Out of 45,000 applicants, 12 exceptional high school seniors have been chosen as national finalists for the 19th annual Wendy's High School Heisman Award. On Dec. 7, Wendy's will honor these students at the Wendy's High School Heisman Awards ceremony at the Best Buy Theater in New York City, NY, where one male and one female student-athlete will be chosen as the national winners of the award.

The Wendy's High School Heisman celebrates the achievements of the nation's top high school seniors both in and out of the classroom. Just as the collegiate Heisman is known for being the highest award in college football, the Wendy's High School Heisman award is recognized as the most esteemed award in high school athletics because it encourages future leadership by acknowledging well-rounded students.

“Wendy's High School Heisman rewards outstanding students that not only outperform their competition in sports but strive for the highest standards of excellence in all that they do,” said Archie Griffin, two-time collegiate Heisman Memorial Trophy winner. “These 12 young men and women are a direct reflection of what the program represents, and we congratulate them on being national finalists.”

The 12 national finalists are:

Student Name

Student High School

Hometown

Female Finalists

Tessa Brooks

Triway High School

Wooster, OH

Margaret Midkiff

Mount De Sales Academy

Macon, GA

Kaitlyn Kent

South Iredell High School

Statesville, NC

Zoe Alaniz

W. B. Ray High School

Corpus Christi, TX

Avalon Frantz

Boulder City High School

Boulder City, NV

Casey Pearsall

Wilton High School

Wilton, CT

Male Finalists

Trent Hosick

Staley High School

Kansas City, MO

Samuel Prakel

Versailles High School

Versailles, OH

Tyler Hoffman

Farmington High School

Farmington, CT

Jack Twomey-Kozak

Orange High School

Hillsborough, NC

Tyler Meidell

Damonte Ranch High School

Reno, NV

Daniel Johnson

Ridgeland High School

Rossville, GA

The national finalists will be featured during the televised ceremony on ESPN2 on Dec. 16 and will receive gold medals and $2,000 awards for their high schools. One male and one female national winner will receive a Wendy's High School Heisman Trophy and a $10,000 donation from Wendy's to each winner's respective high school. Additionally, the winners will be recognized during the collegiate Heisman Trophy broadcast on ESPN on Dec. 8.