Platteview athletic director Josh Siske and head football coach Mark McLaughlin talk at Reiman Zebert's signing to Stanford on Wednesday.

Aiden Whitted checks all the boxes when it comes to character, leadership, academics and athletic excellence.

"Aiden checks all those boxes," Papillion-La Vista South head football coach Tim Clemenger said. "He's really strong in all those areas. I think anybody that played us would tell you that."

The Papio South football senior center was given the First Annual Cole Pensick, Mark Vincent Pelini Center of Excellence Award.

The award is presented to the most valuable senior center and is named in honor of two Nebraska centers who both tragically died in fatal car accidents six months apart in 2022 and 2023 after playing as teammates in the 2010s.

Pensick was a Second Team All-Big Ten selection for the Huskers who graduated in 2013, Pelini in 2014. Both were on the Rimington Trophy Watch List in their senior seasons.

Whitted was selected as one of three finalists, joined by Omaha Westview's Landon Creighton and Omaha North's Jamar White.

The award was presented at Papio South on Wednesday.

"It means a lot to him, for his family, and I can tell talking with the people on the committee that they're really happy with Aiden and with honoring Aiden with this call, because they got a really good one in Aiden," Clemenger said.

Clemenger loves the name of the award -- "Center of Excellence" -- for how it represents who Whitted is on the gridiron.

"Playing center, playing on the offensive line, you have to be a leader," Clemenger said. "And really, everything starts with you. You're the guy that gets the play started. You're the guy that makes all the calls up front. And really, you're a very important piece of the team. And with Aiden being a team captain and being in that center position for as long as he has, it just means a lot.

"And he just embodies what the award is all about."

For Whitted, being given the award is an honor.

"It's an honor to be able to be in the same conversation now with Cole and Mark and how great of a people they were, not only on the field, but off the field," Whitted said.

His character is a credit to his parents, Chris and Tammy, Whitted said.

"They taught me really valuable lessons, and I tried to take whatever they give me and apply it to myself and my life," he said.

Leadership is one of those traits Whitted possesses that was most important in the locker room and on the field with the Titans.

"And being able to lead this team has been an honor, because, I mean, it just shows that the team had faith in me, and they knew they could come to me with anything, whether it's football or or not football related," he said.

Whitted will next be attending the University of Nebraska-Kearney, where he will play football, and major in Sports Communications. The award also comes with a $1,000 scholarship for Whitted to use at UNK.