HSOT Honors Coverage

HSOT Honors: Announcing the 2023 fall sports awards

Nick Stevens hosts the 2023 fall sports awards show for HSOT Honors as winners are named.

Here are the 2023 fall sports winners for HSOT Honors

The winners for the 2023 fall sports awards at HighSchoolOT Honors have been announced.

Nick Stevens, HighSchoolOT managing editor

HighSchoolOT Honors: Every past winner & event history

Here's every past winner from HSOT Honors, the only awards show that honors high school athletes across North Carolina.

Here are the 2023 fall sports finalists for HSOT Honors: Vote for the winners now

Voting is open from noon on Dec. 13 until 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 31. You can vote once per day in each category at HighSchoolOT.com/Honors.

Nick Stevens, HighSchoolOT managing editor

October Scholar Athletes of the Month: T.C. Roberson's Quinn Roberts, McMichael's Kacey Gore

T.C. Roberson's Quinn Roberts and McMichael's Kacey Gore have been named the October HighSchoolOT Male & Female Scholar Athletes of the Month presented by APlus Test Prep.

Nick Stevens, HighSchoolOT managing editor

2023-24 HighSchoolOT Honors ballot

HighSchoolOT Honors celebrates North Carolina's BEST high school athletes, coaches, teams, and more.

September Scholar Athletes of the Month: Green Hope's Justin Jackson, Wake Christian's Macey Boyer

Green Hope's Justin Jackson and Wake Christian's Macey Boyer have been named the September HighSchoolOT Male & Female Scholar Athletes of the Month presented by APlus Test Prep.

Nick Stevens, HighSchoolOT managing editor

August Scholar Athletes of the Month: Millbrook's Jayden Ferguson, Cape Fear's Payton Gunter

Millbrook's Jayden Ferguson and Cape Fear's Payton Gunter have been named the August HighSchoolOT Male & Female Scholar Athletes of the Month presented by APlus Test Prep.

Nick Stevens, HighSchoolOT managing editor

2023-24 HighSchoolOT Scholar Athlete of the Month Nominations

Nominate a deserving student-athlete for the HighSchoolOT Scholar Athlete of the Month.

Photos: 2023 HighSchoolOT Honors Awards Ceremony

The 2023 HighSchoolOT Honors awards show was hosted at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Science in Raleigh on Saturday June 17, 2023 featuring the state's top athletes and coaches (Photos: Ray Black/HighSchoolOT)

Wheatmore's Ellie Garrison wins girls soccer player of the year

Ellie Garrison shattered the NCHSAA record for goals in a season this year with 96 in 24 games, averaging 4 goals per game. The previous record was 82, set by Isabel Pearce of Woods Charter. Garrison and Pearce are the only girls soccer players in NCHSAA history to eclipse the 80-goal mark in a season. Garrison also recorded 17 assists for the Warriors, helping the team to a 24-1 overall record and a state runner-up finish.

Franklin's Tori Ensley wins female athlete of the year at HSOT Honors

Tori Ensley is a multi-sport star for the Franklin Panthers. In the fall, she recorded 243 kills, 266 digs, 64 blocks, and 10 serving aces on the volleyball team. Then, during basketball season, she led the team in scoring with 16.9 points per game. Ensley added 3.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 4.4 steals per game. Ensley's top sport is softball where she had a .558 ERA, scored 51 runs and posted 29 RBI. She has signed to play softball next year at NC State University.

Drake Powell of Northwood wins boys basketball player of the year

Standing at 6-foot-5 and 170 pounds, Powell is a five-star player and the No. 1 player in North Carolina from the Class of 2024, according to 247Sports.ocm. The junior averaged 18.6 points, 7 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.4 steals per game this past season, leading Northwood to a 28-3 overall record and a state runner-up finish. Powell has already committed to play college basketball for the UNC Tar Heels

West Lincoln's Mason Avery wins male athlete of the year at HSOT Honors

Mason Avery is a multi-sport athlete at West Lincoln. On the football team, he recorded 105 total tackles, including nine tackles for loss and three sacks. He added two fumble recoveries, one of which he returned for a touchdown, one forced fumble, and one pass breakup. On offense, he rushed for 2,622 yards and 37 touchdowns on 283 carries, averaging 238 yards per game. He was a Shrine Bowl selection and was selected to the East-West All-Star game. Avery won the 2A wrestling state championship in the 182-pound weight class this past winter, posting a 42-6 season record. He was also an important piece on the baseball team and competed on the track & field team.

Christ School's Rocky Hansen wins boys XC runner of the year

Hansen won the NCISAA 4A state championship by a 36-second margin, helping the Greenies to the team title as well. He also won the Champ Sports South Regionals, qualifying him for the national meet where he finished 11th to earn All-America honors. Hansen was unbeaten by any North Carolina runner in 2022, and clocked a personal-best time of 14:29.20, one of his nine meet wins last fall. He was named the Gatorade North Carolina Player of the Year and will run distance for Wake Forest University next year.

Gracie Mullahy of Cardinal Gibbons wins girls lacrosse player of the year

As a senior this spring, Mullahy recorded 53 goals and 42 assists in 22 games, posting a total of 95 points. She controlled 67 draws for the Crusaders, and forced 20 turnovers. Cardinal Gibbons won the 4A state championship for the second straight season this spring.

Slideshow: HighSchoolOT Honors (Jun. 17, 2023)

Photos from the 2023 HighSchoolOT Honors Award Show in downtown Raleigh. Photos by Ray Black.

Western Harnett's Ian Bristow wins Stuart Scott Courage Award at HSOT Honors

Western Harnett senior Ian Bristow had a standout high school career in three sports before a car accident left him paralyzed from the chest down shortly after his junior year. But Bristow remained part of the athletic department this year, using his camouflage all-terrain wheelchair on the sidelines of football games - where he was also named homecoming king this year.

Millbrook's Kiki Horne wins volleyball player of the year

The 6-foot-2 junior outside hitter led Millbrook to a 29-1 record and the 4A state title, where she was named the MVP of the state championship game after recording 27 kills in the Wildcats' sweep of Sun Valley. For the season, Horne posted 522 kills, 220 digs, 44 service aces, and 37 blocks while recording a .585 kill percentage and a .455 hitting percentage on the attack. She was named the North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year and has already committed to play volleyball at UCLA.

Panther Creek's Taylor Barner wins girls basketball player of the year

Standing at 5-foot-9, Barner is rated a four-star prospect by ESPN. As a junior this past season, she recorded 19 points per game, 3.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 2.9 steals. She played in all 33 games for Panther Creek, helping the Catamounts to a 29-4 season, including a 4A state title where she scored 20 points in the championship game.

Cleveland, Willow Spring win marching band, mascot of the year

Cleveland and Willow Spring won marching band and mascot of the year respectively at HSOT Honors.

Southern Guilford's Tianna Spinks wins girls indoor track & field athlete of the year

Tianna Spinks was named the 3A Most Outstanding Performer at the 3A indoor track & field championship this past winter. She won gold in the 300 and 500 meter races with times of 39.96 seconds and 1 minute, 16.91 seconds respectively. She also played third in the 55 meter dash.

Rosewood's Reece Gery wins boys soccer player of the year

This past season, Gery set the NCHSAA record for assists in a season with 59, breaking the previous record of 56 set by Granville Central's Eduardo Cifuentes. They are the only two boys soccer players in NCHSAA history to pass the 50-assist mark in a season. Gery also recorded 21 goals, for a total of 101 points, helping Rosewood to a state runner-up finish and a 23-3 overall record.

J.H. Rose baseball coach Ronald Vincent wins Lifetime Achievement Award

Ronald Vincent has served as the baseball coach at J.H. Rose High School since 1973. This season, he became the first NCHSAA coach to win 1,000 games in any single sport. He is a member of the NCHSAA Hall of Fame, and was named the NCHSAA Coach of the Year in 2022. His teams have won seven baseball state championships, and he was an assistant coach on five state championship football teams at J.H. Rose.

Myers Park's Mary Bonner Dalton wins girls XC runner of the year

Mary Bonner Dalton finished second in the 4A state championship race, but she made a splash on the national level. She earned All-American honors after finishing 12th at the Champs Sports Cross Country Championships in San Diego.