DELRAY BEACH – The last few games for Dylan Rizk proved to be a growth spurt like no other.
The sophomore quarterback came into his own starting in Week 6 against Class 2A state champion Champagnat Catholic, when he engineered a second half rally that fell just short in a 33-27 home loss.
Rizk found junior athlete Brandyn Butler for a 20-yard touchdown pass and added a 35-yard rushing score on his own, which contributed to a 20-0 run that made the game ultimately a close one.
“I did pretty well, but not as well as I wanted to,” said Rizk, who has an offer from Kentucky. “We almost came back that game. We just fell one touchdown short.”
Sometimes a player’s best moment can come in a loss. But for Rizk, his level of development will be what sticks out the most.
Speaking of that, Rizk’s best game of the season was when American Heritage took on Lemon Bay in the Class 4A-Region 4 semifinals on Nov. 20, 2020. He carved up the Manta Rays defense that night for 480 passing yards with five touchdown passes and no interceptions, while adding another score on the ground to make it six total in a 49-7 win.
American Heritage head coach Nick Martinez took a look back on how Rizk progressed late in the season.
“He seemed to take a huge step in the last game of the regular season in our win against Cardinal Newman,” Martinez said of Rizk, who had a touchdown pass in the Newman game and took control of the offense from start to finish in a 19-0 road win.
“Then we went into a bye week,” Martinez said. “You can see he was taking his game to another level. He threw for over 900 yards with 9 passing touchdowns, no interceptions, and added a couple rushing touchdowns in the three playoff games we had.”
Speaking of the playoffs, Rizk led his team in a close one against eventual 4A state champion Cardinal. He threw for two first-half touchdowns, including a 70-yarder to senior wideout and FAU commit Brandon Schabert, which gave Heritage a 14-10 lead.
But Rizk’s sophomore year ended when Gibbons scored the game’s final 16 points to get a 26-14 win on Nov. 27, 2020.
“It was definitely hard for the whole team for our season to end,” the 6-foot-2, 185-pound quarterback said. “It was a very good game, but we just couldn’t pull through all the way.”
Still, Martinez loved the fact that Rizk transformed himself from start to finish. This is primarily why the sophomore quarterback beat out fellow nominees Will Prichard (King’s Academy sophomore quarterback), Matthew Wilson (St. John Paul II sophomore running back), and Jeremiah Young (St. Andrew’s senior quarterback) for our 561 Private Offensive Player of the Year honor.
“I’m proud of him,” Martinez said. “I say this because not only does he deserve this recognition based on his film and stats, it’s the work he puts in off the field, in the weight room, in film room, and in the classroom. He’s doing this as a leader of the team, and he’s still a sophomore. He has earned everything he gets.”
PHOTO CREDITS: Keith Forde
