Chaminade’s Jeremiah Smith earns another prestigious honor at Warren Henry Awards event
Jeremiah Smith might be running out of space in his trophy collection.
On Wednesday night, Chaminade-Madonna’s 5-star wide receiver who is headed to Ohio State, did his best to hold up a heavy and impressive new piece of hardware after he was honored as the South Florida Player of the Year as part of the annual Warren Henry Automotive Group High School Player of the Year Awards.
Smith, who finished his senior season with 90 catches for 1,389 yards and 19 touchdowns and is rated the No. 1 overall prospect in the nation by 247Sports and Rivals, held the 45-pound crystal trophy and smiled as friends, family and teammates watched.
“My arms are shaking right now from carrying this,” Smith joked. “This is going in my parents’ house, but I have to find somewhere to put it.”
Smith, who was one of several athletes and coaches who were honored at the annual event, said the last few weeks have been a relief after going down to the wire in deciding between Miami and Ohio State for his college destination.
“I’ve just been relaxing and focusing on getting bigger, faster and stronger and getting started at Ohio State,” Smith said. “It’s back to square one now.”
Columbus quarterback Alberto Mendoza was honored for his academic achievements when he was named the South Florida Academic Athlete of the Year, which was presented by the Miami Spine Clinic. Mendoza, who led the Explorers to back-to-back state titles over the past two seasons, has maintained a 5.2 GPA. He recently signed with Indiana University.
Miami Norland’s Daryle Heidelburg was honored as the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital South Florida Coach of the Year. Heidelburg guided the Vikings to a 14-1 season and a state runner-up finish in Class 2M.
Two of the most legendary coaches in South Florida history were honored as the event bestowed Warren Auto Hall of Fame Coach honors to former Miami Carol City coach Walt Frazier and former Miami Southridge coach Don Soldinger.
Frazier, who led the Chiefs to three state championships and one state runner-up, amassed 212 wins during his legendary career that spanned from 1983 to 2007 and included stops at Hialeah-Miami Lakes and Miami Northwestern.
Soldinger led Southridge to a pair of state championships in 1991 and 1993 and a No. 1 national ranking in 1994, which included a then-Dade record 29-game winning streak. Soldinger compiled a 104-35 record and led the Spartans to four state finals appearances overall before moving on to coach at the University of Miami.
Miami Beach High, Hurricanes alum and former Baltimore Ravens standout Duane Starks was honored with the TOC South Florida NFL Citizens Award in recognition of his service to the local high school community.
In addition to Smith and Mendoza, 19 more of the top football players in Dade and Broward Counties were honored as part of a TOC Sports Inc. All-South Florida team. Every honoree was recognized on stage and awarded an honorary sportcoat.
Among them were his Chaminade teammates, wide receiver Jojo Trader and safety Zaquan Patterson - both UM signees - as well as quarterback and NC State signee Cedrick Bailey and safety Curtis Janvier, an FAU signee.
Other Hurricanes signees among the group were St. Thomas Aquinas running back Jordan Lyle, safety Ryan Mack and wide receiver Chance Robinson and South Broward running back Chris Wheatley-Humphrey. Aquinas also had linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez, a Missouri signee.
Rounding out the squad were Miami Central offensive lineman Albert Jones, Homestead linebacker Eduardo Nuñez, Coconut Creek cornerback Elijah Cannon (Mississippi State signee), American Heritage safety Xavier Lucas (Wisconsin signee), Norland defensive end Germaine Carter (FIU signee), Norland cornerback Jamari Howard (FSU signee), Norland cornerback Larry Tarver (Nebraska signee), Norland linebacker Anthony Mattison, Columbus wide receiver Jose León (Appalachian State signee) and Homestead quarterback Joshua Townsend.
