It is with great honor that the staff of NCPreps.com announce the winner of the 2016 Arnold R. Solomon Award for the North Carolina High School Football Player of the Year to quarterback Hendon Hooker of Dudley High School.

Hooker a 6-5 200-pound senior has been an outstanding student-athlete for the Panthers as he led the team to a 15-1 record and a 4A state championship. This year, he finished the season by completing 137 passes out of 221 attempts for 2,652 yards with 28 touchdowns and rushing 147 times for 1,236 yards with 27 touchdowns.

He is a 3-star recruit from Rivals.com and has decided to attend Virginia Tech on a football scholarship.

"Hendon Hooker has achieved a lot of success during his career at Dudley as being a dual-sport athlete. He had an outstanding senior season on the gridiron by leading his team to a state championship. We are honored to select a very deserving student-athlete like Hendon for this award and wish him nothing but the best in future endeavors," stated Deana King, Publisher of NCPreps.com.

The Arnold R. Solomon Award was started in 2010 in honor of Mr. Solomon, who was the founder of NCPreps.com and North Carolina Prep Football News, Inc. Solomon, who resides in Kannapolis is a long-time high school sports historian and was known state-wide for his Fearless Freddie Farkel football predictions. He also started the North Carolina Prep Football News Yearbook, which is one of the best sources of NC high school information around.

"Arnold retired back in 2009 and I wanted to do something to honor him for all his work dealing with the student-athletes. This was a no-brainer to name the award after him,"said King.

ARNOLD R. SOLOMON WINNERS:

2010 - QB Marquise Williams - Mallard Creek

2011 - RB Todd Gurley - Tarboro

2012 - RB T.J. Logan - Northern Guilford

2013 - RB Elijah Hood - Charlotte Catholic

2014 - QB Chazz Surratt - East Lincoln

2015 - QB Chazz Surratt - East Lincoln

2016 - QB Hendon Hooker - Dudley