We began naming our High School Player of the Year this week. You can find the list of seniors, juniors and sophomores by clicking the links. The freshmen our below.

First, let’s take a look at the process and what you can expect. The next step after announcing our candidates is to narrow the list to our Player of the Year finalists, beginning next week in which we’ll have more depth on each player and why they are a finalist. From there, we will name and award the Player of the Year for each class.

I’ve been handing out awards in some capacity for nearly 20 years. There is always a cutoff point and therefore there is always excitement and disappointment depending which side of that cutoff a player was on. This is a relative selective list that is of course subjective. There’s no way to make a list like this all-inclusive and we acknowledge that in a country as large as ours there are so many talented players who fly under the radar and may never receive press.

At the same time, we set forth to honor those we feel qualify for Player of the Year candidates.

Again, making a list like this is subjective. Here’s what we are ultimately looking for in our Player of the Year winners. It involves looking at three parts – the athlete, their impact on their team and the team’s overall success.

In terms of team success, it’s relative but we are looking for a deep run in the state playoffs. Take Highland Park of Texas for example. The Scots had a tremendous regular season – including beating eventual 6A champion Dripping Springs in the finale – but was upset by Guyer in the regional quarterfinals. That meant Highland Park didn’t make a deep run in the state playoffs and as a result a player like senior outside Sydney Breon – who could have been a Player of the Year candidate – is not featured.

As for the impact an athlete had on their team, for a top player like Chloe Chicoine of McCutcheon (Indiana) is quite obvious. She had an enormous impact and it’s just as obvious the Mavericks would not have had the season they did without her. This holds true of all the top talented players like Chicoine. It’s much different to gauge with someone like Kyndal Stowers of Guyer. She missed more than half the season but clearly her presence made a difference in the upset of Highland Park. Still, Stowers played less than half her team’s sets this fall and therefore she also wasn’t featured.

Then there’s the matter of the player, which we gave a few examples of above. Both Chicoine and Stowers are top-tier, 5-star players and that alone would have them in consideration. But add the other two factors and you can see how a player like Chicoine is on the list and Stowers is not.

An example specific to the junior class is with 5-star Nebraska recruit Skyler Pierce. We all know her amazing talents but Olathe Northwest did not make the final eight of the state playoffs for Kansas and thus she is not part of the Player of the Year Candidates for her class. The same goes for Pierce’s club teammate Abigail Mullen of Liberty in the sophomore class. Despite her amazing talents her team also didn’t advance far enough to make the cut.

Finally, we present our Freshmen Player of the Year Candidates.

Addison West FR OH Skutt Catholic NE

Amira Bailey FR MB Bowling Green KY

Anna Flores FR OH Keller TX

Aubree Deshetsky FR S/OH North Branch MI

Ayanna Watson FR OH Bishop Gorman NV

Bellamie Beus FR OH Skyview ID

Bennett Raterman FR MB St. Pius X MO

Cali Foster FR OH Benton Central IN

Catherine Palmi FR OH Osceola FL

D’aira Whitner FR MB Gilmour Academy OH

***

Elena Hoecke FR MB Centennial MN

Elena Ruble FR S St. Pius MO

Ella Florez FR S/OH Mill Valley KS

Ella Grimes FR OH Ursuline Academy OH

Ella Warrick FR OH Linton-Stockton IN

Erin Clark FR L Corona del Sol AZ

Finley Krystkowiak FR OH Torrey Pines CA

Gabby Divita FR OH Grosse Pointe South MI

Gabi Zacharisen FR OH Harrisburg SD

Genevieve Harris FR S Cardinal Gibbons NC

***

Haley Robinson FR OH Bayside Academy AL

Halle Dolliver FR OH Malcolm NE

Henley Anderson FR OH Dripping Springs TX

Jenness Orcutt FR RS Hagerty FL

Jordyn Gray FR OH Cox Mill NC

Kalyssa Taggart FR S/RS Lambert GA

Kendal Roberson FR MB Brentwood Christian TX

Keoni Williams FR MB Boswell TX

Kinnady Boothe FR OH East Forsyth NC

Kylie Kleckner Fr OH Bryon Nelson TX

***

Laura Eichert FR OH Lake Stevens WA

Liv Hosford FR MB Rockford MI

Madi Crowe FR OH Lewis Palmer CO

Mikayla Haner FR Hamilton AZ

Myah Favre FR MB Our Lady Academy MS

Paisley Pavliska FR OH Floresville TX

Sarah Wood FR OH Garnet Valley PA

Vivian Hickman FR OH Xavier Prep AZ