Ja’Quan Thomas will need to find a place to put all his new trophies and awards after this week. Thomas, who led the league in rushing with 2,082 yards and 31 touchdowns, has won the crown jewel of Suffolk County football awards — the 66th Carl A. Hansen Award, presented annually to the Most Outstanding Player in the county. Thomas delivered one of the most dominant careers in William Floyd history, and his senior season only added to his remarkable legacy. Over 27 games across two-plus varsity seasons, he set the school record for career points with 438 and tied the program record for touchdowns with an astounding 72. In total, he finished his high school career with nearly 5,000 rushing yards and scored at least one touchdown in every single game he played. Thomas now becomes the third William Floyd student-athlete to capture the prestigious Hansen Award, joining former stars Stacey Bedell in 2011 and Brock Jackolski in 2007.
In addition to the Hansen Award, Thomas also earned his second consecutive Joe Cipp Jr. Award, sharing the honor this year with Aidan Winter of Babylon. The Joe Cipp Jr. Award, given to the best running back in Suffolk County, further cements Thomas’s status as one of the top offensive threats in the region. This season marked the second straight year he surpassed the 2,000-yard rushing milestone, finishing with just under 2,100 yards. That followed an extraordinary junior campaign in which he collected nearly 2,600 yards and 37 touchdowns. Thomas is only the second William Floyd athlete ever to win the Joe Cipp Jr. Award, again joining Bedell, who earned the accolade in 2011.
His list of honors does not stop there. Thomas was also named the Suffolk County Division I MVP, the Suffolk County Division I Player of the Year, and earned First Team All-Long Island and All-County selections, completing one of the most decorated careers in recent memory.