Hermitage RB James wins Mark Fischer Player of the Year Award

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - Hermitage senior running back Nigel James won the 2020 Mark L. Fischer Player of the Year Award on Wednesday night. The award show was held virtually and hosted in the NBC12 studio.

The winner is decided primarily by the votes of area head coaches. 26 coaches and four media members made up the panel.

James put together a strong senior year that saw him gain 1,470 rushing yards and score 20 touchdowns, leading the Panthers to a perfect 6-0 record. He took part in the award ceremony at a watch party in the Hermitage High School library with family, coaches, teammates and friends.

“It really means a lot to me,” James said after the ceremony. “It really shows me that my training and all that stuff in the offseason really paid off.”

James beat out Monacan’s Tyler Hensley, Bo Kite of Deep Run and Benedictine’s Jay Woolfolk to win the honor. All four finalists received multiple first-place votes, making for a very competitive battle for the top spot.

Like any good running back, James was quick to credit his offensive line.

“They just hyped me up, of course, when I accepted the award, but the award is most importantly for them, to be honest. Because, without them, I wouldn’t have done what I did this year.”

Hermitage finished the regular season undefeated after winning just five games combined during the previous two campaigns. James hopes pulling in the honor will help the Panthers continue building as a program.

“Hopefully it’s a big turnaround as far as program, and we’re looking forward to it.”

James’s future plans remain up in the air. He has some college visits scheduled in the near future and will be deciding on his next step soon.

The Panther senior joins Hopewell running back TreVeyon Henderson as a winner of the Mark Fischer Player of the Year Award. Henderson won the inaugural honor in December of 2019.

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