The Dallas Morning News' 2022 Offensive Player of the Year: DeSoto's Johntay Cook II

Click or tap here to see the rest of our 2022 all-area football awards. It's a bit ironic, really. The inspiration and motivation behind Johntay Cook II's pursuit of excellence derived from one of his high school's biggest rivals. Cook, a standout wide receiver at DeSoto, spent his formative years as an elementary and middle schooler in the stands at Cedar Hill games. His sister, a Cedar Hill graduate, served as a trainer on the football team's staff. Cook said he attended every Cedar Hill game in 2013 and 2014, and in the process, grew to idolize wide receiver Demarkus Lodge — then a four-star recruit and a top-10 prospect in the nation at his position — who caught 47 touchdowns in that two-year span.