! These are the HSOT Honors finalists for fall sports in 2023: Cast your vote for the champions!
Sport

! These are the HSOT Honors finalists for fall sports in 2023: Cast your vote for the champions!

Posted on by Matthew Reynolds

The recipients of the fall sports awards at HighSchoolOT Honors for the 2023 season have been declared.

During the autumn sports season, HighSchoolOT received submissions from the community for each category. Following the conclusion of the season, our committee convened and selected five top contenders for each category.

After the announcement of the finalists, the general public cast their votes for the winners over a period of two weeks. Each person was permitted to vote once daily in every category.

Nominations for prestigious awards, such as those for top athletes and coaches of the year, are open year-round. The finalists will be revealed at the conclusion of the academic year and voting will occur afterwards. The recipients of these elite awards will be announced during the summer.

The winners of the fall sports are as follows:

Cross Country Awards

The recipient of the Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year award.

  • Noah Valyo (Athens Drive) — Athens Drive’s Noah Valyo won the NCHSAA 4A state championship with a time 15:05.45. It was the first boys cross country state championship for Athens Drive, and Valyo broke the course record at Ivey Redmon by more than seven seconds. He was a first-team selection on the HSOT All-State Team.

Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year

  • Catherine Parker from N.C. Science & Math-Durham emerged as the champion in the NCHSAA 2A state championship, clocking in at 18:32.64. Her impressive performance also helped her team secure the team title. Parker’s lead of 36 seconds over the runner-up earned her a spot on the HSOT All-State Team as a third-team selection.

Recipient of the Cross Country Coach of the Year award.

  • The girls cross country team from Cardinal Gibbons, led by Nick Mangum, claimed victory at the NCHSAA 4A state championship, breaking Cuthbertson’s five-year winning streak.

Football Awards

“Recipient of the Football Defensive Player of the Year award”

  • In his final year of high school, Reagan Printy (formerly known as Hoggard) had an impressive 194 tackles. Out of those, 100 were solo tackles and 94 were assisted. He also had 27.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, and 14 quarterback hurries. On defense, he successfully defended five passes and made one interception. Additionally, he forced three fumbles and recovered two. Hoggard’s football team, NCHSAA 4A, came in second place at the state championship.

The recipient of the Football Offensive Player of the Year award.

  • Keenan Jackson, a player for Weddington, had 102 receptions for 1,704 yards and 19 touchdowns. He also had 1 rushing touchdown. His performance was instrumental in Weddington’s victory in the NCHSAA 4A state championship, earning him the title of championship game MVP. He has committed to UNC.

“The Special Teams Player of the Year in Football”

  • Francisco Rodriguez (Cape Fear) — As a sophomore, made 14-of-16 field goal attempts with a long of 47 yards, and was 33-of-34 on extra-point attempts. On 28 kickoffs, recorded 6 touchbacks.

Award

The recipient of the Football Coach of the Year Award is recognized as the top coach in the sport.

The winner of the Football Coach of the Year Award is acknowledged as the best coach in football.

  • Joe Glass from Hickory led the team to a perfect 16-0 record this fall after their winless season three years ago. They were crowned the NCHSAA 3A football state champions.

Golf Awards

Player awarded the title “Girls Golfer of the Year”

  • Leah Edwards, representing Northwest Guilford, made history as she became the first female state champion in her school’s golf team. She clinched the title by winning a playoff hole against Elizabeth Rudisill, the defending NCHSAA 4A state champion.

“Coach of the Year for Girls’ Golf”

  • Leah Edwards from Northwest Guilford won the individual championship title in a playoff against the previous state champion, leading her team to a second place finish behind Pinecrest at the NCHSAA 4A state golf championships. They were 10 strokes behind the winning team.

Soccer Awards

Player awarded Offensive Player of the Year for Boys Soccer

  • During the NCHSAA 1A state championship, Desmond Bullard of Gray Stone Day achieved 34 goals and 24 assists in 25 games this season, ultimately earning a total of 91 points. He also had a perfect record of 6-for-6 on PK attempts. His impressive performance earned him a spot on the N.C. Soccer Coaches Association’s all-state team.

The Defensive Player of the Year for Boys Soccer

  • In the upcoming season, Paul Northcutt from South Mecklenburg High School served as the senior goalkeeper. He had a successful record of 11 wins, 3 losses, and 1 tie, which contributed to his team winning the 4A state championship. Throughout the season, he only allowed 13 goals and made 93 saves. On average, Northcutt only let in 0.674 goals per game.

Coach of the Year for Boys’ Soccer

  • The boys soccer team from South Mecklenburg, led by Eric White, secured the No. 24 seed in the 4A West division and emerged as champions of the NCHSAA state championship with a 1-1 (6-5) win against Apex Friendship. This victory also made them the least seeded team to ever win a NCHSAA state title in any sport. The Sabres ended the season with an impressive record of 17-6-3 and were ranked No. 3 in the HSOT Top 25.

Tennis Awards

Female Tennis Athlete of the Year

  • McKinley Battle, representing Rocky Mount, bounced back from her elimination in the opening round of the NCHSAA 3A playoffs in the previous year. As a junior, she emerged victorious in the state championship match against Rennie Liu from Forestview, with a score of 3-6, 6-0, 6-1. This makes her the first female tennis player from Rocky Mount to claim a state title. Her unbeaten record of 27-0 this season is a testament to her skill and determination.

The recipient of the Girls Tennis Coach of the Year award.

  • Luke Graham (Mount Airy) — ​Mount Airy completed an undefeated season and successfully defending its NCHSAA 1A state championship this season. With a 25-0 record, the Granite Bears finished No. 5 in the HSOT Top 25 rankings.

Volleyball Awards

The player who has been chosen as the Offensive Player of the Year in volleyball.

  • Laynie Smith, a senior at Chapel Hill, had an impressive performance this fall, recording 353 kills with a 64.6% kill percentage. She also contributed 41 aces, 33 blocks, 75 digs, and 8 assists for the Tigers.

The recipient of the Volleyball Defensive Player of the Year award.

  • Gabby Nichols, also known as Reagan, achieved 95 blocks and 47 digs during her junior year at Reagan. She also had 247 kills with a kill percentage of 61.4%, along with 14 aces and 6 assists. Nichols has made a commitment to attend Penn State.

Volleyball Coach of the Year

  • Hope Heverly (Orange) — ​Orange’s volleyball team advanced to the NCHSAA 3A state championship match where it lost in five sets to Kings Mountain. The Panthers finished the season with a 27-5 record, won the Central 3A Conference title with a record of 13-1, and ranked No. 11 in the HSOT Top 25 rankings.

Source: highschoolot.com