SPRINGFIELD – When a team is successful, many accolades are sure to follow. For the Tecumseh football team, their success over the years have produces numerous honors, both to the program, and to the kids.

This year was no different.

Recently in March, the annual National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame recognized a pair of Arrow athletes at their annual banquet, and bestowed upon them some outstanding honors.

Senior Ryan Christmann earned the highest award that the foundation gives out every year, a $1,000 scholarship to use toward college, while senior Riley Gault also was awarded a $250 scholarship.

Scholar athletes who attended this event were from Clark, Champaign, Greene and Miami Counties.

“This means a lot to our program,” said Tecumseh coach Kent Massie. “Those two guys are great young men, and great students.”

“The big thing is, Ryan and Riley are both great role models for the younger kids, and to the community. That’s an important thing.”

Dave Foley (Ohio State Team Captain on the '68' National Championship team) was the Master of Ceremonies for the event. Foley also was a lineman in the National Football League for Buffalo and the New York Jets

Also speaking at the event was Wittenberg head coach Joe Fincham, Tavor Johnson, secondary coach at Ohio State, and the key note speaker was Reggie McKenzie who played at Michigan and for the Buffalo Bills.

McKenzie and Foley were the two key lineman on the Bills team that blocked for O.J. Simpson when he was the first back to ever rush for over 2,000 yards in a season in the NFL.

The scholarship money was based on a football players’ academic performance as well as his performance on the football field.  Christmann is currently ranked number one in his class and Gault is ranked number two.

Christmann was also first-team academic all-state, honorable mention all Southwest Ohio, first- team all- conference, second team all-area, and first-team all-county.

Gault was second- team all-county, first team all-conference, honorable mention all Southwest Ohio.

Massie and assistant coach Mike Jones were also in attendance at the banquet.

“This is not just about playing football on Friday nights, these kids try to live by those standards all the time,” Massie said.

Tecumeh was the only school in attendance with two players honored on this special evening.

“”We were blessed to have two guys there, since everyone else only had one guy win,” Massie said. “This was a great night to get some scholarship money so these kids can use the money for college next year. It’s all about helping the kids.”

The Arrows finished the season with a league championship, and advanced to the second round of the playoffs in 2009.