All-Tidewater Player of the Year

It was hardly the kind of game that foreshadowed greatness.
 
Nine carries for 37 yards.
 
It was, however, the first step in a remarkable high school football career.
 
A week after his first start in August of 2004, Salem High running back Kevin Whaley rushed for 178 yards and a touchdown, and he has rarely stopped since.
 
Four years later, Whaley is the most prolific running back in South Hampton Roads history. During the regular season, Whaley gained 5,420 yards over four seasons to break the area rushing record.
 
Whaley’s senior season was typical: 1,661 yards on 214 carries and 25 total touchdowns in 13 games. He was – again – the SunDevils’ go-to guy on offense and guided them to a 10-0 regular season.
 
There were outstanding candidates – Great Bridge QB Casey Turner, Ocean Lakes QB Marcus Davis, Oscar Smith WR/DB Todd Harrelson and Bayside QB E.J. Manuel to name a few. But Whaley was the clear winner of the Abe Goldblatt All-Tidewater Player of the Year in voting by The Virginian-Pilot’s high school staff.
 
For a full story on Whaley, and a look at the All-Tidewater first and second teams check out Thursday’s Pilot.
 
All-Tidewater POY by the numbers
 
3 – The number of repeat winners since 1989: Whaley, Landstown’s Percy Harvin and Wilson’s Aaron Sparrow
 
11 – Winners from the Beach schools in the past 20 years
 
4 – Winners from Chesapeake schools in the past 20 years
 
3 – Winners from Portsmouth schools in the past 20 years
 
2 – Winners from Norfolk schools in the past 20 years
 
1 - Current NFL players who have won the award (Atlanta’s DeAngelo Hall)
 
 
 
 

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