Magnolia Blue Eagle quarterback Justin Fox has been named the Wheeling Intelligencer Sophomore of the Year.

“His first day of practice,” recalled Head Coach Mark Batton, “we put him in a little bit and you could just tell he was a born leader. He just had that ability about him. We decided that this is the kid. This is the guy we need.”

And Fox did not disappoint.

Even as a freshman, he passed for 1,021 yards and 10 touchdowns. And, after a 2-3 start of the 2008-09 season, it ended with the Class-AA State Championship game against the Grafton Bearcats, which the Blue Eagles had defeated in regular season.

Fox remembers, “We all got together after a couple of hard losses and basically said ‘no more losing.’ We came together, started playing well, and got in a groove.”

Although the groove ended in a title defeat against the same Grafton team, Fox totaled 1,755 yards and 19 TDs on the season as quarterback. But his talents also drew him into slots as the team’s kicker, punter, and one of its top defensive backs, averaging 31.2 yards per punt and kicking 33 extra points and five field goals.

Named to the First Team All-Valley, Fox also has been mentioned for the 2009 Kennedy Award.