Two area high school football stars are being recognized for both their athletic abilities and their academic success.
Ed Berncich, a sophomore at Petaluma High School, and Jack Davis, a senior at St. Vincent High School, were among the approximately two dozen Northern California football players who received scholar athlete awards from the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame in January. The players formally accepted their trophies earlier this month at a dinner in Redwood City.
“It’s a really great honor to be able to be acknowledged for (academics) and for my skills in playing football,” Berncich said in a statement.
The Northern California Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame picked scholar-athletes from 12 Northern California counties through committees of educators, high school sports officials, and sportswriters, according to the organization’s website.
The prize includes a $1,000 scholarship to a school of the players’ choice.
Last season, Berncich, a Trojan defensive lineman, led the Vine Valley Athletic League with 12.5 sacks and finished second with 85 tackles.
“It was very exciting seeing Ed receive the award,” said Petaluma head football coach Rick Krist. “Ed was very deserving in an incredible year and was a huge impact on our success.”
Krist said that Berncich was “one of the best players” he’d coached in 35 years, and that it’s bittersweet to see him leave the squad.
“It is always tough losing an athlete like Ed, because he gave so much of himself on both sides of the ball, and on every special team,” she said. “But he was a good role model for our younger players, which gave them things to strive for.”
Berncich, who is also a member of Petaluma’s wrestling team, has successfully balanced various sports with his academics, earning a 3.38 GPA and a 4.57 weighted GPA as a result of advanced classes at Santa Rosa Junior College. He has also been an active member of Petaluma’s Future Farmers of America for all four years of high school, and he has participated in 4-H since he was seven.
“My life is pretty full, and I love it,” Berncich stated.
Davis, the Mustangs’ defensive back and wide receiver, led the North Bay League-Redwood and the North Coast Section Division 6 in receiving yards this season with 1,207. Davis also led the league and the NCS with 182 total points scored and 29 touchdowns.
Trent Herzog, St. Vincent’s head football coach, expressed his thoughts on Davis getting the award and his services to the team.
“I was super excited for Jack to receive this award,” Herzog said in a statement. This honor recognizes just one skill position player and one lineman from Sonoma County. It is a tremendous honor for Jack and our team that he was chosen.”
Herzog continued, “Losing Jack would be extremely difficult for our squad to overcome; Jack was an excellent player and leader for us. You can’t truly replace a player of his magnitude.”
Davis, who also plays basketball and baseball, had a 3.76 grade point average and a weighted GPA of 4.05.