FREEPORT — Derek Durand made a big splash, then rode the wave.

The Freeport High School wide receiver, headed to Slippery Rock University this fall, was recently named the first U.S. Army Iron Man of the Year.

He won the statewide award by garnering votes from Pennsylvania high school football fans. Durand wound up with 17,466 votes, beating out runner up Chris Liberto of Springdale, who had 14,759.

Durand was one of 10 Army Iron Man of the Week winners during last fall's regular season. All 10 winners comprised the candidates for the statewide balloting.

“Army scouts attended high school games every week looking for weekly award winners,” Durand said. “They saw my game at West Shamokin (Oct. 22) and that's the week I was nominated.”

Durand caught four passes for 114 yards — including touchdown catches of 14, 24 and 64 yards — and returned a punt 75 yards for a score in the Yellowjackets' 42-0 victory that night.

On the season, he caught 33 passes for 834 yards and 10 TDs. He also made 81 tackles on defense and defended nine passes.

“The community united behind Derek to help him win this award,” Mindy Durand, his mother, said of the state honor. “Plenty of family, friends and classmates supported him on this.”

Durand admitted that “voting got pretty intense in school.”

This marked the first football season that the U.S. Army Recruiting Battalion — Harrisburg held a 10-week campaign to recognize the best two-way high school football player in Pennsylvania.

Durand received two tickets to a Steelers home game last season and was recognized on the scoreboard. He received a championship-quality ring May 31 during Freeport's end-of-year awards ceremony.

“The ring is awesome. It looks like a Super Bowl ring,” Durand said. “I'm going to wear it for the rest of the year, then put it in a showcase.

“This ring is a keepsake for life. I'm not going to let anything happen to it.”

Recruiters from the Butler Recruiting Station voted for Durand and encouraged community members to do the same. Sargeant 1st Class Steve Jones, a reserve recruiter from the station, presented the ring to Durand.

“The Iron Man weekly competition shows the Army's commitment to the local schools and students by taking an active interest in promoting good life choices,” Jones said in a prepared statement.

Durand's father, Todd, is a former basketball coach at Freeport and helps out with the football team.

“It's a great honor, and for him to have something like this and to have it presented by the Army and everything they do for our country — it's just a great experience,” Todd Durand said.

Derek Durand is not resting on his laurels by any means. He's been working out at Freeport High School and working with the Yellowjacket receivers as well.

“Anything I can do to help the program, I'll do it,” Durand said. “I'm there working out, the high school players are there working out, so I'm there to contribute if I can.”

The 6-foot-0, 160-pound Durand hopes to get on the field for SRU this fall. He carried a 3.35 grade point average in high school and plans to major in safety management at The Rock.

“The coaches up there want me to beef up to 190 or so,” Durand said. “That's what I'm working on right now, getting bigger and stronger.

“I want to give myself the best chance to play, but if redshirting is in my best interests, I'll have no problem with that as well.”

As for the Iron Man Award?

“I'll treasure it,” he said. “My teammates, school and community did this for me. I'll never forget it.”