Fans made their pick. This is The Fresno Bee preseason Player of the Year
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Clovis RB Maddox Merrill earned 46% of fan votes for preseason player honor
- Merrill opened season with TD and 57 rushing yards in 48-0 Cougars victory
- Fresno State commit credits teammates, eyes championship over individual awards
Clovis High senior running back Maddox Merrill is the fans choice for The Fresno Bee preseason Player of the Year.
“It means a lot, honestly,” the Fresno State commit said. “To know the fans recognize me like that is special, but I also know football is a team game, and I couldn’t be in this position without my teammates and coaches.”
In the vote, Merrill finished with 3,171 votes (46%). Placing second was Nathan Peters of Central Valley Christian, who finished with 2,330 votes (34%).
Other players nominated included Jelani Dippel, Zeb White, Brandon Smith of Central East, Tristan Kircher of Clovis East, Deagan Rose of Clovis, Jordan Crisp of Tulare Union and many more.
Merrill started the season pretty good, finishing with 14 carries for 57 yards and a touchdown in the Cougars’ 48-0 win over Central Valley Christian.
“There are a lot of really good players in the valley,” Merrill said. “To be mentioned like this is an honor. It just motivates me to keep working hard and hopefully prove them right during the season. At the end of the day, the real goal is helping our team win a championship.”
