Finalists named for annual Davey O’Brien High School Scholarship

One high school student from Dallas-Fort Worth will have the opportunity to meet Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield next month.

Six finalists have been named for the 32nd annual Davey O’Brien High School Scholarship Award, with five coming from Tarrant County area schools.

The winner of the award, which is chosen on the basis of scholastic achievements, community service, character, leadership and varsity sports participation. will receive the $30,000 scholarship while the remaining five finalists will be awarded $2,500 scholarships.

The finalsists are: Sophie Isom (The Hockaday School), Ainsley McDonald-Boyer (Azle), Brandon Parrish (Joshua), Michael Smat (All Saints), Mason Ward (Keller) and Mikayla Wilson (Fort Worth Trimble Tech). The winner will be announced Jan. 23 during the 11th annual Davey O’Brien High School Scholarship Luncheon at The Fort Worth Club.

The high school scholarship winner will also be honored Feb. 19 at the 41st annual Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner alongside Mayfield, the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award recipient and 2017 Heisman Trophy winner. O’Brien led TCU football to the 1938 national championship.

Past winners include Anna Connolly from Richardson Peace in 2017, as well as students from Fort Worth Paschal, Arlington Lamar, Fort Worth South Hills and Grapevine.

About the finalists

Sophie Isom

Isom is an AP Scholar and National Merit Commended Scholar with a 3.89 GPA on a 4.0 scale. She has totaled 11 letters between volleyball, swimming and track, and is the school record holder in four track events, including the 400 meters, and was team MVP in 2017.

Ainsley McDonald-Boyer

McDonald-Boyer ranks third among 375 students at Azle with a 104.14 GPA on a 100-point scale. She is the treasurer of the National Honor Society and previously served as the junior class treasurer. She is a two-year varsity letter winner in both soccer and track.

Brandon Parrish

Parrish ranks fourth among 331 students at Joshua with a 105.08 GPA on a 100-point scale. He is the Student Body President, National Honor Society President and NJROTC Commanding Officer. He is a three-year starter and two-year captain on the football team, and was a first-team all-district defensive end in 2017 and honorable mention in 2016.

Michael Smat

Smat is an AP Scholar and National Merit Commended Scholar, and owns a 4.0 grade-point average at All Saints. He is a three-sport athlete, earning a total of 12 varsity letters in football, soccer and lacrosse. He twice earned all-state distinction from the Texas High School Lacrosse League as a goalie. In football, Smat earned all-conference honors as a center and was voted the team MVP.

Mason Ward

Ward ranks first among nearly 700 students at Keller with a 106.27 GPA on a 100-point scale. He is a National Merit Semifinalist and an AP Scholar with Distinction. In football, Ward earned second-team District 3-6A honors at nose guard in 2017, and was a three-time defensive player of the week. He also has competed on the track and field team in the shot put and discus.

Mikayla Wilson

Wilson is listed first among 361 students with a 4.46 grade-point average on a 4.0 scale at Trimble Tech. She is a two-year President of the National Honor Society and a member of Key Club International. Wilson has competed on the varsity softball team since her freshman year, and is a two-time all-district performer. She earned first-team accolades in 2015 as an outfielder and second-team honors in 2017 as an infielder.

This story was originally published January 17, 2018 at 3:30 PM with the headline "Finalists named for annual Davey O’Brien High School Scholarship."