Celebrating the best: Our top 50 Central Texas high school athletes for the 2022-23 year

Each year the American-Statesman chooses the top 50 high school athletes from Central Texas. From the first cross-country meet in August to the final baseball game in June, this list represents well over 50 public and private schools in the region.

There are 27 boys and 23 girls from 27 schools on our list. Georgetown and Vandegrift lead the way with five athletes each, followed by four apiece from Dripping Springs and Westlake.

Our top 50 athletes:

1. Jarvis Anderson, Taylor track, football

One of the top wide receivers in the area, Anderson earned All-Central Texas status as a utility player. But he really left his mark on the track team, winning two events at the UIL state meet, including a state record in the 300-meter hurdles, breaking a 38-year-old mark. This year's Central Texas athlete of the year is headed to Stephen F. Austin State for both football and track.

“I’ve coached people who have been drafted into the NFL and people who have gotten D-I scholarships,” said Anderson's track coach, Earven Flowers. “Jarvis will stand out as one of the most special athletes I’ve coached. Just watch.”

2. Mckenzie Bailey, Georgetown cross-country, track

The Eagles' standout distance runner made an impact in the fall, winning a gold medal at the UIL state cross-country meet, and again in the spring, winning two more medals at the state track and field meet. Her cross-country gold came after a fourth-place finish at state her freshman year and sixth-place finishes as a sophomore and junior.

As she moves on to run at TCU, she's also heading into her college career with perspective.

"I wanted to be the best at everything," Bailey said after winning her first gold at the state track meet. "I wanted to be No. 1 in the class for grades; I wanted to be No. 1 for soccer; I wanted to be No. 1 for cross-country and track. When I was a freshman, I thought I could do it all and balance it, but it hit me later that I wasn't balancing it. I was so fixated on results, I wasn't enjoying the process."

3. Olivia Moreno, Bowie wrestling

Arguably the best wrestler in Central Texas history, Moreno for sure was Central Texas' best softball player in 2022 — when she was our Central Texas athlete of the year. But she chose to focus on wrestling for her final year and closed out her high school — and athletic — career by winning a third straight gold medal at the UIL state wrestling championships. For her career, Moreno's wrestling record was 101-0. But now she's finished. She will go to college at Arkansas but won't continue wrestling or softball. Again, it was a big choice she made.

"I thought it might be cool to go to college and excel (at wrestling). But I got a lot out of wrestling and find other things to excel at," Moreno said. "It was never my dream to go to the Olympics."

4. Jeremy Kelly, Georgetown swimming

Will 2024 be a complete sweep for Kelly, one of the state's most accomplished swimmers? He has been the Central Texas boys swimmer of the year for the past three years. The junior has one more year left at Georgetown. The Texas-bound swimmer won 50- and 100-yard freestyle state golds in 2022 and again in 2023, helping the Eagles win the Class 5A boys state title.

"Dedication, sportsmanship and, honestly, just being a good human being," said Marcus Pineiro, Kelly's teammate, when asked what makes Kelly exceptional. "He likes to say he wants to have fun always, not just when we win. I've seen him help people from other teams become better swimmers."

5. Carlie Weiser, Giddings track and field

Perhaps the greatest high school athlete from Giddings High, Weiser had nothing left to prove at the prep level: three straight state track and field meets — the 2020 meet was canceled for the pandemic — and gold medals in the discus and shot put in all three. Six gold medals later, Weiser is headed off to throw at Texas A&M.

"If someone had said that would happen, I wouldn't have believed them," Weiser said at this year's state meet after finishing her career going 6-for-6 in state golds. "It would have been a crazy thought, a dream."

6. Kevin Sanchez, Vandegrift cross-country, track and field

Like Weiser, Sanchez had little left to prove at the high school level. He leaves to run at Notre Dame as the greatest distance runner not only in Vandegrift history, but perhaps in Central Texas history, too. He won his second career gold medal at this year's state cross-country meet — by 15 seconds — and then medaled twice at the state track meet.

“The team is what I’ll remember,” Sanchez said after the state cross-country meet. “It’s been a wild ride through my high school career.”

7. Brayden Buchanan, Vandegrift football, baseball

The two-sport star — in the fall, Buchanan earned second-team All-Central Texas football honors as a quarterback, and he is headed to Baylor to play baseball — says he likes football and baseball equally. He led the Vipers to the first football state championship in school history, passing for 3,376 yards and producing 38 total touchdowns.

“When Brayden was a junior, he befriended every senior, and he was in the senior crowd as far as being their friend,” said Drew Sanders, the football team’s coach since the school opened in 2009. “He gets along with everybody, and people gravitate toward him.”

8. Atlee Olofson, Westwood soccer

Westwood made it to the Class 6A state tournament behind the dominant play of Olofson, our Central Texas girls soccer player of the year, who's headed to Notre Dame. She capped an impressive four-year career by posting back-to-back shutouts at this year's regional tournament. The Warriors carried an 11-match winning streak into the state finals.

“She has impeccable vision on the field,” Westwood coach Malcolm Framjee said. “She’s an amazing athlete who probably would have gone D-I in any sport she played.”

9. Miles Coleman, Vandegrift football, track and field

Coleman, one of Central Texas' smallest football players (5-4, 145), had a big role in leading Vandegrift to the Class 6A Division II championship game, and he also made it to the state track meet in two sprint races. Our Central Texas football player of the year set virtually every single-season school receiving record with 99 catches for 1,738 yards and 13 touchdowns. He even added a pair of touchdown passes on trick plays that helped propel Vandegrift to a 38-35 state semifinal win over Katy. And Coleman was a junior, so he has one year left.

"I go into every game thinking I’m going to make the play," Coleman said. "I have the confidence that when the time comes, I’m going to make the play."

10. Ed Small, Anderson football, baseball

Like Vandegrift's Buchanan, Small was an elite area athlete who earned All-Central Texas honors in football but is headed to college for baseball. In the fall, Small had 60 catches for 1,164 yards and 15 touchdowns in only 10 games. He was a first-team All-Centex pick in football as well as baseball, where the Trojans' versatile outfielder batted .431 with 21 RBIs, 19 walks and 18 stolen bases. He had 44 hits and an on-base percentage of .516. Small has committed to play baseball for Texas; he'll be a junior this fall.

The rest of our top 50 — in alphabetical order

Sedrick Alexander, sr., LBJ football: The two-time All-Central Texas running back left LBJ as the Austin school district's career rushing leader. He signed with Vanderbilt.

Henley Anderson, fr., Dripping Springs volleyball: The Tigers' outside hitter was 26-6A's newcomer of the year after averaging 3.4 kills per game.

Maddy Azua, sr., Round Rock softball: Arguably Central Texas' best softball pitcher, the Texas State signee was in and out of the lineup because of injuries; the Dragons were 5-8 without her, but 14-2-2 with her.

Logan Brannan, sr., Lake Travis: A three-year starter and two-time all-district pick, the Notre Dame signee had 489 kills as a senior to help the Cavaliers reach the regional finals.

Jade Clack, sr., Austin High: The Central Texas girls basketball player of the year led the Maroons to a 30-4 season and No. 1 state ranking. She averaged 16 points and 10 rebounds and will play for TCU.

Cameron Dickey, jr., Crockett: Playing quarterback and safety, he led the Cougars to the state playoffs for the first time since 2017. The Texas Tech pledge had 3,058 total yards, produced 45 touchdowns and made 80 tackles.

Drayden Dickmann, sr., Georgetown: The All-Central Texas wide receiver had 79 catches for 1,299 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also qualified for the state track meet and holds the school record for the 100 meters. He's headed to Rice to play football.

Jaxon Donaldson, jr., Wimberley: Donaldson won his second Class 4A boys golf state championship in three years. He won state as a freshman and was second as a sophomore.

Nathan DuVall, sr., Westlake: The Central Texas baseball player of the year led the Chaparrals to the Class 6A state tournament, hitting .307, shoring up the defense as an infielder and going 8-1 as a pitcher with a 0.87 ERA.

Alex Foster, jr., Vandegrift: Foster was the defensive leader for the Class 6A Division II state finalists, finishing the season with 202 tackles. He also was the captain of Vandegrift's club lacrosse team.

Sydney Givens, jr., Vandegrift: Givens helped Vandegrift win the Class 6A girls state golf championship, finishing in a three-way tie for first place individually before winning silver in a playoff.

Jonathan Gonzales, sr., Bowie: The Bulldogs' leader helped Bowie go 21-12 by hitting .424 but was even more impressive on the mound, compiling a 10-1 record with a 1.21 ERA and 84 strikeouts over 63 innings.

Kinaa Graham, sr., Westwood: One of the greatest players in Central Texas history, she led the Warriors to the state team tennis championship in the fall and finished her career with four gold medals. She didn't compete in the spring because she enrolled early at LSU.

Taylor Haywood, jr., Hyde Park: The TAPPS all-state pitcher and third baseman recorded 25 wins in the circle, batted .645 and collected a school-record 71 hits for the state runners-up.

Jacob Henry, jr., Lake Travis: One of the area's most feared defensive linemen, he contributed 46 tackles for the Cavaliers. Henry, now at Vandegrift, also earned all-state honors in wrestling by placing fourth in the 285-pound division to end the year 24-5.

Ellie Hodsden, soph., Dripping Springs: The dominating Tiger had 50 goals, breaking her own record of 47 set as a freshman. A member of the national U16 team, she has already pledged to play at Notre Dame.

Quinten Joyner, sr., Manor: A two-time All-Central Texas running back, he finished his final season with 1,794 yards and 25 touchdowns. He enrolled at USC in the spring.

Laney Kalsu, jr., St. Michael's: The two-time TAPPS all-state pick in soccer led St. Michael's to the state tournament the past two years. She's committed to Oklahoma. Kalsu also reached the TAPPS track and field state tournament.

Michaela Koltz, sr., Cedar Park: Making her final appearance at the state meet, the Rice-bound swimmer earned a gold medal in the Class 5A breaststroke and a bronze in the 200 individual medley.

Carlos Manzano, sr., Rouse: The Central Texas boys soccer player of the year leaves as the owner of all of Rouse's scoring records. He had 30 goals and 17 assists last season for the Raiders, who went 22-3-2 and won District 25-5A.

D.J. McClelland, sr., Granger: The Lions' do-it-all athlete averaged 138 rushing yards per game and scored 21 touchdowns. As the middle linebacker, he led the team in tackles. He also qualified for state in the long jump, placing fifth.

Marko Mesarovic, sr., Westwood: The three-time state champion was our Central Texas boys tennis player of the year. His coach said Mesarovic was the most decorated boys athlete in Westwood history.

Rylee Michna, fr., Taylor: After the freshman went 30-1 and won a state singles championship, the sky appears to be the limit. She took the Class 4A singles title with a 6-0, 6-1 victory.

Ella Mongenel, soph., Cedar Park: The Central Texas girls swimmer of the year helped Cedar Park win a Class 5A state championship in February by earning a pair of golds and a silver at the state meet.

Josiah Moseley, jr., Stony Point: Our Central Texas boys basketball player of the year dominated in the paint and averaged 21.5 points, nine rebounds and 2.4 blocks for a 32-2 team that reached the regional tournament.

Austin Novosad, sr., Dripping Springs: The Oregon signee was the Statesman's All-Central Texas first-team quarterback. He threw for 2,911 yards and 39 touchdowns while leading the Tigers to the Class 6A Division II state semifinals.

Hannah O'Leary, sr., Round Rock: Making her final appearance at the state swimming and diving meet, the Texas A&M signee earned a gold medal in the Class 6A 200 medley and a silver in the 100 breaststroke.

Skye Perez, jr., Hyde Park: The shortstop/third baseman hit .580, set a school record with 11 home runs and tied a school record with 69 RBIs. Hyde Park went 42-4 and made the TAPPS state finals.

Mackenzie Plante, sr., Dripping Springs: The Central Texas volleyball co-player of the year, Plante was the MVP of the state tournament and was named the Class 6A player of the year by the Texas Girls Coaches Association. She was an early enrollee at Tennessee.

Malik Presley, sr., San Marcos: The Rattlers playmaker averaged 20 points, 9.3 rebounds and four assists to lead the basketball team to the District 27-6A championship and a 38-4 record.

Addie Russu, sr., Georgetown: Russu scored a school-record 27 goals and added 11 assists for Georgetown, which went 25-1-3 and reached the Class 5A state tournament. She signed with Lamar.

Bowen Stobb, sr., Lago Vista: A two-way starter for the past three years, Stobb earned district MVP honors after passing for 2,211 yards, rushing for 1,244 yards, accounting for 48 touchdowns and adding 53 tackles on defense.

Coy Stutts, sr., Thorndale: District 13-2A's offensive MVP passed for 2,162 yards, rushed for 1,155 and accounted for 41 TDs. He also earned all-district honors in baseball.

Travis Sykora, sr., Round Rock: The Dragons' fireballer was 6-0 with a 0.52 ERA and has a fastball that's been clocked at 101 mph. He's committed to Texas but is expected to be an early pick in this month's MLB draft.

Ashton Torns, sr., Westlake: On his fifth of six jumps, the versatile Chaparral had a leap of 25 feet, 3 inches to win the Class 6A long jump at the state track and field meet. He also won a silver in the 100.

Isa Torres, sr., Georgetown: The Florida State signee is a three-time All-Central Texas softball selection with a four-year batting average just a shade under .500. She led the Eagles to consecutive state tournament appearances.

Colton Vasek, sr., Westlake: The Central Texas defensive player of the year had 60 tackles, 47 solo stops and 14 sacks as an edge rusher. He was an early enrollee at Texas.

Adam Villanueva, soph., Westlake: The young Chaparral led Westlake to its sixth straight Class 6A state golf title. He shot a pair of 66s in the two-day tournament in Georgetown to win individual honors, too.

Rakaia Walker, soph., Lockhart: Walker was all over the basketball court, averaging 24 points, 11 rebounds and 5.6 steals. And she qualified for regionals in two sprints and ranks No. 1 academically in a class of 526.

Niyah Waters, soph., Hendrickson: District 23-5A's offensive MVP led the Hawks to the regional tournament. She averaged 13.4 points, 2.6 assists and 6.7 steals for a team that went 34-6.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: From football to track, our area's 50 top athletes are recognized.