2014 NCHSAA Athlete of the Year Awards

NCHSAA Press Release:

CHAPEL HILL -- Blake Dodge of West Carteret High School and Marquavious Johnson of Knightdale High School have been named winners of the 2014 Athlete of the Year awards by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA).

These are the top athletic awards given by the NCHSAA to honor the most outstanding male and female high school athletes in the state. They were presented at the Dean E, Smith Center on the University of North Carolina campus during the NCHSAA's Annual Meeting on Thursday.

Both of the winners were selected by a special panel that includes media representatives from across the state. They were each presented with the Pat Best Memorial Trophy, named for the former Goldsboro High principal and president of the NCHSAA who died unexpectedly in 1988.

"On behalf of our Board of Directors and the entire membership of the NCHSAA, we congratulate these outstanding student-athletes on their tremendous achievements during their high school careers," said Davis Whitfield, commissioner of the NCHSAA. "Both have extremely impressive credentials which are in the same vein as previous winners of this award, and we certainly wish them well in their future pursuits."

Johnson has been an amazing four-sport athlete, earning 14 varsity letters during his career. In football, he is the two-time Greater Neuse Conference Offensive Player of the Year, leading Knightdale to its best record in school history during his senior season as the Knights went 12-2. He accumulated nearly 2,000 yards in total offense, running for 18 touchdowns and throwing for 11 and also catching three touchdown passes.

In basketball, he averaged five points per game and was Knightdale’s back-up point guard while earning the state championship in indoor track in the 500 meters both this year and last. In fact, he has been a part of seven state championship track teams, indoor and outdoor, and won the individual 400 meters crown outdoors last spring while also participating on the relay team that set a new four by 400 state record. He’s been a key member of five relay teams that have captured state championships and has also been successful competing nationally, considered one of the top prep 400 meter runners in the entire country.
He will be attending East Carolina University on a football scholarship.

Dodge has had a remarkable high school career as a star primarily in track and field and cross country. Amazingly enough, this student-athlete has won 14 different individual state championships and is the three-time Most Valuable Performer in the state 3-A outdoor track and field championships.

She is the current NCHSAA state 3-A record holder in both the 800 and the 1600 meter runs and ran a leg on the record-setting four by 800 meter relay team at West Carteret in last year’s championships. She also holds three state records in indoor track. She has earned all-American honors in both indoor and outdoor track and in addition to all that is a member of the women’s soccer team.

She will attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on a prestigious Morehead-Cain scholarship. Blake is currently fifth in her academic class and is the student body representative on the school’s leadership board.

This is the 29th year in which awards have been given to the top overall male and female athletes.

About 200,000 athletes compete in the NCHSAA's 23-sport program.