Inlet Grove’s Michael Alford, also known as “Mike,” has been acknowledged as one of ESPN’s Top 63 senior football players in the district.

Mike and other athletes were honored during an awards banquet Aug. 18 at the Palm Beach Orthopedic Institute in Palm Beach Gardens.

“ESPN Top 63 is for seniors only and it’s for all the schools in the surrounding district,” said Coach McKay. “A coach will submit a list of players they think deserve to be there and have put forth that effort. Ergo why I chose him.”

Michael said, “I was initially not surprised because the day I was supposed to get it I didn’t come to practice. So that following Friday the representatives came and it was like an ‘I can’t believe this is happening!’ moment. I also feel this just proves I’m very good at what I do and there is still more to be done.”

Attending the honors ceremony along with him were “my stepfather, Coach Fritz who is my strength and conditioning coach, and also my defensive coordinator Coach James Henry,” he said. “It gave me some really good insight on the recruiting process and what to expect on life as a college student athlete.”

He already was a captain on Inlet Grove’s football team. Now Michael is the first player in Inlet’s athletic history recognized as one of the Top 63 players throughout the district.

“Inlet’s kind’ve been behind the scenes,” Coach McKay said. “One really doesn’t know about our football program. Now our kids know that’s something they can work towards. It’ll also help the program head in the right direction.”

Michael added, “I absolutely plan on playing football in college. I actually picked up my first offer to play football at Graceland University in Iowa. I will be continuing my career in college and will be signing with whichever college I feel fits best for me and my future.”