FORT LAUDERDALE — Fort Lauderdale senior Sariyah Lewis knows what it is like to be the lone female football player on the field.
Lewis was among 39 athletes recognized on Thursday night at the 51st annual Brian Piccolo Awards dinner at the War Memorial Auditorium. Lewis was the first female to be recognized in the history of the awards.
“This is really a major milestone for me,” said Lewis, one of four Orange Bowl Committee overall winners, along with Lorenzo Lopez (Cypress Bay), Zachary Moss (Pine Crest) and Johnny Disalvatore III (St. Thomas Aquinas).
“I think it’s so great that I’m able to represent so many females who want to do certain things that they can’t,” Lewis continued. “I just want to show them that anything is possible.”
Lewis, headed to USF, played football at her school for the past three years and competed in track throughout high school. She told the crowd about her early years at age 12 of playing football in the neighborhoods and how some programs wouldn’t let her play, and suggested flag football. She tried that and said she was deemed “a little too aggressive.”
Lewis found a youth program that would allow her to try out, and she recalled hearing parents say things like, “This is a man’s sport, and they don’t take girls.”
“If I am honest, I think they were upset that I tackled their son,” she quipped. Lewis continued to play tackle football, and L’s coach Richard Dunbar allowed her to play for the team despite detractors and doubters. She was a BCAA football All-Star in her senior year.
“I was inspired by Brian Piccolo’s story of perseverance and heart, and I play not just for myself, but for all girls and individuals who are told they don’t belong,” Lewis said. “I think I became a role model for others facing similar barriers.”
The Brian Piccolo Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame program ceremony honored 41 senior football players from Broward County schools for their academic achievements and volunteer work in the community.
Moss, a two-sport star playing football and lacrosse, was unable to attend the ceremony because he was playing in the lacrosse district finals against St. Andrew’s. He is headed to Vanderbilt.
“Although football is and always has been extremely important to my life, the demands of being a student-athlete beyond the field can be extremely overwhelming,” Moss said by phone on Friday morning. “Balancing the academics, extracurriculars, and athletics at a school like Pine Crest is extremely difficult, but I take pride in working hard on and off the field, which makes these experiences even more rewarding.
“For years, I have heard talk about the Piccolo Award and its significance, but I never grasped its true importance,” Moss continued. “After being named an overall winner, however, I’ve gained a deeper appreciation for what the award represents and the honor it carries. I am very thankful to my coaches, teammates, and family who have made the award feel so special.”
Lopez said being a student-athlete at a large school can be grueling, especially when playing two sports — football and basketball.
“It’s actually kind of cool to try and balance everything,” said Lopez, the captain of his football team, who participated in the school’s medicine program. “It’s pretty hard for sure, but you learn the importance of time management and communication. Even though it is demanding, it’s very rewarding.”
Disalvatore won four state championships with the Raiders as its placekicker. He was the first kicker in the history of the FHSAA to be named MVP of the state championship game, as he tied a state record in the state championship with five field goals in a 34-0 win over Lakeland, giving St. Thomas its seventh straight state title and 17th overall.
“Playing at a stadium named after Brian Piccolo and winning four state championships…this means the world to me,” said Disalvatore, who has a football scholarship to Wagner. “Having so many great athletes at the school and to be standing here representing them is amazing. Having to make a pressure kick with the game resting on your shoulders brings pressure, but the classroom is important too, because without that, we’ve got nothing.”
Griffin Cerra, Manager of Business and Finance for the Broward Education Foundation, said not enough credit is given to the students who put in the time and effort as student-athletes. Cerra, whose father, Shawn, is the Director of Athletics for the Foundation and a Coral Springs city commissioner.
“It’s an honor for these athletes to be recognized for what they did in school,” said Griffin Cerra, who put together the event this year. “Not only did they put in the work in their sport, but they also put in the work in the classroom and in the community doing charitable functions.”
Patricia Brown. Director, Athletics & Student Activities for the BCAA agreed: “The athletes are recognized not just for sports but also for their leadership roles within their teams, schools and communities. The event highlights how these football players are redefining and changing the narrative of what it means to be a strong athlete by excelling in both academics and athletics. This is one of my favorite events of the year.”
Other top winners included Archbishop McCarthy’s Robert Kerns (Matthew E. Morrall Offensive Player of the Year); Northeast’s Tyler Beliard (Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital (U18) Sports Medicine Defensive Player of the Year); American Heritage’s Charlie Volpe (Cerra Enterprises Special Teams Player of the Year); Ki-Jana Carter (Distinguished American); former Nova athletic director and baseball coach Pat McQuaid (Contribution to Amateur Athletics), and Greg Walker (Outstanding Football Official).
Florida Atlantic University football coach Zach Kittley was the guest speaker for the event.
Piccolo lost his battle with cancer in 1970 at the age of 26. He played high school football at what became St. Thomas Aquinas (it was known as Central Catholic High School during his time there), college football at Wake Forest University, and in the NFL with the Chicago Bears. The football stadium on the campus at St. Thomas Aquinas is named after him, and he inspired the 1971 movie ‘Brian’s Song.’