St. Thomas Aquinas star linebacker Derek Wingo added another accolade to his growing collection.
The Raiders senior was named Gatorade’s Florida Player of the Year on Friday.
“Wingo is one of those few players who, when you turn on the film, you think, ‘We can’t stop this guy,'” Mandarin High coach Bobby Ramsay said in a statement. “He plays extremely hard, he’s very versatile and he’s a great finisher. He’s an excellent football player.”
Wingo, a first-team All-County selection as a junior, has been the biggest playmaker on a dominant Raiders defense. He is second on the team with 52 tackles and leads St. Thomas with 12 tackles for loss and 14 sacks.
Wingo and the Raiders will play Orlando Edgewater in the Class 7A state title game in Daytona Beach on Dec. 14.
The senior linebacker is rated a four-star prospect in 247Sports’ composite ranking. He is the No. 80 player in the 2020 class and No. 7 outside linebacker, according to the composite rankings. Wingo is committed to the Florida Gators.
Wingo will also play in the All-American Bowl on Jan. 4, 2020.
Wingo is the second St. Thomas player to be named Gatorade’s Florida Player of the Year. The first was Sam Young in 2005.
Wingo is also the seventh Broward County player to win the award since 1985, and the 10th player from Palm Beach and Broward counties combined: Hallandale’s Tyler Huntley (2015), American Heritage’s Sony Michel (2013), Glades Central’s Will Likely (2011), Dwyer’s Matt Elam (2009), Pahokee’s Anquan Boldin (1998), Boyd Anderson’s Martavious Houston (1994), Westminster Academy’s Danney Kannell (1991) and Boyd Anderson’s Richard McKenzie (1988).
