When the Palm Beach County Sports Commission hosted its annual Hall of Fame Banquet last month Justin Wake of The King’s Academy was named High School Male Athlete of the Year.
The banquet recognizes excellence in sports throughout Palm Beach County, as well as inducting new members into PBCSC hall of fame. The award Wake won recognizes the male student-athlete who had the biggest impact on Palm Beach County sports throughout every high school and every team in the county. For the second year in a row, TKA found itself the recipient of the award when it was announced that Wake was the winner. He joins TKA graduate Madeline Furtado, who was named the High School Female Athlete of the Year last spring.
Wake’s senior year was nothing short of spectacular in individual achievement and team wins. The Lions’ quarterback led the team to a 14-2 record, it’s third straight South Florida Conference championship, the school’s second-ever FHSAA regional championship and its first ever appearance in the FHSAA state championship game.
Wake threw for almost 2,500 yards, 27 passing touchdowns and rushed in another 10 touchdowns on his way to being named the Florida Dairy Farmer’s Class 3A Player of the Year. He was particularly electric at home in the storied Kahlert Stadium. Wake threw winning touchdown passes on the final play to secure the SFC Championship and FHSAA Regional Championship.
“This is a special award for Justin, his teammates and our school,” TKA head football coach Keith Allen said. “For Justin, it is a great example of his competitive spirit, passion for football and perseverance during his four years here. It is a great honor for his teammates because of the team nature of football and the fact that no player accomplishes things like this on their own.”
TKA Director of Athletics Dr. Chris Hobbs believes that Wake deserved the honor.
“Justin is a case-in-point of what happens when you make an unusual investment of effort and training over the course of four years,” he said. “He was relentless in his drive to get better, and as a result, the game of football gave Justin an unusual return on that investment. It makes it even more special that Justin is humble and loves being with his teammates. It’s hard to quantify how valuable he has been to the entire culture of our athletic department.”
