MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2017 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Frazier, Barnett, Dearing, Jackson (32nd), Simmons (12th), Watson, Witherspoon
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING THE OUTSTANDING ATHLETIC EXCELLENCE OF CLINTON HIGH SCHOOL STAR QUARTERBACK CAM AKERS AND CONGRATULATING HIM FOR HIS RECORD-SETTING 2016 SEASON AND AS "2016 GATORADE MISSISSIPPI PLAYER OF THE YEAR."
WHEREAS, Clinton standout Cam Akers was announced on December 12, 2016, by USA TODAY as the Gatorade Player of the Year for Mississippi. The five-star running back prospect, who led the Arrows to the 6A State Championship while playing quarterback, had 3,128 passing yards and 31 touchdowns with 2,105 rushing yards and 34 rushing touchdowns. Akers, a Dandy Dozen Honoree, is rated by the 247Sports Composite as the No. 1 player in Mississippi and No. 4 overall player in the country. He was one of six finalists for the 2017 U.S. Army Player of the Year Award and also captured the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) 6A Mr. Football Award. Akers is the second Gatorade Mississippi Football Player of the Year to be chosen from Clinton High School; and
WHEREAS, it did not take long for many to realize what kind of season this would be for Clinton Senior Cam Akers. On only the second play from scrimmage for the Arrows, Akers burst up the middle, untouched for a 70-yard touchdown run on opening night of the season. Clinton beat South Panola on a Thursday night 38-26 behind Akers' five touchdowns; and
WHEREAS, the 5-foot-11, 212-pound senior quarterback led the Arrows to a 14-1 record and the Class 6A State Championship this past season. In the State Title Game, Akers contributed 445 yards of offense and seven touchdowns in the 49-35 win over Pearl. A United States Army All-American and a Finalist for the Maxwell Football Club's National High School Player of the Year Award, he concluded his prep football career with 13,205 yards of total offense and 149 touchdowns. Akers has maintained a B average in the classroom. He has volunteered locally as a mentor to elementary school students as a Youth Football Coach; and
WHEREAS, 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 Akers as Mississippi's best high school football player. Akers joins an elite alumni association of state award winners in 12 sports. The Gatorade Player of the Year Program annually recognizes one winner in each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. As a Gatorade Player of the Year, Akers will be able to select a national or local youth sports organization to receive a grant; and
WHEREAS, in the Class 6A Championship it almost had to be seen to be believed, if you were one of the thousands there to witness it. Akers had one touchdown run, from 36 yards out in the second quarter, that took advantage of four separate Pirate defenders. "Cam Akers is the best player in the State of Mississippi, probably history," Pearl Coach John Perry said; and
WHEREAS, Cam is special; he is a winner who is poised in crunch time. His stats speak for themselves, but his intangibles are just as good. He always finds a way to prevail; and it is with great pride that we join the athletic community in Mississippi in commending the high school career of a young student athlete who has brought honor to his school, his family, his community, and to the State of Mississippi:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby recognize the outstanding athletic excellence of Clinton High School Star Quarterback Cam Akers, and congratulating him for his record-setting 2016 season, and as "2016 Gatorade Mississippi Player of the Year," and extend to Cam, his family, his coaches, and his team members our best wishes as he enters the next step in his athletic career.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to Cam Akers and his family, forwarded to Clinton High School Coach Judd Boswell, and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.