The awards just keep on flowing for quarterback Anthony Rezac. The most recent being named Gatorade Nebraska Football Player of the Year. Rezac becomes the second football player from Westside to win the award, the last being former quarterback Cole Payton in 2020. The award is handed out to one player from each state for a combination of performance on field and in the classroom.
“It’s really cool, Gatorade Player of the Year Award is super hard to do, with one in each state,” Rezac said. “It’s not just on the field stuff, so winning it is super cool, it shows that my work, not necessarily just on the field, is being recognized and acknowledged.”
The state champion quarterback threw for 2,316 yards and had a school record 30 touchdowns. Rezac also broke the school record with his 73.4% completion percentage. On the ground, he rushed for 905 yards and 15 touchdowns. The Notre Dame commit averaged 9.3 yards per carry leading the Warriors to a 13-0 season. In the state championship Rezac completed 20 passes for 251 yards and a touchdown, while adding two more rushing, leading the Warriors to a 56-0 win.
“I think the biggest part of why my season was successful was my teammates around me, my coaches around me, they really pushed me to be my best and they elevated me and I hope I was able to elevate them as well,” Rezac said. “Just the preparation that was put in. I probably spent the most time preparing for each game this year than any previous year and also summer was probably the toughest summer I’ve had.”
Rezac had a really strong performance on the field, but he also had a really busy life outside of football. He’s a member of the Heartland Family Service Student League and Youth Frontiers Respect Leader, where he provides experiences that help inspire others. He also volunteered time to Wetside’s Special Olympics association. Rezac did everything on and off the field, while maintaining a 3.89 GPA.
“It’s figuring out what’s best for you time management wise,” Rezac said. “I try to get all my homework done in my open mods at school and once I’m done with practice I need to go home, eat dinner and get to sleep. So it’s just figuring out what works best for you as an individual and tweaking things.”
Rezac had won many awards for his talent and performance on and off the field. The Gatorade player of the year award tops his list.
“Definitely number one award,” Rezac said. “Ever since Cole won and he had that banner up in the gym, I always wanted to win it but I wasn’t sure if I ever was going to be able to. So getting that email saying that I won was a pretty cool feeling.”
Rezac is a preferred walk-on University of Notre Dame, where he’ll join his brother in continuing his athletic and academic career.
