CUMBERLAND — Braelyn Younger spent years preparing for his turn as the Fort Hill fullback, and he took the mantle with a vengeance.
The senior rushed for 200 yards five times and eclipsed 100 yards in 11 games, including eight in a row to end the season to guide Fort Hill to a fifth consecutive Class 1A state championship game appearance.
Advertisement
Younger finished with 2,587 all-purpose yards and tied the area record with 35 touchdowns, and he made his mark defensively with big hits that rung through Greenway Avenue Stadium.
Younger was knocked out of Fort Hill’s title game with an injury, preventing the senior from completely rewriting the record books, but he finished his career on a high note, earning a share of the Player of the Year from the area’s head coaches along with Frankfort’s Braydn Tyler.
“It’s a great honor for Braelyn,” Fort Hill head coach Zack Alkire said. “He’s been a really hard worker for us. He’s been completely unselfish for four years.”
The area football awards were chosen at a meeting of the area’s head coaches in late December.
Advertisement
Six coaches attended the meeting. Younger and Tyler both received three votes each.
All award winners have now been revealed. The All-Area and All-Western Maryland Athletic Conference teams will be in Wednesday’s Times-News.
Keyser running back Grayson Lambka won the Morton W. Peskin Sr. Memorial Offensive Player of the Year, Allegany linebacker Khiante Bible is the Pepsi-Cola Defensive Player of the Year, Fort Hill center Casey Martz was named the John B. “Jack” Gilmore Memorial Lineman of the Year, and Frankfort’s Kevin Whiteman was awarded Coach of the Year.
Younger is the record 24th Player of the Year recipient from Fort Hill and the fourth in coach Alkire’s era, joining Jabril Daniels (2024), Carter Hess (‘23) and Blake White (‘21).
Advertisement
Younger prepared fastidiously behind Daniels for two years, shining in the defensive secondary while Daniels set the career area touchdown record (80) and single-season rushing mark (2,276) before heading to Shepherd.
Younger gained 969 all-purpose yards and scored 15 touchdowns in a backup role his first two seasons.
“He came up as a sophomore and we really needed a defensive back, and even though his passion, his life goals were to play running back at the next level, he sacrificed those goals temporarily to be a team player and give us what we needed from a defensive perspective,” Alkire said.
He emerged as the area’s top rusher, rushing for 2,224 yards and 30 touchdowns on 201 carries (11.1 yards per carry) and catching 11 passes for 363 yards and five more scores.
Advertisement
Younger’s rushing total is the third highest in school and area history, behind Daniels and Josh Page (2,274, 1996).
His touchdown total set a new school and Cumberland city record and matched the area record previously held by Frankfort’s Travis Lynch (1997).
“He catches the ball maybe better than anybody else on our team,” Alkire said. “He’s a great blocker. That’s a stat that isn’t in the stat books. He’s one of the best blockers on the team, and he’s not afraid to put his nose into things, even at the goal line.”
Younger rushed for a season-high 296 yards against Northern in the co-region finals, part of a streak where he ran for at least 174 yards in six straight games late in the season.
Advertisement
That stretch likely would’ve spanned another game if not for a leg injury in Fort Hill’s 35-28 loss to Patuxent in the state championship game, a contest the Sentinels led 28-7 before Younger left the game.
He had 119 yards and two touchdowns before exiting.
As a runner, Younger was a physical ball carrier playing at 6-foot, 207 pounds, which he coupled with breakaway speed and an ability to cut seemingly without losing a step.
“He’s an all-around back,” Alkire said. “He is a college-ready back. A lot of times you have guys that can do this really well and do that really well, but it’s going to take them some time to translate their game to the college game because it is much different.
Advertisement
“Braelyn’s not that guy that you have to worry about because his game is tailored to the college game right now. He sees the holes well, he explodes through the holes. And if he has to make a move on a kid, he will. If he has to run over a kid, he will. He’s able to do it all.”
On defense, Younger finished with 67 tackles (32 solo), an interception, three forced fumbles, a pass breakup and two quarterback pressures.
Younger holds three Division 1 Football Championship Subdivision scholarship offers from Virginia Military Institute, Morgan State and Mercyhurst.
He’s also received interest from Shepherd and walk-on interest from Maryland and West Virginia.
Advertisement
Wherever the area co-Player of the Year ends up, one thing is for certain. They’re getting a hard worker.
“From a technique standpoint, he was just phenomenal,” Alkire said. “A true student of the game. He would be the guy that was out there at 8 in the morning, probably five days a week in the off-season, trying to make himself better. Great student-athlete as well, possesses a 3.9 GPA, does all the things you ask him to do in the classroom.”
