It's awards season and VYPE takes a look back at the 2023-24 athletic seasons.
What better to wrap up the year than with a Top 50... a comprehensive list of public and private school boys who became household names in Greater Houston.
So, how do we rank these elite athletes?
It's a tough criterium but VYPE combines performance on a local and state level, success in multiple sports, recruiting and college commitments, level of competition and what they meant to their respective programs.
We start with the boys.
DJ Lagway put Willis High School on the map. He was the No. 1 QB in the nation and led his team to a district title and deep into the postseason... which was historic. He graduated early and is already making waves at the University of Florida. He also played basketball and baseball during his tenure at Willis. Lagway was the most newsworthy and biggest game-changer in Houston in 2023-24.
Coming in a close second is Jelani Watkins of Atascocita. He transferred from Klein Forest, where he helped the Golden Eagles win a state title in track and field. He led Atascocita to a state title this season and helped the Eagles set national records in the relays and break the internet. Watkins also starred for the football team at WR and will take his talents to LSU starting this fall.
Imagine this... Episcopal's Karson Gordon set the all-time national high school triple jump record this spring. That means as long as the triple jump has been an event in high school track and field across the country, Gordon is the all-time best. As the Knights' QB, he led Episcopal to a SPC title in football and signed with UCLA. What a legacy.
Those are just a few of the tremendous athletes who graced the fields of play in H-Town. Check and see who else made the list.
The girls will be released tomorrow.
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VYPE’S TOP 50 MALE ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
No. 1 DJ Lagway Jr., Willis (Football)
No. 2 Jelani Watkins, Atascocita (Track, Football)
No. 3 Karson Gordon, Episcopal (Football, Track)
No. 4 Jayden Keys, Tompkins (Track)
No. 5 Damien McDaniel, Hitchcock (Football, Basketball)
No. 6 Aidan Morrison, Seven Lakes (Soccer)
No. 7 Cooper Paull, The Woodlands (Golf)
No. 8 Garrett McChesney, Jordan (Wrestling)
No. 9 Mason Dossett, Ridge Point (Football, Track)
No. 10 Cade Arrambide, Tomball (Baseball)
No. 11 Donte Lewis, St. Thomas (Football, Baseball)
No. 12 AJ Bates, Seven Lakes (Basketball)
No. 13 Justin Williams, Oak Ridge (Football)
No. 14 William Mitchell, FB Marshall (Track)
No. 15 Chris McDermott, Booker T. Washington (Basketball)
No. 16 Tony Laurito, Friendswood (Swim)
No. 17 Braylon Payne, Elkins (Baseball)
No. 18 Devin Sanchez, North Shore (Football, Track)
No. 19 Justin Begg, Episcopal (Basketball)
No. 20 Jonah Williams, Galveston Ball (Football, Baseball)
No. 21 Xavier Atkins, Summer Creek (Football)
No. 22 Maddox Keo, Willis (Baseball)
No. 23 DJ Sanders, Bellville (Football)
No. 24 Eli Walker Campbell, FBCA (Golf)
No. 25 Trey Owens, Cy-Fair (Football)
No. 26 Jordan Elie-Stuart, Houston Christian (Football, Track)
No. 27 Kelshaun Johnson, Hitchcock (Football, Basketball, Track)
No. 28 Nico Partida, Pearland (Baseball)
No. 29 Noey Do, Kempner (Tennis)
No. 30 Robert Miller III, Pasadena Memorial (Basketball)
No. 31 Chris Barnes, Summer Creek (Football, Track)
No. 32 Benjamin Montgomery, Bridgeland (Cross Country, Track)
No. 33 Isaac Sheeran, Klein (Wrestling)
No. 34 Lloyd Jones, Hitchcock (Football, Basketball)
No. 35 Carlos Gonzalez, Goose Creek Memorial (Soccer)
No. 36 Casan Evans, St. Piux X (Baseball)
No. 37 Max Granville, FBCA (Football, Track)
No. 38 Everett Cox, Logos Prep (Swim)
No. 39 Divine Ugochukwu, Clements (Basketball)
No. 40 Lawson Jacobs, Klein Forest (Track)
No. 41 Nigel Walls, St. Francis Episcopal (Basketball)
No. 42 DJ Taylor, Episcopal (Track)
No. 43 Lloyd Avant, Summer Creek (Football)
No. 44 Ossian Elgstrom, Cinco Ranch (Soccer)
No. 45 Jacoby Harmon, Cypress Springs (Track)
No. 46 Lucas Franco, Cinco Ranch (Baseball)
No. 47 Preston Kyle, St. Pius X (Football, Soccer)
No. 48 Jack McKernan, Ridge Point (Baseball)
No. 49 Aidan Xu and Allan Xu, Seven Lakes (Tennis)
No. 50 Nolan Traeger, Concordia Lutheran (Baseball)
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HONORABLE MENTIONS
Nathan Law, St. Thomas Episcopal (Basketball)
Tristen Brown, Lamar (Football)
Victor Coronado, Lutheran South (Baseball)
Kaden Jenkins, Rosehill Christian (Golf)
Brody Knowlton, Lake Creek (Golf)
Cooper Markle, Tompkins (Baseball)
Caldwell McFadden, Magnolia West (Baseball)
Evan Ringwald, Episcopal (Cross Country, Track)
Brandon Schirck, Friendswood (Track)
Noa Stasic, Seven Lakes (Soccer)
Dyllan Thompson, Second Baptist (Basketball)
Montana Wheeler, Houston Christian (Basketball)