#7
Awards season is rapidly approaching, and I think that 3 of my fellow Sarasota Sailfish deserve to be recognized when the time comes.
First, and perhaps most obviously, Rayne Gordon should at least get the nomination for Wide Receiver of the Year. He finished his season with 3rd best total yards (1282), 2nd best average (17.6), and the 2nd most receiving TDs (11). As the best receiver on the expansion franchise, Gordon put up big numbers last year, but only improved in the offseason, jumping not only to within the top 10, but the top 2 receivers in the league, a feat that deserves, nay, demands recognition.
In my eyes, James Angler is an easy Offensive Rookie of the Year nominee, if not winner. As the top receiving rookie in the league, he was able to break 900 receiving yards and scored 3 touchdowns. On top of this, he was the most targeted receiver in the receiver-heavy Sailfish offense. Though he may not have had the most scoring opportunities, Angler was always the option who could keep the drive moving. Competing with Rayne Gordon is not an easy task. Keeping up with him is another matter entirely, and Angler managed to do so. On top of his receiving stats, he put up 12 pancakes and only 1 sack allowed; pretty impressive for the most worked receiver on the team.
The other Sailfish I think deserves some awards contention is Dexter Banks II. Making the switch from wideout to starting quarterback was a big ask, and he brought a big answer. I think Banks should at least be nominated for Breakout Player of the Year. Not only was he able to hold the Sailfish together for a .500 record, he excelled where few expected him to. He was able to out-pass Stan Francisco, Chika Fujiwara, and Corvo Havran, and was only 40 yards behind 2x QBotY Franklin Armstrong. Banks managed to land in the top half of the QB field in only 1 season, coming off a position switch instead of a call up. Granted, I don’t know what the historical expectations or precedences are for this situation, but I think that he succeeded when it was unlikely.
These 3 are not only the top producers of the team, they are what anchor the team and will lead it to playoff runs in the future. Setting a brand new team on this path is easier said than done, but these players have set us up for success and their efforts should be rewarded.
#24
I may not have been around long, but I’ve been around long enough to recognize a major change when I see it. I joined the now-ISFL towards the end of S21, and like an idiot joined as a S22 rookie, thus placing me immediately on waivers, where the Buccaneers scooped me up. But that entered me into the ISFL Draft, where I was selected by the Sarasota Sailfish. That S22 expansion was huge for the league, at least in my eyes. Firstly, the draft class was incredible, with more than 250 new players. Also that season, the Sailfish made the playoffs. In their first season as a team. I think that is remarkable. The S22 expansion and Draft were, I think, a turning point for the league. Not only did it show how much the league could grow, but it also showed that there is more than enough talent to go around. An expansion team made up of redistributed players made it farther than they should have, to be honest. And with more people joining the league each season, new expansions are bound to come. But I don’t think that they’ll match the incredible circumstances that the S22 expansion did. I don’t think they’ll even come close.
#25
In the S22 ISFL (at the time NSFL) Draft, I was an 11th round pick for the Sailfish. But the man drafted before me, in the 10th round, has had much more success than his draft pick (#115) would ever have suggested. Kevin Fakon, in his first DSFL season, rushed for 1042 yards and 9 TDs. In his second, 972 and 5, respectively. And that was as a secondary rusher behind Andrew Nova. This season, with the Kansas City Coyotes in the Ultimini, Kevin Fakon led his team in rushing for the first time with career-bests of 1159 yards (#5) and 11 TDs (#1). Now a rushing leader for the DSFL, Fakon was undervalued as a draftee due to his workload being cut down. But, as he opted for a 3rd and final DSFL season, he was granted the opportunity to shine, and it looks likely that he may lead KC to an Ultimini victory. He very well might win himself some awards as well. And to think that the ISFL waited 10 rounds on him. I think that he’ll find more success once he comes up to the big leagues, and I can’t wait until he hits the field with us in the green and blue next season.
Awards season is rapidly approaching, and I think that 3 of my fellow Sarasota Sailfish deserve to be recognized when the time comes.
First, and perhaps most obviously, Rayne Gordon should at least get the nomination for Wide Receiver of the Year. He finished his season with 3rd best total yards (1282), 2nd best average (17.6), and the 2nd most receiving TDs (11). As the best receiver on the expansion franchise, Gordon put up big numbers last year, but only improved in the offseason, jumping not only to within the top 10, but the top 2 receivers in the league, a feat that deserves, nay, demands recognition.
In my eyes, James Angler is an easy Offensive Rookie of the Year nominee, if not winner. As the top receiving rookie in the league, he was able to break 900 receiving yards and scored 3 touchdowns. On top of this, he was the most targeted receiver in the receiver-heavy Sailfish offense. Though he may not have had the most scoring opportunities, Angler was always the option who could keep the drive moving. Competing with Rayne Gordon is not an easy task. Keeping up with him is another matter entirely, and Angler managed to do so. On top of his receiving stats, he put up 12 pancakes and only 1 sack allowed; pretty impressive for the most worked receiver on the team.
The other Sailfish I think deserves some awards contention is Dexter Banks II. Making the switch from wideout to starting quarterback was a big ask, and he brought a big answer. I think Banks should at least be nominated for Breakout Player of the Year. Not only was he able to hold the Sailfish together for a .500 record, he excelled where few expected him to. He was able to out-pass Stan Francisco, Chika Fujiwara, and Corvo Havran, and was only 40 yards behind 2x QBotY Franklin Armstrong. Banks managed to land in the top half of the QB field in only 1 season, coming off a position switch instead of a call up. Granted, I don’t know what the historical expectations or precedences are for this situation, but I think that he succeeded when it was unlikely.
These 3 are not only the top producers of the team, they are what anchor the team and will lead it to playoff runs in the future. Setting a brand new team on this path is easier said than done, but these players have set us up for success and their efforts should be rewarded.
#24
I may not have been around long, but I’ve been around long enough to recognize a major change when I see it. I joined the now-ISFL towards the end of S21, and like an idiot joined as a S22 rookie, thus placing me immediately on waivers, where the Buccaneers scooped me up. But that entered me into the ISFL Draft, where I was selected by the Sarasota Sailfish. That S22 expansion was huge for the league, at least in my eyes. Firstly, the draft class was incredible, with more than 250 new players. Also that season, the Sailfish made the playoffs. In their first season as a team. I think that is remarkable. The S22 expansion and Draft were, I think, a turning point for the league. Not only did it show how much the league could grow, but it also showed that there is more than enough talent to go around. An expansion team made up of redistributed players made it farther than they should have, to be honest. And with more people joining the league each season, new expansions are bound to come. But I don’t think that they’ll match the incredible circumstances that the S22 expansion did. I don’t think they’ll even come close.
#25
In the S22 ISFL (at the time NSFL) Draft, I was an 11th round pick for the Sailfish. But the man drafted before me, in the 10th round, has had much more success than his draft pick (#115) would ever have suggested. Kevin Fakon, in his first DSFL season, rushed for 1042 yards and 9 TDs. In his second, 972 and 5, respectively. And that was as a secondary rusher behind Andrew Nova. This season, with the Kansas City Coyotes in the Ultimini, Kevin Fakon led his team in rushing for the first time with career-bests of 1159 yards (#5) and 11 TDs (#1). Now a rushing leader for the DSFL, Fakon was undervalued as a draftee due to his workload being cut down. But, as he opted for a 3rd and final DSFL season, he was granted the opportunity to shine, and it looks likely that he may lead KC to an Ultimini victory. He very well might win himself some awards as well. And to think that the ISFL waited 10 rounds on him. I think that he’ll find more success once he comes up to the big leagues, and I can’t wait until he hits the field with us in the green and blue next season.