Simply the best: Oxford’s Prescott Line wins 2011 MetroPCS Mr. Football Award

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

OXFORD — Four months ago, Prescott Line vowed to bring Oxford’s football program back to prominence. The Oxford senior accomplished that and much more during the 2011 season.

Line, a three-sport athlete, was announced as the 2011 recipient of the State Champs / MetroPCS Mr. Football Award, given annually to the state’s top senior.

Line was notified on Tuesday and will be presented with the award at a press conference at 3:50 p.m. Friday at Oxford High school, site of the 52^nd annual Oakland county Wrestling Tournament, where Line is a participant.

TOP BACK: Oxford's Prescott Line was presented with the 2011 Mr.Football award Friday after being the state'smost dominat player. File Photo | Larry McKee, www.lmckeephotography.com

“This is awesome” admitted Line in a phone interview Wednesday night. “I was stunned when they told me. I didn’t even think this would be possible. I was just trying to help our team win football games. Last year we didn’t have a winning record and we had to get Oxford back to being a winning football program and back into the playoffs. Hopefully we got the program back on track.”

Line gained over 102,000 votes online, edging out some of the state’s top senior prospects, including Lowell’s Gabe Dean, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s James Ross and Lansing Catholic’s Cooper Rush on his way to the high honor for prep football players in Michigan, which will be presented by the State Champs High School Sports Show just before the start of the county wrestling meet.

A panel of writers and judges take into account not only online voting results (20 percent), but also performance throughout the season (30 percent), level of competition (20 percent), big-game performance (15 percent), team success (10 percent) and being a highly-recruited athlete (five percent).

Line was all of the above, along with being a state champion wrestler and a member of the track and field team at the school competing in the shot put and discus.

Line is quick to credit his teammates and coaches along the way.

“A lot of the credit goes to my offensive line,” said Line, whose team reached the D-2 postseason for the first time since 2008 and lost in the first round to Rochester Adams. “They were the ones plowing the way. I just did my part. The coaches have all been great. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them and everybody’s support.”

Line helped lead the Wildcats’ football team to a 7-3 record this fall, a runner-up finish in the Oakland Activities Association White Division and a state ranking in the Associated Press Division 2 top-10 polls. His numbers, both offensively and defensively, were undeniable eye-popping for a student-athlete competing at a large school.

Line finished the season with a school and league record 2,454 rushing yards, 37 rushing touchdowns and one two-point conversion as a fullback, with the rushing yards and touchdowns leading the state.

At the linebacker position, the 6-foot-1, 215-pound Line recorded 128 tackles, including 58 solo tackles, 10 tackles for loss, four sacks, four forced fumbles and two interceptions  —  one of which was returned for a touchdown.

He was named to the 2011 Detroit Free Press Football All-State Dream Team and Detroit News All-State Dream Team and was also named to the All-North Oakland Area, All-Oakland County Dream Team and All-OAA White Division squads.

Additionally, Line garnered Associated Press Division 1-2 All-State First Team and Player of the Year honors, and was named to the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association (MHSFCA) All-State First Team.

Line was an individual 215-pound league, county, district, regional and state champion last February and March in wrestling and helped his team to the Division 1 state championship for the first time. He ventured out for the track team and heaved the shot put around 46-feet and the discus close to 130-feet in his first season with the sport.

His wrestling team also won OAA Red Division, district and regional championships and finished second at the county tourney last December.

Line helped the Wildcats finish as the OAA White Division champion last May in track and finish second at the Ortonville Brandon Division 1 regional among numerous top-10 invitational finishes.

The ever-talented Line verbally committed to Southern Methodist University in July for football, where his older brother, Zach Line, a former football and wrestling standout at Oxford, is currently an All-Conference USA standout running back.

Line is also a candidate for the Detroit Athletic Club’s 2011 Michigan High School Athlete of the Year Award.

“He’s one of the best we’ve had here, and we’ve had some good ones,” admitted longtime Oxford coach Bud Rowley. “He’s right up there with them all.”

The honor is just the next in line for the standout Line, who still has big goals for the remainder of the season and gaining some playing time next fall at Southern Methodist.

“It’s been an incredible year,” he said. “Everything that has happened is just awesome. I don’t know how else to explain it.”

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Tags: featured, football, high school football, MetroPCS Mr. Football Award, Oxford Football, prep football, Prescott Line, State Champs

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