Niceville's Josh McDorman is Daily News' male Athlete of the Year

By ADAM PRUIETT

adamp@nwfdailynews.com

Niceville's Josh McDorman is the quiet, unassuming type. Loud and boastful he is not.

Contrary to his personality, though, nothing McDorman did on the field this season - whether it was football or baseball - was subtle. In both sports, the Eagles' senior was a proverbial home-run threat, known for launching deep passes on the gridiron and blasting majestic homers on the diamond.

In the fall, McDorman was chosen as the Daily News big school Football Player of the Year after shattering several school records at quarterback. This spring, he would have been selected as the big school Baseball Player of the Year after posting mammoth offensive numbers and solid pitching numbers if not for teammate and star pitcher Brett DeVall, the Atlanta Braves' first-round draft pick.

For his ability to play at or near the pinnacle of area excellence in both sports, McDorman is the boys All Sports Association/Daily News Male Athlete of the Year.

"Expectations are always high," McDorman said. "I expected to do well - maybe not as well as I did - but I felt pretty good about working out during the summer and both offseasons getting prepared. So, I felt pretty good going into both seasons."

McDorman was at least a modest surprise during football season after having an unremarkable junior year when the Eagles used a run-dominated offense. This go-around, though, Niceville switched to a spread attack, which immediately thrust McDorman into centerpiece status.

McDorman thrived in the pass-heavy system, setting school records for passing yards in a season with 1,962 and in one game with 274 while also firing 18 touchdowns and averaging a robust 16.1 yards per completion. Throw in his 445 rushing yards - which yielded another seven touchdowns - and he became Niceville's all-time leader in all-purpose yards with 2,407.

"I think he was a great leader by example," Niceville football coach and Athletic Director John Hicks said. "I think his ability to handle pressure is what made him a special player. I never saw a time when he wasn't composed. At all times, he was poised, no matter the situation. I thought he was at his best in the bigger games."

As good a football player as McDorman was, he probably trumped himself on the baseball field.

McDorman was the most dangerous hitter on a Niceville squad that reached the final four for the first time since 1989, batting a sizzling .430 while slamming eight homers and collecting 35 RBIs, 27 runs and 11 doubles. He also made key contributions on the mound, going 5-1 with a 3.50 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 26 innings.

Taken as a whole, "That's a heck of a year," Hicks said.

As much as anything, McDorman, headed to Pensacola Junior College for baseball, will remember his teams' successes this year. Along with the aforementioned trip to state for baseball, Niceville's football team went 8-3, won its fifth straight District 1-5A title and notched the area's lone playoff victory.

"Making it a game further than we did the year before in football and making it to the final four in baseball were both great experiences for me," McDorman said.