Mainland Regional High School Football Player a Semifinalist for the Rudy Award

Mainland Regional High School junior Ryan Brenner is a semifinalist for Inspireum and PARADE magazine's High School Football Rudy Award.

The Rudy Award is named after former Notre Dame football player Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger (you may recall the 1993 movie "Rudy"). This award celebrates athletes for their ability to inspire and motivate their teammates and community.

We're all familiar with the horrible tragedy that happened this past August when four members of Mainland Regional High School's football team died in an accident on the Garden State Parkway -- Ryan's brother, Casey, was one of the four.

More than 350 football players across the country were nominated and Ryan Brenner is one of two semifinalists from New Jersey. $25,000 in academic scholarships will be awarded among twelve finalists and the winner will be featured in the January 15th issue of PARADE.

You can view all 50 semifinalists at the Rudy Awards website. You can go directly to Ryan Brenner's page to vote for him and a Facebook page has been established to help spread the word.