561 Defensive Player of the Year: Ta’Naire Locust, DE Cardinal Newman

WEST PALM BEACH, FL.- After recently announcing the 2023-24 561 Offensive Player of the Year, let’s flip the sides of the ball to award our Defensive Player of the Year: Ta’Naire Locust, defensive end from Cardinal Newman.

Locust was a matchup nightmare this season, proving that he’s a player opposing coordinators have to spend all week game planning against. The Newman senior broke out this season, recording:

72 Total Tackles

8 QB Hurries

13.5 Sacks

1 Interception

2 Pass Deflections

@LocustTa He gets through 💪🏾 pic.twitter.com/KpsEgvcU5R
— Tasherria (@Tasherria3) November 8, 2023

This season, Locust anchored down a Newman front seven, constantly finding his way to the quarterback. Ta’Naire’s dominance led the Crusaders to a 9-2 record, taking them to the Region Semifinals.

Congratulations Ta’Naire on an outstanding senior season!