The Duke Automotive-Suffolk News-Herald male and female Fall Players of the Year for 2015 shined on the gridiron and the field hockey pitch, respectively.

One finished with one of the best senior seasons imaginable and the other emerged as team MVP though only a sophomore.

Nansemond-Suffolk Academy senior football star Noah Giles and Nansemond River High School sophomore field hockey standout Ashlyn Rogers accepted the awards during a presentation on Monday at Duke Automotive.

“We’re just really proud of both of them,” Duke Automotive vice president Eley Duke said. “They’re both very deserving, they’re at the top of their sports, and I hope they both go on and do fantastic things with that.”

“I want to congratulate Noah and Ashlyn, great student athletes who had a superb year,” Suffolk News-Herald Publisher John Carr said. We want to thank Duke Automotive whose sponsorship made this possible, and we look forward to hearing of many more successes from Noah and Ashlyn.”

Noah Giles cemented a place for himself in NSA history with a season in which he carried the ball 215 times for 2,042 yards and 28 touchdowns, averaging 9.5 yards per carry and 170.2 yards per game.

He was instrumental in helping the Saints win the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division III state championship, carrying the ball 20 times for 127 yards and a touchdown, while also providing important defense with two interceptions.

Giles also broke the decades-old Nansemond-Suffolk regular season rushing record of 1,775 yards.

“Being there the night that he broke the record, that was pretty cool to see a school record after it stood for (35) years get broken,” Duke said.

Reflecting on the accolades for his 2015 performance and what they mean to him, Giles deflected praise to his offensive line.

“They’ve been blocking really, really hard all season, and I think they’re really undervalued, but to me they do a great job,” he said.

Giles’ father, Anthony Giles, was NSA’s statistician, tracking the team and his son’s progress closely.

“It is an overwhelming achievement that he’s been able to do,” the elder Giles said. “Seeing him grow into the young man that he is and how he has represented not only himself but his school, it’s been really impressive, not only to just me, but his teachers. We’re just happy and proud for him.”

Ashlyn Rogers put up strong numbers as a forward for the Lady Warriors, finishing the season with 15 goals and six assists. Her impact on the team went beyond just those numbers, however.

Nansemond River coach Ali Mowry praised Rogers for her overall intensity and improvement from last season that she brought to the Lady Warriors this year, becoming more of a vocal leader on the field and starting the team’s defense as a forward.

The Lady Warriors have had winning seasons lately, but Rogers helped spearhead a better-than-normal 13-4 record in 2015.

At the Fall Players of the Year presentation, her father, Gabe Rogers, said, “I’m just very proud of her, not because of the award, but because of the work that she’s put in.”

Ashlyn Rogers’ work ethic was another reason Mowry named her the team’s MVP. Gabe Rogers said he knew that after games in which his daughter was dissatisfied with her own performance, she would be staying late on the field to practice.

She would also spend hours before and after practices, putting in extra work.

Gabe Rogers said, “And the thing that’s made me the most proud is the fact — and I know for her mother is — it’s not something that we’re pushing. We’re not saying, ‘Alright, Ashlyn, let’s get up, let’s go.’ It’s (the) reverse.”

In terms of playing field hockey, “I don’t do it to get noticed,” Ashlyn Rogers said, but added, “It’s nice to be noticed for all the hard work that I put into it.”