HS FOOTBALL: LFC and WVC players selected as finalists for Pennsylvania Player of Year Award; Call receives invites to showcase games

Several athletes from the Lackawanna Football Conference and District 2 are among the 55 finalists for the Pennsylvania Player of the Year award selected by the Maxwell Football Club.

Abington Heights wide receiver Shawn Theodore, Honesdale running back Mason Avery, Riverside tight end Richie Kostoff, Scranton Prep quarterback Louis Paris and Wyoming Area running back Lidge Kellum were listed among the 55 players who are Mini Max Award winners according to a release Monday night by the Maxwell Football account on X.

The Mini Max Awards are a prestigious honor for high school football players across the Tri-State Region that includes Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. This year is the first year District 2 players were included among the nominees.

Awards are presented at the annual Mini Max Dinner in Philadelphia on Feb. 2 at the Drexelbrook Convention Center in Drexel Hill. The award recognizes outstanding athletic achievement and sportsmanship in high school football.

In addition to the Mini Max Awards, the Maxwell Football Club also chooses the Player of the Year for Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. The event culminates with the Jim Henry Award, which goes to one of the three State Players of the Year.

Call receives invites

Valley View freshman lineman Brody Call received invites to three postseason games.

Call, a 6-0, 230-pound standout for the Cougars, is invited to the Offense-Defense All-American Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Dec. 26-29, the All-American Bowl on Jan. 17-20 in Miami, Florida, and the Polynesian Bowl Combine and Showcase in Las Vegas, Nevada, on March 21-22.

Call started every game for the Cougars and helped lead the team to the District 2 Class 4A championship and an 11-2 record.

Cesare ceremony

The 33rd Fiore Cesare Award and Scholarship ceremony is Friday at 2 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel in Scranton.

Mid Valley running back and defensive back Jakob Lesher, Delaware Valley quarterback and punter Logan Olsommer, Scranton Prep quarterback Louis Paris, Riverside quarterback Chase Taddonio and Western Wayne running back and defensive back Josh Vinton are the five finalists named by the Roy Davis Scranton Chapter of PIAA Football Officials.