Luis Rendon of Cosby High School in Midlothian, Va. has been selected as the 2010-11 Gatorade Virginia Boys Soccer Player of the Year.
The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Rendon as Virginia’s best high school boys soccer player.
Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year award to be announced later this month, Rendon joins an elite alumni association of past state award-winners in 12 sports, including Alexi Lalas (1987-88, Cranbrook HS, Mich.), Derek Jeter (1991-92, Kalamazoo HS, Mich.), Candace Parker (2001-02, Naperville Central HS, Ill.), Tony Meola (1986-87, Kearney HS, N.J.) and Mark Sanchez (2004-05, Mission Viejo HS, Calif.).
Rendon is the first Gatorade Virginia Boys Soccer Player of the Year to be chosen from Cosby High School. The 5-foot-10 junior forward has led the Titans to an 12-0 record. He has scored 16 goals and passed for 12 assists through 11 games and already owns the school record with 38 career goals entering this week’s play. He has also recorded 36 assists in two and a half varsity seasons.
A 2009 U.S. Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program Winter Interregional All-Star and a 2010 Group AAA Second Team All-State selection, Rendon is a member of the U.S. Soccer Federation Under-18 Men’s National Team player pool.
Rendon has maintained a B+ average in the classroom. He has volunteered locally at Richmond’s Lynmore Nursing Home, delivering mail, meals and singing songs for residents. He has also donated his time on behalf of the US Marine Corps Toys for Tots Foundation and US Youth Soccer TOPSoccer, a community-based training and team placement program for young athletes with disabilities.
A member of his school’s Varsity Club, Rendon has also served as a youth soccer coach in association with his FC Richmond club program and on behalf of Non-Stop Soccer camps. A native of Columbia, Rendon arrived in the U.S. at age 9 and earned his American citizenship in February, 2010.
“Luis’ ability to score goals is amazing,” said Dave Amsler, Rendon’s club coach with FC Richmond. “He has a calming effect on the game and his skill level is very high. He’s just not your typical American player. He’s a very elusive player. He just brings something totally different to the game.”
Rendon has verbally committed to play soccer on an athletic scholarship at Duke University beginning in the fall of 2012.
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by ESPN RISE and the Gatorade high school sports leadership team, which work with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.
Rendon joins recent Gatorade Virginia Boys Soccer Players of the Year Ryan Zinkhan (2009-10, Riverbend), Will Bates (2008-09, Thomas Dale), and Christian McLaughlin (2007-08, Herndon) among the state’s list of former award winners. Earlier this year, Gonzaga's Joey Wilkins and DeMatha's Cody Albrecht won the awards for D.C. and Maryland, respectively.
