — In its 29^th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with USA TODAY High School Sports, today announced Andrew Ford of Cedar Cliff High School as its 2013-14 Gatorade Pennsylvania Football Player of the Year.  Ford is the second Gatorade Pennsylvania Football Player of the Year to be chosen from Cedar Cliff High School.

The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Ford as Pennsylvania’s best high school football player.  Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Football Player of the Year award announced in December, Ford joins an elite alumni association of past state award-winners in 12 sports, including Mark Sanchez (2004-05, Mission Viejo HS, Calif.), Wes Welker (1999-00, Heritage Hall HS, Okla.), Terrell Suggs (1999-00, Hamilton HS, Ariz.), Anquan Boldin (1998-99, Pahokee HS, Fla.) and Jerome Bettis (1989-90, Mackenzie HS, Mich.).

The 6-foot-3, 180-pound senior quarterback threw for 2,776 yards and 35 touchdowns this past season on 161-of-238 passing (67.6 percent), leading the Colts (9-2) to a berth in the Class AAAA district playoffs. A returning Class AAAA Third Team All-State selection as named by the Pennsylvania Football News, Ford earned invitations to the Elite 11 quarterback camp and Nike’s The Opening this past summer. He completed 225 of 339 attempts for 2,957 yards and 35 touchdowns as a junior last season.

Ford has maintained a 3.80 GPA in the classroom. He has volunteered as a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

“On the football field, he is an incredible athlete,” said Chad Weaver, head coach at rival Red Land High. “His numbers don’t do it justice, as he is a complete leader. He is able to put the players in the correct positions and makes sure they are running what is going to work best. Off the field, he is a great young man.”

Ford has verbally committed to play football on an athletic scholarship at Virginia Tech beginning in the fall of 2014.

The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport.  The selection process is administered by the Gatorade high school sports leadership team in partnership with USA TODAY High School Sports, which work with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.

Ford joins recent Gatorade Pennsylvania Football Players of the Year Matt Bodamer (2012-2013, Port Allegany High School), Noah Spence (2011-12, Bishop McDevitt High School), Brendan Nosovitch (2010-11, Allentown Central Catholic High School), Kyle Smith (2009-10, Lancaster Catholic), Zach Barket (2008-09, Schuylkill Haven Area High School) and Brendan Beal (2007-08, Liberty) among the state’s list of former award winners.

To keep up to date on the latest happenings, become a fan of Gatorade Player of the Year on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.  For more on the Gatorade Player of the Year program, including nomination information, a complete list of past winners and the announcement of the Gatorade National Player of the Year, visit www.gatorade.com/poy

Previous School Winner

1989-90 Brady Cedar Cliff, TE

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