The Fort Hamilton Army Base’s community club once again hosted the Tigers of Fort Hamilton High School’s annual awards night banquet celebrating the 2023 football season.
Head coach Dan Perez welcomed a packed venue consisting of family and friends, coaching staff members, the parents’ club and the school’s cheerleaders to another celebration of the brotherhood of “the Tiger Family.”
Principal Kaye Houlihan also addressed the evening’s guests, saying that she has come to realize that the event not only celebrates just a team but a year-round athletic program that promotes community within the school’s academic environment.
Each member of the varsity team was individually recognized from the podium and given a trophy. The junior varsity was also recognized. Five major trophies were awarded to outstanding members of last season’s varsity team and one member of the JV team.
Just as Chicago has its “Air Jordan,” this year’s team had its own “Air Aidan,” who led the varsity to a 5-3 winning record for the first time since 2018. As a junior starting quarterback, Aidan Farley led all other PSAL Division AAA quarterbacks with his passing statistics to capture three different division quarterback awards. Leading the Tigers to the playoffs for the first time in six years, Farley was Fort Hamilton’s MVP award winner after passing for 1,235 yards and completing 91 passes along with 18 touchdowns.
Coincidentally, another Aiden was also recognized as the MVP of the JV team. After leading the JV to a successful season at quarterback, Aiden Porter was promoted to the varsity at the end of the season and should be in line to succeed Farley in 2025.
In addition to honoring two underclassmen quarterbacks, three senior PSAL All-Stars were also honored. Jawad Fares, who made spectacular catches throughout the season, won the Scholar Athlete Award for his academic achievements and 97 percent average. Two-way lineman Max Southard won the Iron Man award for his intensity of play on both offense and defense. And the team’s “Haitian Sensation” Sebastien Zamy, another two-way lineman, won the Coach’s Award for his ability to pick up his teammates in the face of adversity.
Mark Kiss accepted the Heart and Soul Award after sitting out the whole season after injuring his leg during a practice session this past summer. As an inspiration to the team, the quarterback came to every game wearing a brace and using a crutch. During his acceptance speech, Kiss made the point of how much the team meant to him, calling it a band of brothers. Looking back over his four years, Kiss closed out the event saying, “Appreciate every moment since you don’t know when the worst could happen or when the best could happen.”
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