A dedicated ESPNHS POY team managed the Gatorade State Football Player of the Year selection process, resulting in this winner based on the awards program's three pillars: athletic production and impact in the 2011 season, high academic achievement and exemplary personal character. For his 50 fellow Gatorade State Football Player of the Year winners, click here.
THE WINNER: Max Browne
THE BASICS: Anatomy of a POY
School: Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.)
Grade: Junior
Position: Quarterback
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 210 pounds
THE PILLARS: Gatorade criteria
Athletic achievement: Browne has led the Spartans to a 10-3 record and a berth in the Class 4A state final against Skyview (Vancouver, Wash.), scheduled for Dec. 3. He passed for 3,813 yards and 43 touchdowns through 13 games, completing 273-of-389 attempts while throwing just five interceptions. A 2010 First Team All-State selection, Browne has connected on better than 70 percent of his passes this season and has thrown for more than 200 yards in 12 games in 2011.
Academic excellence: Browne has maintained a 3.55 GPA in the classroom.
Exemplary character: Browne has volunteered locally on behalf of multiple community service initiatives in association with his church youth group and as a football and basketball camp counselor and referee.
THE PRAISE: Steve Valach, head coach of rival Liberty (Renton, Wash.)
“Max Browne is incredibly poised and efficient, he makes great decisions and is a winner. In two years, he has thrown about four incompletions against us. His fundamentals are impeccable and he makes the most of his ability.”
THE FUTURE: Collegiate destination
Browne will begin his senior year of high school next fall.
