St. Marys Area Quarterback Club holds 64th Awards Ceremony

The St. Marys Area Quarterback Club held its 64th Awards Ceremony on Saturday evening at St. Marys Area High School’s Carpin Auditorium.

The program featured remarks from Quarterback Club President Pete McMackin, Director of Student Activities Terry Straub, junior high head coach John Coudriet, and assistant varsity football coach Michael Kunes, as well as a roughly 20-minute photo slideshow that was created by Matt and Nicole Young.

The highlight of the evening though was the announcement of the recipients of the club’s five major awards, which took place at the conclusion of the event. McMackin, the evening’s emcee, shared a bit of background information about the individuals for which the awards were named before announcing each of this year’s recipients.

The first award to be presented was the Dr. Valigorsky/George Young Academic Award.

“Dr. Valigorsky was a longtime team doctor and supporter of Dutch football. The academic award represents the best that we believe in as the Quarterback Club. George Young was a 40-plus-year member…he still is a member…a 40-plusyear director who held the office of treasurer for 40 years, from 1976 to 2016. George was instrumental in passing down some of the Quarterback Club traditions from the different officers that he had worked with,” McMackin said.

Shifting focus, McMackin briefly discussed the player who was the recipient of the award.

“This year, the award is presented to a football player with the highest GPA during the football season. It is often said that smart people learn by sitting back and listening. This is very true of this year’s winner. He listened to coaches and performed when it counted,” McMackin said. “The 2021 Dr. Valigorsky/George Young Academic Award goes to Tom Defilippi.”

Next to be announced was the Dr. Keebler Most Valuable Offense Award.

“Dr. Keebler was the team doctor for years as well and had sons and grandsons play Dutch football,” McMackin said. “While stats don’t necessarily dictate the winner of these awards, it was quite obvious this season: passing for 2,600 yards, over 7,000 in his career, this QB was a shoo-in. A quiet kid who showed me his toughness, he was also named to the Big 30, All-Conference Team, and All-State Second Team. The 2021 Dr. Keebler Offensive MVP goes to Christian Coudriet.”

Next was the presentation of the Dr. Black Most Valuable Defense Award.

“Dr. Black was an old administrator here at the school many years ago and was instrumental as one of the founding fathers of the Quarterback Club. There’s a plaque out in the hall between the two main halls that tells about some of Dr. Black’s accomplishments,” McMackin said. “This year’s winner has a list of accomplishments as well. A team leader by position, and a team leader in tackles week to week, recording the lead in interceptions and a fumble recovery too. The 2021 Dr. Black Defensive MVP is Conner Straub.”

The fourth award to be announced was the Jerry Sain Oil Can Award.

“Jerry was a threesport athlete here in the 1960s. He went on to Vietnam and lost his life serving his country,” McMackin said.

McMackin noted that Sain’s father and brother were also Quarterback Club directors “back in the day.”

“This year’s winner of the Oil Can Award also sacrificed for his team. He played offense, defense, special teams, all while playing with some injuries this season. The unsung hero of the 2021 season, this year’s Jerry Sain Oil Can Award goes to Connor Bullers,” McMackin said.

The final award to be announced was the Dan Conners/Tex Knouse Most Valuable Player.

“Dan Conners graduated here in the 50s and was a member of the Dutch football team that won 33 straight games in three-plus seasons. Dan went on to play college football and then to the AFL/ NFL and the Oakland Raiders. He was named to the Pro Bowl for several seasons and played in Super Bowl I. He was a very small in stature guy for a linebacker at the time. The gold football down by the gymnasium was because Dan played in Super Bowl I,” McMackin said. “Tex Knouse was one of the founding members of this prestigious club in 1954. I’ve been told that there were times when Tex Knouse paid for things for the football team out of his own pocket. This year’s winner played bigger than himself as well, like Dan Conners had done so many years ago. He played offense, defense, and special teams. Any time this kid touched the ball, there was the potential for a touchdown. On defense, it was up to him to make that saving tackle, and he did. It was a pleasure to watch this kid every play, and luckily he has another season for the Dutch as he is a junior. This year’s 2021 Dan Conners/Tex Knouse Team MVP goes to Logan Mosier.”