Hylton High School senior Ricky Slade is going places.
Earlier this year Slade was selected to play in the 2018 Under Armour All-American game, and now Slade has been named the Gatorade Virginia Football Player of the Year.
Read more about Slade in our earlier coverage.
According to a release, Gatorade has been celebrating the nation’s best athletes for 33 years, and this year Slade made the list.
“The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Slade as Virginia’s best high school football player,” stated a release.
Slade is now in the running as a finalist for the Gatorade National Football Player of the Year award, which will be announced in December.
“Slade is a great competitor with a great motor. He’s a real playmaker with the ball in his hands—he can make all 11 defenders miss. He’s strong and he’s one of the fastest players on the field wherever he goes. He’s really fun to watch, but not as much fun to coach against,” stated Forest Park High head coach Daniel Bruton in a release.
More on Slade, from a release:
The 5-foot-9, 185-pound senior running back rushed for 1,978 yards and 30 touchdowns on 179 carries this past season, leading the Bulldogs to a 9-4 record and the Class 6A quarterfinals. Slade also caught 22 passes for 283 yards and five touchdowns. He is an All-State and Washington Post All-Met honoree and has been selected to play in the 2018 Under Armour All-America Game. He is ranked as the nation’s No. 18 recruit in the Class of 2018 by ESPN.
Because he was selected as a Gatorade Player of the Year, Slade will be able to select a youth sports organization that will receive a $1,000 grant as part of the Gatorade “Play it Forward” program, stated a release.
