29-01-2025
American Heritage's Toney is the Broward 4A-1A Football Offensive Player of the Year
Malachi Toney was already putting together one of the great seasons in Plantation American Heritage's storied history when Dia Bell went down with an injury in the second half of the Patriots' second-round postseason game against Dillard.
From there, Toney's season became truly special.
With Bell out for the season, Toney, one of the best wide receivers in the state, took over at quarterback and the Patriots won their first state championship since 2020.
After pulling double duty for one of the best teams in the country, Toney's is the Miami Herald's Broward County Offensive Player of the Year for Classes 4A-1A.
As a receiver, Toney caught 58 passes for 1,008 yards and 12 touchdowns. As a quarterback, he went 38 of 53 for 524 yards, eight touchdowns and only one interception. The senior also ran 34 times for 224 yards and three more touchdowns.
For his spectacular season, Toney won the MaxPreps Player of the Year award for Florida and the Nat Moore Trophy as the top player in South Florida. He's a four-star wide receiver, according to the 247Sports composite rankings, and is staying close to home to play at Miami next season.
In the end, the 5-foot-11, 182-pound athlete scored redemption after a dropped pass in near the end of a state-championship loss to Miami Central in 2022 effectively dashed American Heritage's hopes.
Back in the state title for the first time since, Toney completed his first 15 passes, and finished 15 of 18 for 188 yards and one touchdown, and ran for another, to win a 40-31 shootout with Orlando Jones.
'It's fitting how we ended this thing,' Heritage coach Mike Smith said after the win. 'The adversity that kid battled through. He put the ball on the ground on the 28-yard line against Central two years ago and cried like a baby. For him to come back and do this, you can't make this up. Hollywood couldn't have written this ending better.'
The state-title performance wasn't even Toney's best at quarterback. In the second round, Toney didn't play until Bell got hurt early in the third quarterback because he was nursing his own injury. After Bell went down, Toney stepped in with the Patriots down by two scores, immediately threw a touchdown pass and led American Heritage to a season-saving come-from-behind victory.
An already great season was on its way to being a truly special one.
'It was really nothing. I'm a football player and I'm here to do whatever my team needs me to do,' Toney said after the state championship. 'It feels great. After that fumble, everyone counted me out and said I wouldn't be back. Now look at me. I led my team to a state title at quarterback.'
