Listen to the full release of the 2012-2013 All-Ticket Team

Delaware’s only all sports radio station, 1290 The Ticket, has announced its sixth annual 1290 The Ticket High School Football Awards. The All-Ticket Team members were chosen from the players who participated in games broadcast during the 10-game regular season schedule on the station’s Game of the Week coverage, while the Post Season Awards were chosen from the players who participated in games broadcast during the Delaware State Tournament.

St. Elizabeth senior forward, Andre Patton, is the 2013 Player of the Year and is joined on the 2012-13 All-Ticket team by juniors Ben Bentil and Austin Tilghman of St. Andrew’s,  senior Nate Hickman of Wilmington Christian and senior Larry Woody of Howard. Woody was also named 1290 The Ticket 2013 Tournament Most Outstanding Player and his teammate, senior Tyaire Ponzo-Meek won the award for Crown Trophy Championship Game MVP.

With a Delaware Defensive Player of the Year award for football and a scholarship to the Big East’s Rutgers to play wide receiver next season, many players could have shut it down and focused on one sport. However, for an athlete unlike many this state has ever seen, Andre Patton decided to play basketball, as well. This proved to be a decision that paid off to the tune of 20 points, 11 rebounds, four blocks, three assists and three steals per game for the St. Elizabth Vikings. Patton recorded 16 double-doubles on the year and reached the 20 point scoring mark 10 times, including an amazing 34 point, 21 rebound effort against Wilmington Christian in the very first game of the season. The 6’4 senior becomes the only player in 1290 The Ticket history to win a Player of the Year Award for both football and basketball, as he was named the 1290 The Ticket Football Most Valuable Player earlier in this school year.

“Big Ben” Bentil led the Saint Andrew’s Saints to the top of the 1290 The Ticket rankings for the Final Four weeks of the regular season. A dominant force inside at the power forward spot, Bentil also showed the ability to take his man off the dribble from the small forward position. The 6’8 Junior is Delaware’s highest recruited big man since a former Saint Andrew’s center, Eric Boateng, was named McDonald’s All-American in 2005. Bentil is rated by ESPN as the 7^th best center in the class of 2014 and as high as the 31^st best overall by Rivals.

Nate Hickman was a do-it-all guard/forward for the Wilmington Christian Warriors in his senior campaign, and his overall game was showcased in a 1290 The Ticket broadcast against Glasgow in which Hickman led his team with 21 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and three steals. The 6’4 combo guard averaged over 18 points per game on the season and eclipsed the 20 point mark eight times this year, including a season high 28 points against A.I. DuPont back on December 1^st.

The other part of the 1-2 punch at Saint Andrew’s, Austin Tilghman ran the offense for the state’s top team during the regular season. Tilghman showed an array of weapons for the Saints, whether he was driving the lane, bullying defenders to the rim, stopping and hitting a jump shot or dishing to a teammate for an easy score, Austin got it done time and time again. A football standout who already has garnered attention from big time college programs on the gridiron, the junior guard has also received looks from Atlantic 10 basketball schools on the hardwood.

A double winner this season, Larry Woody was the most prolific scorer for the state’s top offensive team. The senior led the state champion Howard Wildcats with nearly 22 points per game during the regular season and followed up with 17 points per game throughout the State Tournament. Woody was a star amongst stars on the Wildcats squad that put up 79 points a night. 13 times this season, Larry went over the 20 point mark and in an amazing effort against Saint George’s Tech on January 15^th, he lit up the scoreboard for 42 points, knocking down eight three pointers in the game. Woody also added 13 assists and nine steals in the state tournament to help lead Howard to the ring.

As mentioned, Woody was not the only star on his championship team, as Senior Tyaire Ponzo-Meek earned the top spot in the impressive 81-62 win over three time defending champion Sanford in the Championship Game. Ponzo-Meek controlled the game from the guard position and finished with 25 points, eight rebounds, three assists and a steal as his school brought home its fourth state championship and first since 1996.

Each winner and school will be presented one-of-a-kind customized trophies courtesy of Crown Trophy in People’s Plaza. For more information on past and present winners, visit 1290theticket.com.

2013 1290 The Ticket All-Ticket Team:

Ben Bentil, St. Andrew’s, Junior

Nate Hickman, Wilmington Christian, Senior

Andre Patton, St. Elizabeth, Senior (Player of the Year)

Austin Tilghman, St. Andrew’s, Junior

Larry Woody, Howard, Senior

2013 1290 The Ticket Post-Season Awards:

Tournament Most Outstanding Player: Larry Woody, Howard, Senior

Championship Game Most Valuable Player: Tyaire Ponzo-Meek, Howard, Senior

Don't miss 1290 The Ticket's coverage of the Delaware HS Basketball Final Four, tonight from the Bob Carpenter Center! Matt Janus and Jon Buzby will be on the call with complete and in-depth analysis of all teams prior to the contests during the Glasgow Medical Aid Units Pre-Game Shows, plus interviews with the winning coaches after each game!

In between games, the announcement will be made for the 6th Annual 1290 The Ticket All-Ticket Team and 1290 The Ticket Player of the Year. You don't want to miss it.

In a rematch of the three-time defending state champion Sanford Warriors and the top-ranked St. Andrew's Saints, the number one team in the state stayed at the top with a 42-40 victory. Junior guard Austin Tilghman more than doubled up the game's next top scorer with a 22 point performance that earned him the Crown Trophy Player of the Game Award. The Saints handed the Warriors their 2nd loss of the season, with both games being featured as a 1290 The Ticket HS Game of the Week.