Valor Christian’s McCaffrey named Gatorade player of the year in Colorado
Valor Christian star Christian McCaffrey has been named the Gatorade football player of the year in Colorado for the second year in a row.
The award, announced Thursday, “recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field,” according to a release.
McCaffrey, a senior, also won Colorado’s Gatorade player of the year award as a junior last season. He is the state’s first two-time winner since former Cherry Creek star Darnell McDonald (1996-97). The award started in 1986.
McCaffrey had 46 total touchdowns this season, the most of any player in the state. Included were 27 rushing scores and 16 receiving scores. He helped the Eagles win a fifth-consecutive championship on Saturday with a 56-16 win over Fairview. In that game, McCaffrey had 221 total yards and four touchdowns.
“Christian’s impact on the field is irreplaceable,” Eaglecrest coach Mike Schmitt said in a release. “We could not tackle or even contain him, and that puts a lot of pressure on your offense knowing that when he gets the ball he can literally score at any moment.”
McCaffrey, the son of former Broncos wide receiver Ed McCaffrey, ends his career with four championships. He had 8,845 all-purpose yards and 141 touchdowns.
McCaffrey is now a finalist for the national Gatorade player of the year award, which will be announced later in December.
