We are in holiday season which also means we are in award season for our national players of the year. Over the next few weeks we’ll be selecting and naming our Player of the Year for the senior, junior, sophomore and freshman classes.

First, let’s take a look at the process and what you can expect. We begin this week by naming our Player of the Year candidates, starting with the senior class Tuesday, juniors Wednesday, sophomore Thursday and freshmen Friday. 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 below.

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

Abigail Paulson JR OH Coronado NV

Addie Waller JR S Rock Canyon CO

Alayna Pierce JR OH Genoa-Kingston IL

Alex Acevedo JR OH Skyview ID

Alex Bower JR S Skyview ID

Allie Shondell JR S McCutcheon IN

Aly Cox JR OH Timberline ID

Alyssa Nelson JR S Lafayette MO

Amanda Saeger JR S Cathedral Catholic CA

Aubrey Goodere JR MB Estrella Foothills AZ

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Aubrey Hatch JR OH Colgan VA

Avery Scoggins JR S Middle Creek NC

Bella Faria JR OH Kickapoo MO

Carlie Cisneros JR OH Liberty North MO

Carly O’Brien JR OH Dorman SC

Charlie Fuerbringer JR S Mira Costa CA

Charlotte Moriarty JR OH Assumption KY

Clara Gyomory JR OH North Branch MI

Delaney Bub JR OH Eagle ID

Delaney Gash JR OH Dunbar KY

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Delaney Lawson JR OH Bellmont IN

Ella Demetrician JR OH Appleton North WI

Ellie White JR OH Mother McAuley IL

Emerson Deferme JR OH Grandview CO

Emily Pruitt JR OH Sunrise Mountain AZ

Emma Levingston JR OH Brandon MS

Evan Hendrix JR OH Notre Dame Prep AZ

Fallon Stewart JR OH Winter Park FL

Grace Agolli JR S/OH Pace Academy GA

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Hannah Parant JR S Mountain Brook AL

Izzy Starck JR S/RS Rampart CO

Izzy Swiercz JR OH Hudsonville MI

Jadyn Livings JR OH Prestonwood Christian TX

Jordan Smart JR S Reagan NC

Jordan Vander Veen JR OH Ripon Christian CA

Julia Bohlinger JR OH Windsor CO

Kate Schneeberg JR S Bishop Kelley OK

Kayla Robertson JR OH St. Dominic MO

Kenslee McGowan JR S Cleveland TN

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Kiarrah Horne JR OH Millbrook NC

Kiera Brady JR OH Chaminade CA

Kiley Gennerman JR OH Lewis Palmer CO

Kinnari Atluru JR OH University CA

Lauren Harden JR OH HSE IN

Lauren Medeck JR OH Papillion-LaVista South NE

Lauren Salata JR OH Nazareth Academy IL

Leilia Toailoa JR OH Bishop Gorman NV

Lilly Wagner JR S Oconomowoc WI

Livi Schneider JR OH Snowflake AZ

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Logan Tusher JR S Branson CA

Maela Honma JR OH Kamehameha/Hawaii HI

Malayah Long JR S Lincoln Southwest NE

Mamie Fromdahl JR S McGill-Toolen AL

Maren Johnson JR OH Jenks OK

Mayte Camacho JR L Hagerty FL

Mia Tvrdy JR MB Papillion-LaVista NE

Molly Kate Patten JR MB Lambert GA

Morgan Glaser JR OH Papillion-LaVista NE

Natalie Depaula JR OH Boca Raton FL

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Olivia Mauch JR L Bennington NE

Paisley Douglas JR L Skutt Catholic NE

Payton Petersen JR OH Dike-New Hartford IO

Rachel VanGorp JR OH Heritage Christian KS

Reagan Sharp JR OH Keller TX

Reece Varden JR MB Spanish Fort AL

Reese Booth JR S Elkhorn North NE

Reese Fraser JR S Archie Williams CA

Riley Anderson JR OH Palmer Ridge CO

Ryan McAleer JR L Blue Valley KS

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Ryla Jones JR MB Flint Hill VA

Savannah Skopal JR S Rouse TX

Sophie Hall JR OH Berean Christian CA

Sophie-Kate Harvey JR OH Pope GA

Stella Swenson JR S Wayzata MN

Zoey Burgess JR MB Lone Peak UT