Football

Athlete of the Year - Kwity Paye, Hendricken

Posted 6/28/16

There wasn’t a football player in the state this year as dominant as Bishop Hendricken’s Kwity Paye. 

The junior defensive end/fullback was unstoppable on both sides of the ball …

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Football

Athlete of the Year - Kwity Paye, Hendricken

Posted

There wasn’t a football player in the state this year as dominant as Bishop Hendricken’s Kwity Paye. 

The junior defensive end/fullback was unstoppable on both sides of the ball for the state champion Hawks, causing fits for opposing offenses and defenses. 

Paye was second on the team in rushing touchdowns with eight and also led Hendricken in sacks with 5.5. Additionally, he registered 68 tackles and five tackles for loss. 

The bad news for the rest of the state is that Paye will be back in green and gold this fall, and he’s only going to get better. 

“He had a really impressive year, and he’s just scratching the surface as to what his potential is,” Hendricken head coach Keith Croft said. “He’s been busy this summer working hard in the weight room. He’s ready to get back into it.” 

Croft noted that Paye is a rare talent for the area. He verbally committed to Boston College following last season, but has been recruited by some high-end BCS schools on his recruitment journey. 

“It’s been a good 10 years since we’ve seen a high D-I recruit like Kwity,” Croft said. “To have a kid getting recruited by some of these schools, it’s been a crazy experience for everyone. I don’t know when we’ll see a player like him again.” 

But every football player can work on something. For Paye, it’s consistency on defense. 

“He’s playing d-line, carrying the ball on offense, so it’s definitely a lot,” Croft said. “With that being said, I’d say that he can be more consistent in the pass rush, he shows flashes. But he’s getting bigger, stronger and he’s hitting the weight room hard this summer.” 

Hendricken will return as the heavy favorite in Division I this fall, and Paye is a big reason why. He’ll be joined by quarterback Chris Hindle and running back Matt DiTondo on offense and linebacker Sam Hill and defensive backs Andrew Hopgood and Anthony Witherstone on defense. 

But there’s no question that opposing teams will concoct their game plans around Kwity Paye. 

For Croft, having a player of Paye’s caliber is definitely a luxury. 

“It’s huge,” Croft said of having Paye back for this fall. “You don’t get an opportunity like that as a coach often.” 

-M.M.

HONORABLE MENTION

Aidan Corcoran, BH

Caleb Wurster, BH

Jake Isaac, WV

Jamal Martey, Pilgrim

Austin Giard, TG

Alex Mowry, TG

COACH OF THE YEAR

Keith Croft, Hendricken

ALL CITY TEAM

Chris Hindle, BH, QB

Jake Derderian, BH, RB

Owen Kelly, Pilgrim, RB

Matt DiTondo, BH, RB

Billy Mueller, BH, WR

Dante Baldelli, BH, WR

Trevor Lawton, BH, TE

David Mariano, BH, OL

Corey Gardner, BH, OL

Michael Charnley, BH, OL

David DeCesare, BH, OL

Garet Sylvestre, Pilgrim, OL

Jimmie Sauro, BH, DL

Peter Johnston, Pilgrim, DL

Shane Olson, BH, LB

Darren Grant, Pilgrim, LB

Sam Hill, BH, LB

Jake Stachurski, TG, LB

Andrew Hopgood, BH, DB

Anthony Witherstone, BH, DB

David McMullen, Pilgrim, DB

Ryan Blais, BH, K

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