Westminster Academy defensive end Riley Clements was named the Brian Piccolo Award recipient on Thursday.
The annual accolade recognizes senior student-athletes from Broward County schools who have stood out both on the football field and in the classroom. The last Brian Piccolo Award winner for Westminster Academy was former Florida State and NFL quarterback Danny Kanell.
Clements, who was Westminster Academy’s team captain, competed in all 10 games for the Lions this season, racking up 63 total tackles, five tackles for loss, one sack, 11 quarterback hurries, one fumble recovery and two pass deflections. Clements received a Sun Sentinel Broward County 5A-1A honorable mention.
“Riley has been kind of the heart and soul of our program,” Westminster Academy coach Ehren Wallhoff said. “He’s been of those kids that puts the extra time in. He does all the right things off the field. On the field, he’s just a leader… He’s in the weight room. He’s in the classroom. He’s on the field. He’s doing the little things extra — staying after if he needs to work on something. He’s been an intrical part of what we’ve been able to do here.”
As a junior, Clements helped guide the Lions to a 9-2 record, falling short in the playoffs against Moore Haven. He recorded 47 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, one sack and 11 quarterback hurricanes.
Seeing limited action during his sophomore season, Clements appeared in seven contests, compiling six total tackles, one sack and one quarterback hurry.
In the classroom, Clements finished with a 3.55 GPA, an ACT score of 26 as well as 387 1/2 community service hours. Along with playing four years of football, Clements also competed in water polo.
“He works hard for his grades,” Wallhoff said. “He puts the time and effort in to make sure he gets the grades he wants… Like on the field he’s 100% committed. He’s 100% into it.
“The other thing he did which was so amazing to me was he had 387 hours of community service,” Wallhoff continued. “He went on a couple of mission trips and different things of that nature. It just shows what kind of all-around kid he is.”
Clements signed his national letter of intent with the Stetson Hatters.
The award is named for the late Brian Piccolo, who was a standout football player at St. Thomas Aquinas (named Central Catholic when he attended) and Wake Forest before making the NFL with the Chicago Bears. He died from cancer at 26, and his life was the basis for the 1971 TV movie “Brian’s Song.”
