Post by DiamondThief on Jul 30, 2023 16:34:10 GMT -8
This is the fifth season we have presented these awards and we do so to honor the top players, Head Coach and Game of the Year in the Indoor Football league. Several nominees are considered and we aim to bring what we feel are the at the top in the respective categories. Our Golden Helmet Awards reflect performances during the regular season and do not include playoff action.
Two years ago, we expanded the Golden Helmet Awards. We present an award to the Most Valuable Player which is symbolic of what a player meant to his team and its season. Our former Offensive Player of the Year Award evolved as well. Given that indoor football is a quarterback-centered league, we decided to split this honor into two forms; Quarterback of the Year and Offensive Specialist of the Year.
Individual performances were abound all season long and in several games in particular. As we put together our 2023 Golden Helmet Awards, five members of the Sports Coast to Coast (SCtoC) staff and one of our members voted in nine categories to determine the top performers of the season. Each category consisted of five finalists. In the event of a tie (we had two), the tiebreaker came down to the votes of the three lead SCtoC staff who cover the IFL to determine a single honoree. Several nominees had noteworthy seasons and moments and should be honored for those. We have attempted to encapsulate both the individual performances and how they came to be honored here on our pages. This season, we have also added a comment from one of our voters in each category.
Click for our 2023 IFL Schedule. Without further ado, the following are the Sports Coast to Coast 2023 Golden Helmet Awards.
Most Valuable Player
(Photo by Matt Hinshaw)
DREW POWELL, QB, ARIZONA RATTLERS
This vote came down to a 4-2 count. Powell gets the nod because of the impact he had for his team down the stretch. He completed 69.5 percent of his passes for 2,048 yards, 43 yards and just four interceptions. He also rushed 86 times for 503 yards and 25 touchdowns, and he put up those numbers in just 12 games. Powell returned from a three-game absence due to injury and led the Rattlers to eight straight wins to earn the top seed in the Western Conference. This is the third win here for Powell, who won last year with the Rattlers and in 2018 with the Iowa Barnstormers. Voter input: "I have my doubts Arizona would have won the number one seed in the West if he hadn't have come back (from injury)." -DKH
Quarterback of the Year
(Photo courtesy Frisco Fighters)
TJ EDWARDS, QB, FRISCO FIGHTERS
Edwards accounted for 75 total touchdowns passing and rushing. He also led the Fighters to the league's best record. Frisco's only losses this season came on the road to playoff teams. Edwards' impact can't be underestimated as he went from sharing quarterbacking duties much of last season to throwing all but one pass for the team this season. In all, he completed 63.1 percent of his throws for 2,286 yards with 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He rushed 161 times for 722 yards (first among quarterbacks in IFL) and 42 touchdowns. Voter input: "This is the year Edwards became a bona fide leader. That showed on the field and in the win column." -ANM
Offensive Specialist of the Year
(Photo by Joe Rondone/azcentral.com)
JUSTIN RANKIN, RB, BAY AREA PANTHERS
You know a player is special when he can win this award two years in a row with two different teams. Rankin claimed this honor last season while with the Frisco Fighters. This year, he went over to the Panthers and helped his new team earn the second seed in the Western Conference. His 36 rushing touchdowns were first among running backs in the league. He rushed 170 times for 738 yards, and caught 24 passes for 250 yards and 3 touchdowns. Rankin complimented quarterback Dalton Sneed to form a formidable one-two offensive punch for Bay Area. Voter input: "Almost any of (the candidates) would have won it, but Rankin gets the nod for the TDs and impact he had in the Panthers' success." -MMM
Defensive Player of the Year
(Photo via Indoor Football League)
JORDAN JONES, LB, TULSA OILERS
There were not a lot of bright spots for the Oilers during their expansion season, but Jones was certainly at the top of that list. Head coach Marvin Jones, prior to the season, called the linebacker "a phenomenal athlete and leader of a team." Jones responded with a league-leading 113 tackles. He added two sacks, three tackles for loss, three interceptions and five pass break ups. Jones' actions and leadership helped the 2-13 Oilers stay within eight points in eight of those 13 losses; not to mention both of those wins. Voter input: "I just couldn't ignore Jones' 113 tackles and the fact he contributed in each of the categories. He also helped the defense keep the Oilers close in several of their games." -MMM
Special Teams Player of the Year
(Photo by Justin Dickinson)
CHARLES HEADEN III, KR/WR, FRISCO FIGHTERS
Headen, just a rookie, was an effective wide receiver for the Fighters this season, but he was even better as a kick returner. The latter statline is enhanced by six kickoff returns for touchdowns which added an element to his team's attack. In an area of football which often gets overlooked, Headen's achievements this season deserve notice as his team entered the playoffs with the top record in the league. Voter input: "Normally, I like to give kickers the spotlight for this award, but I can’t ignore the six kickoff return touchdowns by Fighters WR Charles Headen, along with his virtually half-a-field return average (23.0 per). That’s the sort of continuous boost that just outweighs anything a kicker can provide." -AS
Offensive Rookie of the Year
(Photo via Indoor Football League)
JIMMIE ROBINSON, RB, MASSACHUSETTS PIRATES
Robinson was a strong candidate for our Offensive Specialist of the Year, losing out via tiebreaker to the Panthers' Justin Rankin. He is practically a shoo-in here with his nearly 1,000 rushing yards on the season. Loosely translated from the outdoor to the indoor game, his numbers read like a 1,830-yard NFL-type of season. He gained 915 yards off 161 carries for 28 touchdowns, which was second in the IFL. He also served as a safety valve receiver in the Pirates offense. Robinson was a key reason the Pirates earned their trip to the playoffs. Voter input: "The man was a workhorse for a Pirates team that was seeing a carousel at QB between (Alejandro) Bennifield and (Anthony) Russo. Rankin scored more touchdowns, but his average rushing yards per game (52.7) pales to Robinson (65.4)." -DKH
Defensive Rookie of the Year
(Photo by Blushing Cactus Photography)
KISHAWN WALKER, DB, NORTHERN ARIZONA WRANGLERS
Four players received votes in this category, and Walker emerged with three of our six votes. He was the key cog in a Wranglers' defense which allowed the second-fewest points per game during the season. He had 50.5 tackles, two tackles for loss, six interceptions and nine pass break ups and was always around the ball. His six interceptions were tied for sixth in the league and he led the team in total tackles for much of the season as the Wranglers earned a ticket to the postseason. Voter input: "While Tramond Lofton was busy terrorizing opposing quarterbacks up front, Kishawn Walker provided the coverage in the secondary – half a dozen interceptions, along with over 50 total tackles on the campaign." -AS
Game of the Year
(Photo by Blushing Cactus Photography)
JUNE 3 - WRANGLERS FALL ONE-POINT SHORT TO RATTLERS IN 2OT
The teams came into the game with identical 5-4 overall records and were both .500 in conference play at the time of this game. The Wranglers' Garrett Kettle hit Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman with a six-yard touchdown with 31 seconds remaining in the regulation, then they hooked up again to tie it at 48-48. Both teams scored in overtime, and converted two-point conversions in overtime. Glen Gibbons, Jr. rushed for a 20-yard touchdown to start the second overtime, but Kettle's pass for the two-point conversion failed. Rattlers' quarterback Drew Powell rushed for a one-yard touchdown and Shane McInerny won the game with the extra point. Click for our Recap of the game. Voter input: "It was a one-point game at halftime and a one-point game in double OT ... This had an ending that makes you wonder what would have happened had they gone to 3OT. Instant winner for me." -DKH
Head Coach of the Year
(Photo courtesy Sioux Falls Storm)
KURTISS RIGGS, SIOUX FALLS STORM
A reader of this entry may say this is a sentimental choice since 2023 represents the final season of 20 that Riggs will be on the sideline for the Storm. Perhaps some of that is the case, but the veteran coach took his 4-4 team and led them on an impressive playoff run where they won five of their last seven (and four of their last five) to claim the second seed in the playoffs. Riggs has had a tremendous career in leading the Storm to 11 championships, seven of them in the current IFL. Going out with a solid year is an additional feather in his cap. Voter input: "Riggs did a nice job with an end-of-season run to not only secure a playoff spot, but to earn the second seed. I stuck with Riggs on this one." -HMB
We at SCtoC would like to extend our congratulations to all of our 2023 Golden Helmet Award honorees. We also would like to thank all the players, coaches, and individual team and league staffs for what turned out to be an exceptional and exciting IFL season. Our 2023 IFL Schedule has all the scores from around the league this season, as well as links to the boxscores of all the league's games. Also, on the same page, find our original recaps of the majority of games this season.
Click for our 2022 IFL Golden Helmet Awards.
Click for our 2021 IFL Golden Helmet Awards.
Click for our 2019 IFL Golden Helmet Awards.
Click for our 2018 IFL Golden Helmet Awards.
- ANM
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