High School Sports
Here are the 2023 fall sports winners for HSOT Honors
The winners for the 2023 fall sports awards at HighSchoolOT Honors have been announced.
Winners for the fall sports awards at HighSchoolOT Honors have been announced for the 2023 season.
Throughout the fall sports season, HighSchoolOT accepted nominations from the public for each of the categories. After the season ended, our committee met and narrowed down the nominations to five finalists in each category.
Once the finalists were announced, the public voted on the winners for more than two weeks. People were allowed to vote once per day in each category.
For elite awards, like the athletes and coaches of the year, nominations are accepted throughout the year. Finalists will be named at the end of the school year and voting will take place after that. Winners of elite awards will be announced in the summer.
Here are the fall sports winners:
Cross Country Awards
Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year
- 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 (N.C. Science & Math-Durham) — Catherine Parker won the NCHSAA 2A state championship with a time of 18:32.64, leading N.C. Science & Math to the team title as well. Parker was 36 seconds ahead of second place and was named to the HSOT All-State Team as a third-team selection.
Cross Country Coach of the Year
- Nick Mangum (Cardinal Gibbons) — Cardinal Gibbons' girls cross country team won the NCHSAA 4A state championship, ending Cuthbertson's streak of five straight.
Football Awards
Football Defensive Player of the Year
- Reagan Printy (Hoggard) — As a senior, Printy recorded 194 total tackles, including 100 solo tackles and 94 assisted tackles. He added 27.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, and 14 quarterback hurries. He had five defended passes with one interception, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. Hoggard was the NCHSAA 4A state runner up.
Football Offensive Player of the Year
- Keenan Jackson (Weddington) — Caught 102 passes for 1,704 yards and 19 touchdowns, also recorded 1 rushing touchdown. Helped Weddington win the NCHSAA 4A state championship where he was named the championship game MVP. UNC commit.
Football Special Teams Player of the Year
- 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.
Football Coach of the Year
- Joe Glass (Hickory) — After Hickory went winless three seasons ago, the Red Tornadoes posted a perfect 16-0 record this fall, winning the NCHSAA 3A football state championship.
Golf Awards
Girls Golfer of the Year
- Leah Edwards (Northwest Guilford) — Leah Edwards became the first girls golf state champion in school history at Northwest Guilford, winning a playoff hole over defending NCHSAA 4A state champion Elizabeth Rudisill.
Girls Golf Coach of the Year
- Ron Bare (Northwest Guilford) — The Northwest Guilford girls golf team was the state runner-up at the NCHSAA 4A state championships, finishing 10 strokes behind Pinecrest. However, Northwest Guilford won the individual championship as Leah Edwards won a playoff hole against the reigning state champion.
Soccer Awards
Boys Soccer Offensive Player of the Year
- Desmond Bullard (Gray Stone Day) — En route to winning the NCHSAA 1A state championship, Desmond Bullard scored 34 goals and recorded 24 assists in 25 games this season for Gray Stone Day. He finished with 91 points. Bullard was also a perfect 6-for-6 on PK attempts. He was an all-state team selection by the N.C. Soccer Coaches Association.
Boys Soccer Defensive Player of the Year
- Paul Northcutt (South Mecklenburg) — As a senior in goal this fall, Northcutt recorded a record of 11-3-1, helping South Mecklenburg to the 4A state championship. He allowed just 13 goals and made 93 saves. The average goals scored against Northcutt was just 0.674.
Boys Soccer Coach of the Year
- Eric White (South Mecklenburg) — South Mecklenburg's boys soccer team took the No. 24 seed out of the 4A West and won the NCHSAA state championship with a 1-1 (6-5) victory over Apex Friendship. The Sabres became the lowest-seeded team in any sport to win a NCHSAA state title. South Meck finished the season with a 17-6-3 record and ranked No. 3 in the HSOT Top 25.
Tennis Awards
Girls Tennis Player of the Year
- McKinley Battle (Rocky Mount) — After being eliminated in the first round of the NCHSAA 3A playoffs last year, McKinley Battle defeated Forestview's Rennie Liu 3-6, 6-0, 6-1 to win the state championship as a junior. McKinley is the first state champion in girls tennis from Rocky Mount. She was 27-0 this season.
Girls Tennis Coach of the Year
- 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
Volleyball Offensive Player of the Year
- Laynie Smith (Chapel Hill) — As a senior this fall, Laynie Smith recorded 353 kills with a kill percentage of 64.6%. She added 41 aces, 33 blocks, 75 digs, and 8 assists for the Tigers.
Volleyball Defensive Player of the Year
- Gabby Nichols (Reagan) — As a junior at Reagan, Gabby Nichols recorded 95 total blocks and 47 digs. She added 247 kills with a kill percentage of 61.4%, 14 aces, and 6 assists. Nichols is committed to 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.
