Press Release

DENTON RYAN HIGH SCHOOL QUARTERBACK SPENCER SANDERS NAMED 2017 MR. TEXAS FOOTBALL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, December 18, 2017

HOUSTON – Denton Ryan High School quarterback and future Oklahoma State University Cowboy Spencer Sanders has been named the 2017 Mr. Texas Football winner. Sanders will be honored on field at the Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl on Wednesday, Dec. 27 at NRG Stadium, where the University of Texas Longhorns will take on the University of Missouri Tigers.

Mr. Texas Football presented by Wells Fargo annually recognizes the high school player of the year in the state of Texas. The award, given in collaboration with Dave Campbell’s Texas Football, the leading publication for all things football in Texas, is voted on by fans, players and coaches throughout the state.

Sanders, a 6-2, 190-pound dual-threat quarterback, overcame a knee injury suffered in the state semifinals in 2016 to come back stronger than ever, guiding the Raiders to an undefeated season. A three-year starter, Sanders has thrown for more than 3,600 yards and 50 touchdowns — completing more than 66 percent of his passes — while also running for more than 1,200 yards and 14 scores.

In addition to being named Mr. Texas Football, Sanders was recently named the 2017-18 Gatorade Texas Football Player of the Year and is now a finalist for the national award, which will be announced later this month. Sanders will continue his football career at Oklahoma State, where he committed to as a junior, when he joins the Cowboys next season.

Former winners of the award include 2012 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel (2010 winner, Kerrville Tivy), former Texas Longhorns running back Johnathan Gray (2011 winner, Aledo), Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Jacquizz Rodgers (2007 winner, Lamar Consolidated) and Carolina Panthers quarterback Garrett Gilbert (2008 winner, Lake Travis). Texas A&M freshman wide receiver Roshauud Paul took home the award in 2016.

Fans, coaches and players voted for the state’s player of the week each week during the high school season by going to TexasFootball.com. Each weekly winner was announced online on each of the voting sites and their social media pages. All of the weekly winners were nominated for the Player of the Year award. The Mr. Texas Football Player of the Year is selected at the conclusion of the high school football season, based on votes cast throughout the season as well as editorial staff consideration. The votes were tabulated by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football.

The Academy Sports + Outdoors 2017 Texas Bowl will be played on Wednesday, Dec. 27 at NRG Stadium and will be televised on ESPN at 8 p.m. CT. The game will once again feature a matchup between Big 12 and SEC opponents, with this year’s conference representatives being the University of Texas Longhorns and the University of Missouri Tigers, respectively. Overall, the Texas Bowl has ranked fourth in attendance since 2014, trailing only the Rose, Cotton and Peach Bowls in that time.

For more information on the Mr. Texas Football Award, visit www.academytexasbowl.com or www.texasfootball.com.

About the Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl

The Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl is owned and operated by ESPN Events and managed locally by Lone Star Sports & Entertainment. The Bowl will showcase teams from the Big 12 and the SEC, two of the country’s premier conferences, for the next three years. The Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl has been a tremendous success both on and off the field over the years. The game has ranked fourth in attendance since 2014 behind only the Rose, Cotton and Peach Bowls in that time. In terms of its community impact, the bowl has generated an average of $50 million annually for the Houston economy and through its relationship with DePelchin Children’s Center, its official charitable beneficiary, more than $1.2 million in financial support has been donated to the city’s oldest children’s charity.

About Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.7 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through 8,700 locations, 12,800 ATMs, the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 36 countries to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 266,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 30 on Fortune’s 2015 rankings of America’s largest corporations. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially. Wells Fargo perspectives are also available at Wells Fargo Blogs and Wells Fargo Stories.

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