Five players standing in smoke with the words "Player of the Year" written behind them. From left to right: Holden Dailey, Jason Munyan, Will Futhey, Levi Gullion, Carsyn Crouch.

Taking a closer look at the 2021 finalists for Gridiron Glory Player of the Year

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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — Twelve players made the initial watchlist for the annual Gridiron Glory Player of the Year award. The list has been cut to just five outstanding high school football players from our region.

Now, it’s the fans’ turn to make their voices heard.

Go to woub.org/gridiron to vote for the athlete you believe should be awarded Player of the Year. Fans have until Monday, November 15th at 6 p.m. EST to cast their ballot.

Want more information before casting your vote? Below are the stats and storylines of each athlete’s 2021 season. 

 Carsyn Crouch | Granville QB

Carsyn Crouch led the Blue Aces to their first unbeaten season since 1998. He made things happen with his arm and his legs, throwing for 16 touchdowns and rushing for another six in the regular season. Crouch threw for over 1,500 passing yards and ran for 300 more. His efforts helped his team become the No. 1 seed in Division III Region 11.

Unfortunately, Crouch suffered an injury against Bishop Watterson in the Blue Aces’ first playoff game and is out for the rest of the season. Despite the injury, Crouch was one of the most impactful players in the 740 this season.

Holden Dailey | Waterford RB

Holden Dailey led the Wildcats to a playoff victory for a fourth straight season.

Dailey did it all for the Wildcats on both sides of the ball, running for 22 touchdowns and catching three more. He also had 1,945 offensive yards from scrimmage, and on defense, he made 105 tackles on the season.

Will Futhey | Waverly WR

Last year, Will Futhey had a monster Junior season with QB Haydn’ Shanks throwing it all over the field to him. For Futhey’s Senior season, his twin brother Wade took over under center for the Tigers. Will and fellow WR Penn Morrison allowed Wade to break single season passing records and help the Tigers form the most explosive passing offense in southeast Ohio.

Despite facing double teams from defenses all season long, Futhey still produced 711 receiving yards on 52 catches, averaging 13.7 yards per catch. On the defensive end, Futhey had 11 tackles for loss from the defensive end position.

Levi Gullion | Piketon QB

Levi Gullion put up video game numbers for Piketon this season, throwing for 3,075 yards and 31 touchdowns through the air. He also ran for 1,023 yards and 21 touchdowns.

With individual success came team success for Piketon, who won their first Scioto Valley Conference title this century, and went unbeaten in the regular season for the first time in over 50 years.

Gullion led his team to a victory in Piketon’s first ever home playoff game and had over 400 total yards and three touchdowns in Piketon’s heartbreaking playoff loss to Columbus Academy in the regional quarterfinals.

Jason Munyan | Sheridan RB

Jason Munyan broke almost every rushing record for the Generals in his career. He ran for almost 4,000 yards and 52 touchdowns during his time with Sheridan.

During his senior season, Munyan ran for over 1,600 yards and 25 touchdowns on over 8 yards per carry.

The Generals lost a majority of their production from their 2020 MVL championship roster, however Munyan helped Sheridan win eight games and pushed Columbus DeSales in the first round of the playoffs, eventually losing 21-14.