GREENSBORO — The N.C. High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) announced Wednesday that East Surry’s Folger Boaz was voted Male Athlete of the Year.
Boaz was honored at the NCHSAA’s Awards Ceremony at the Greensboro Coliseum Special Event Center.
“I am obviously very honored to receive this prestigious award from the NCHSAA,” Boaz said. “It was nice to be together today and celebrate with my family, my coaches and administration one last time. As I reflect on my accomplishments and awards including this one over my high school career, I am very thankful for the support, love, and leadership provided to me from each of them and my community. There’s no better place to grow up!
“It’s been an action packed, fast four years. I’ve had a blast while trying to represent my school, my teammates, my coaches, and my community to the best of my ability.”
Folger and his older brother Jefferson are now the second brothers to both be named NCHSAA Male Athlete of the Year, as Jefferson won the award in 2020. The pair join 2015 selection Chazz Surratt and 2017 selection Sage Surratt.
The statewide award caps off an illustrious high school career for the 2023 graduate.
Boaz competed in football, basketball and baseball during his senior year. He was an All-Conference selection in all three sports, Conference Player of the Year and an All-State selection in both football and baseball, and was named 2A State Pitcher of the Year by the N.C. Baseball Coaches Association.
“Folger is the ultimate competitor,” said East Surry basketball coach Chad Motsinger. “He works hard at all he does, is a natural born leader and is a good all-around person. “He is a great role model for the kids. I was very lucky to have the opportunity to coach him.”
Folger will continue his baseball career at UNC-Chapel Hill. While at East Surry, Boaz helped the baseball team win three conference championships, two conference tournament championships, one West Regional Championship and one State Runner-up finish.
East Surry went 66-11 during his time with the baseball program.
As a hitter, Boaz holds East Surry’s single-season records for batting average at .527, home runs with 10 and RBIs with 49. He is also East Surry’s career leader in home runs with 21, and the career leader in RBIs with 121. He accomplished these career records despite two of his high school baseball seasons being shortened by Covid; East Surry only played five games in 2020 and 20 in 2021.
The left-handed pitcher also owns all of East Surry’s pitching records in the pitch count era. He threw 320 strikeouts in 164.34 innings in high school, including 112 strikeouts in 54.67 innings as a senior. He graduates with a 26-1 record on the mound, which is also a school record for win percentage at 96.3%.
Boaz was voted conference player of the year in all three completed seasons of baseball during his high school career.
“It was a blessing to have him as part of our program for the last four years,” said East Surry baseball coach Chad Freeman. “It was a blast. He’s very talented, but also a hard worker. Folger is probably the most competitive kid I’ve been around. He pushed to get better every time he stepped on the field, and he encouraged others to as well. He definitely led by example.”
Folger became one of the top baseball players in the state despite his first two seasons being impacted by Covid.
“He came in and was up on varsity as a freshman, but we never got to see him develop fully that first year with the season unfortunately cancelled,” Freeman said. “But, he showed some flashes that year of how good he could end up being.
“Then we had that hectic 2021 school year with football being in the spring, but he came in dominant so we knew he was going to be special. We went to the State Championship that year in both sports. Then we had two more amazing years his junior and senior years, which makes you think about how things would’ve been if he had full seasons his first two years.”
Boaz faced a tall task in football especially with his brother Jefferson, who graduated in 2020, leading the Cardinals to the 2019 1AA State Championship. Jefferson set numerous records, both for the school and for the state, and earned a scholarship to play football at UNC-Chapel Hill.
“When I got here five years ago Folger and that group were in eighth grade, so that group has been with me the whole time so to speak,” said East Surry football coach Trent Lowman. “I got to know him by watching those younger groups, and he was around with Jefferson being on the team. He definitely had big shoes to fill; he had a lot of eyes and pressure on him.
“One of the best things about Folger is that he did things his own way. He didn’t let that pressure get to him. I figure he was ‘Jefferson’s brother’ to some people for about a year, then he proved to everyone that he was FOLGER. He did things his own way and in his own style and with his own personality, and I’m so proud to have known him.”
Folger holds every East Surry and Surry County career passing record with more than 10,336 total offensive yards, 8,594 yards passing, 96 passing touchdowns and 574 completions. He is a two-time Foothills 2A Conference Player of the Year, a four-time conference champion, two-time regional champion, one-time regional runner-up and a member of East Surry’s 2019 1AA State Championship Team.
Folger’s name is featured in the NCHSAA Football State Record Book 14 times.
He graduates with a completion percentage of 67.5%, which is the highest in North Carolina history with a minimum of 600 attempts. He is also one of five players in state history to finish a season with a completion percentage greater than 70% with a minimum of 275 attempts.
For some of his other state record book appearances, Boaz is: No. 10 in career touchdowns with 129, No. 18 in touchdown responsibility in a season with 55, No. 16 in single-season passing touchdowns with 48 and No. 17 in career passing yards with 8,594.
He also set single-game records for most completions with 30 and touchdown passes with seven.
East Surry went 34-4 during Boaz’s three years as starting quarterback. In those three years, the Cardinals won three conference championships, one regional runner-up trophy, one regional championship and finished state runner-up.
Boaz was honored at the NCHSAA’s Awards Ceremony at the Greensboro Coliseum Special Event Center.
“I am obviously very honored to receive this prestigious award from the NCHSAA,” Boaz said. “It was nice to be together today and celebrate with my family, my coaches and administration one last time. As I reflect on my accomplishments and awards including this one over my high school career, I am very thankful for the support, love, and leadership provided to me from each of them and my community. There’s no better place to grow up!
“It’s been an action packed, fast four years. I’ve had a blast while trying to represent my school, my teammates, my coaches, and my community to the best of my ability.”
Folger and his older brother Jefferson are now the second brothers to both be named NCHSAA Male Athlete of the Year, as Jefferson won the award in 2020. The pair join 2015 selection Chazz Surratt and 2017 selection Sage Surratt.
The statewide award caps off an illustrious high school career for the 2023 graduate.
Boaz competed in football, basketball and baseball during his senior year. He was an All-Conference selection in all three sports, Conference Player of the Year and an All-State selection in both football and baseball, and was named 2A State Pitcher of the Year by the N.C. Baseball Coaches Association.
“Folger is the ultimate competitor,” said East Surry basketball coach Chad Motsinger. “He works hard at all he does, is a natural born leader and is a good all-around person. “He is a great role model for the kids. I was very lucky to have the opportunity to coach him.”
Folger will continue his baseball career at UNC-Chapel Hill. While at East Surry, Boaz helped the baseball team win three conference championships, two conference tournament championships, one West Regional Championship and one State Runner-up finish.
East Surry went 66-11 during his time with the baseball program.
As a hitter, Boaz holds East Surry’s single-season records for batting average at .527, home runs with 10 and RBIs with 49. He is also East Surry’s career leader in home runs with 21, and the career leader in RBIs with 121. He accomplished these career records despite two of his high school baseball seasons being shortened by Covid; East Surry only played five games in 2020 and 20 in 2021.
The left-handed pitcher also owns all of East Surry’s pitching records in the pitch count era. He threw 320 strikeouts in 164.34 innings in high school, including 112 strikeouts in 54.67 innings as a senior. He graduates with a 26-1 record on the mound, which is also a school record for win percentage at 96.3%.
Boaz was voted conference player of the year in all three completed seasons of baseball during his high school career.
“It was a blessing to have him as part of our program for the last four years,” said East Surry baseball coach Chad Freeman. “It was a blast. He’s very talented, but also a hard worker. Folger is probably the most competitive kid I’ve been around. He pushed to get better every time he stepped on the field, and he encouraged others to as well. He definitely led by example.”
Folger became one of the top baseball players in the state despite his first two seasons being impacted by Covid.
“He came in and was up on varsity as a freshman, but we never got to see him develop fully that first year with the season unfortunately cancelled,” Freeman said. “But, he showed some flashes that year of how good he could end up being.
“Then we had that hectic 2021 school year with football being in the spring, but he came in dominant so we knew he was going to be special. We went to the State Championship that year in both sports. Then we had two more amazing years his junior and senior years, which makes you think about how things would’ve been if he had full seasons his first two years.”
Boaz faced a tall task in football especially with his brother Jefferson, who graduated in 2020, leading the Cardinals to the 2019 1AA State Championship. Jefferson set numerous records, both for the school and for the state, and earned a scholarship to play football at UNC-Chapel Hill.
“When I got here five years ago Folger and that group were in eighth grade, so that group has been with me the whole time so to speak,” said East Surry football coach Trent Lowman. “I got to know him by watching those younger groups, and he was around with Jefferson being on the team. He definitely had big shoes to fill; he had a lot of eyes and pressure on him.
“One of the best things about Folger is that he did things his own way. He didn’t let that pressure get to him. I figure he was ‘Jefferson’s brother’ to some people for about a year, then he proved to everyone that he was FOLGER. He did things his own way and in his own style and with his own personality, and I’m so proud to have known him.”
Folger holds every East Surry and Surry County career passing record with more than 10,336 total offensive yards, 8,594 yards passing, 96 passing touchdowns and 574 completions. He is a two-time Foothills 2A Conference Player of the Year, a four-time conference champion, two-time regional champion, one-time regional runner-up and a member of East Surry’s 2019 1AA State Championship Team.
Folger’s name is featured in the NCHSAA Football State Record Book 14 times.
He graduates with a completion percentage of 67.5%, which is the highest in North Carolina history with a minimum of 600 attempts. He is also one of five players in state history to finish a season with a completion percentage greater than 70% with a minimum of 275 attempts.
For some of his other state record book appearances, Boaz is: No. 10 in career touchdowns with 129, No. 18 in touchdown responsibility in a season with 55, No. 16 in single-season passing touchdowns with 48 and No. 17 in career passing yards with 8,594.
He also set single-game records for most completions with 30 and touchdown passes with seven.
East Surry went 34-4 during Boaz’s three years as starting quarterback. In those three years, the Cardinals won three conference championships, one regional runner-up trophy, one regional championship and finished state runner-up.
