Three accomplished members of the Yorktown High School football program will be celebrated at an awards banquet this weekend.
Current Yorktown head coach Alec Hicks will be honored as the Liberty District’s 2025 Coach of the Year during the relaunched Northern Virginia Football Hall of Fame. In addition, Yorktown senior Bobby Shea will be recognized as the Liberty District’s Defensive Player of the Year.
The event was not held last year to be reorganized. With a new setup, the 2026 banquet is being held for the 34th time. It will take place Sunday, March 8 starting at 12:30 p.m. at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner.
High-school football players, coaches, officials and training staffs will be honored for accomplishments during the 2025 season. In addition, two standouts will be inducted into the organization’s Hall of Fame, and service awards and $2,500 college scholarships will be presented.
One of the Hall of Fame inductees will be former Yorktown star and current NFL player M.J. Stewart. The other will be former Westfield High football coach Kyle Simmons.
“We will honor the outstanding players, coaches, volunteers, and we will induct two very special individuals who have made an indelible mark by significantly contributing to the success of football in Northern Virginia,” said longtime organization president Mark Meana.
Stewart, 30, is a current member of the NFL’s Houston Texans as a defensive back and special-teams standout. The 2025-26 season was Stewart’s eighth in the NFL.
Stewart played college football at the University of North Carolina. He was selected by Tampa Bay in the second round of the 2018 NFL draft. After playing there, he moved on to the Cleveland Browns, then the Texans.
When Stewart played for Yorktown, he was a standout running back, defensive back and kick returner. He helped Yorktown win a district championship in 2012, then finish second in the Northern Region Division 5 playoffs that fall.
During the offseason, Stewart holds his annual MSMJ Youth Foundation community event at Arlington’s historic High View Park. The event includes activities for children, music, food and drink and a celebration of the Halls Hill neighborhood.
“M.J. Stewart was a terrific player at Yorktown, and I got to meet and know Alec Hicks this past year, and what a great person he is and a great job he did,” Meana said.
In his first season as head coach, Hicks led Yorktown to a district championship with a 6-0 league record. He had been an assistant coach at Yorktown for many years prior to moving into the head position. Hicks also played high school football at Yorktown.
Shea was a big force up front for Yorktown on defense in all 11 games, as opponents struggled to block the senior. He made 42 tackles, of which 11 were for losses, with six being sacks.
Shea will play college football at Division III Denison University in Ohio.
Other area high-school head coaches who will be honored at the banquet are West Springfield High School’s Anthony Parker, Centreville High School’s Jon Shields and Mount Vernon High School’s Drew Holland. Assistant Coaches of the Year recognized will be Hayfield Secondary School’s Liam Yao and James Madison High School’s Cody Canard.
The following training staff will also be honored: Kristyn Wharton and Brittany Griffin from Lake Braddock Secondary School and Karina Bertness and Erin Finucane from Madison.
Letroy McFadden will be honored as the Official of the Year. Allyson Miketta from Lake Braddock will receive the Tom Davis Meritorious Volunteer Award and Lissette Puna of Annandale High earns the Gerry Connolly Meritorious Volunteer Award.
Students receiving scholarships will be Milo Wilkins from South Lakes, Austin Graham from Annandale and Matthew Weiler from Madison.
Other players honored are Langley’s Cole Samburg (Liberty District’s Offensive Player of the Year), Centreville’s Will Shields (Concorde District Offensive Player of the Year) and Westfield’s Wes Flamer (Concorde District Defensive Player of the Year).
Other honorees will include Mount Vernon’s Matthew Moret (National District Offensive Player of the Year), Mount Vernon’s Demontrez Bannister (National District Defensive Player of the Year), South County’s Trevion Campbell (Patriot District Offensive Player of the Year) and Fairfax High’s Davon Tolson (Patriot District Defensive Player of the Year).
Region Linemen of the Year are Hayfield’s Nathan Dockery and Centreville’s Alex Molina.
Region All-Purpose Players of the year are Fall Church High’s Elijah Lewis and McLean’s Aidan Reid.
The Oakton Cougars will be recognized as the 2025 girls flag football champions.
Individual tickets are $45 each and $400 for a table seating 10. For ticket information, call Mary Small at (571) 238-3565 or email [email protected].
