HS Football Standouts In Newark Up For ‘Heart Of Giant’ Award

NEWARK, NJ — A pair of high school football standouts from Newark are up for a 2022 “Heart of a Giant” award.

USA Football’s Heart of a Giant Award, which is presented by Hospital for Special Surgery and the New York Giants, recently announced that Zyier Younger and Kishon Brown of Newark have earned a nod as nominees for this year’s award, which pays tribute to young athletes in the Tri-State Area who “demonstrate that extra something special.”

According to a statement from organizers, Younger – a student at East Side High School in Newark – “has witnessed a tragedy in his household and uses football as his way of dealing with it – he is his brother’s keeper.”

Meanwhile, Brown, a student at Barringer High School, was nominated because he “will stay and do extra repetition to be a more polished student athlete – the stadium custodian has to throw him out.”

Newark residents can vote for Younger until Oct. 2, and Brown until Oct. 9. Vote online here.

Overall, there will be six weekly finalists and five wild card finalists, leading to 11 total honorees. Each finalist will receive $1,000 for their high school’s football program, with the grand prize winner’s school getting an additional $4,000. The grand prize winner will be selected based on video submissions stating why they have the “Heart of a Giant,” organizers said.

• See related article: Newark Teen Earns Prestigious Award, Gets Praise From NY Giant
• See related article: Newark Teen Battles Depression To Win 'Heart Of Giant' Award

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