Birmingham's Dredon Fowles voted top Offensive Player of the Year candidate in CIF-L.A. City Section by fans

Speedy running back Dredon Fowles enters his senior year with more than 1,200 career rushing yards

Birmingham Charter running back Dredon Fowles carrying the ball against Acalanes in the CIF State Division 3AA title game on Dec. 9, 2023 at Saddleback College. /

Player of the Year discussions, regardless of sport or level, almost have to start with the best player on the best team.

And that's where a lot of MVP discussions end as well.

With that said, it's nearly impossible to argue with the results of SBLive's fan vote for pre-season Offensive Player of the Year in the L.A. City Section.

Choosing from a pool consisting of every player to earn a nod in SBLive's list of the top offensive players in the CIF-LACS, fans named Birmingham running back Dredon Fowles as the City's top candidate. Fowles is the top returning rusher and offensive producer for the four-time defending Open Division champion, and his senior season could be one for the books.

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Fowles enters 2024 with career rushing totals of 1,220 yards and 13 touchdowns. Despite sitting out five games for the transfer period after coming in from El Camino Real, he was second on Birmingham in rushing with 74 carries for 565 yards and eight touchdowns (7.6 yards per carry). He also had eight catches for 71 yards and a touchdown.

In particular, Fowles was at his best in the championship spotlight as a junior, recording his two highest-yardage games in victories for CIF titles. In a 49-7 rout of Franklin for the City title, Fowles carried the ball 11 times for 116 yards and two touchdowns, and he had 27 carries for 148 yards with a 16-yard catch to beat Del Norte (San Diego) for a 3-AA regional crown.

Birmingham's last title run was the most dominant of its four-peat, with the Patriots blowing out every CIF-LACS opponent they faced. However, 2024 marks the first year in a while that Birmingham isn't towering above the rest of the section in preseason projections, with most of its offensive core from last season gone. The Patriots return some of the top defensive players in the section, but will likely need an MVP-caliber season from Fowles – in addition to breakouts from multiple new faces, such as freshman quarterback Daniel Kakooza – to remain dominant on offense.

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With the section's incumbent monolith depending on him to lead the offense, Fowle is a safe bet to produce, and may be in the perfect scenario to elevate his stock. He certainly has the wheels to get it done. For those who haven't seen him on the gridiron, keep in mind that Fowles was also was a member of one of the state's top 4x100 relay track teams this spring. Not including the sit-out period, he likely could've produced more than twice as much last season if asked, but he was sharing reps with another star running back who's no longer a Patriot.

it also wouldn't be surprising to see him emerge as one of the area's top return specialists, which he showed promise as while at El Camino Real.

Birmingham kicks off the season on Friday as an underdog against St. Bonaventure at Ventura College.