These outstanding Vermont high school boys athletes left their mark in 2022-23

With our annual features on the Vermont high school athletes of the year posted, now it's time to give proper credit to other outstanding performances and accomplishments from the 2022-23 year.

More: North Country's Sabine Brueck named Free Press girls athlete of the year for 2022-23

More: These outstanding Vermont high school girls athletes left their mark in 2022-23

After a full year of watching games and combing through our Burlington Free Press All-State teams and coaches' all-league and all-state teams, here are a batch of boys standouts — 17 in all — who also caught our attention in the fall, winter and spring months.

STANDOUT BOYS

Danny Antillon, Enosburg High School

Antillon started his senior season garnering a BFP all-state honorable mention spot for the Hornets’ soccer team. Following a championship in his junior year, the midfielder guided Enosburg to an 11-win season and a quarterfinal appearance in 2022. He capped his final season in Franklin County securing a first-team nod for Lake Division baseball from the league’s coaches. Sandwiched between the two seasons, he also earned a coaches' honorable-mention selection in basketball out of the Lake.

Sawyer Beck, Peoples Academy

The speedster ran a leg on Peoples second-place 4-by-400-meter relay team at the Division II outdoor track and field state championship and dashed to a personal-record finish to earn runner-up honors in the 400 (51.25). On the soccer pitch, he was a coaches’ selection to the D-III all-state team for the 13-win and state champion Wolves. And he earned a coaches' honorable-mention selection in basketball for the Capital Division.

Cooper Brueck, North Country Union High School

Brueck’s exploits as a slashing guard for North Country topped the Lake Division as the coaches named the senior their league player of the year. North Country finished as the D-II runners-up winning 21 games and Brueck landed on the BFP all-state honorable-mention team this winter. He was also a D-II coaches’ all-state midfielder in soccer and in the spring, he played tennis for the Falcons.

Elijah Duprey, Vergennes Union High School

Duprey's versatile and athleticism led Vergennes soccer, basketball and baseball to the postseason in each season including two trips to the semifinals. In the fall he grabbed an honorable-mention spot on the BFP all-state team as a midfielder as the Commodores reached the D-III semifinals. He snagged a second-team Lake Division coaches’ pick in hoops and on the diamond he was coaches' first-team selection for the semifinalists.

Maison Fortin, Windsor High School

Fortin’s reign over the football landscape ended this fall with Windsor winning its second of back-to-back undefeated championships (22-0 over that stretch). The quarterback finished with 761 pass yards, 12 touchdowns and 21 2-point conversions to go with 1,007 rush yards and 18 scores, while earning a spot on the BFP all-state first team as a defensive back. In the winter he played his way to a spot on the BFP all-state honorable-mention basketball team and a coaches' second-team distinction in the SVL for basketball.

Related: Windsor pulls away from Fairfax/Lamoille for back-to-back perfect seasons

Nick Kelly, South Burlington High School

Kelly led South Burlington hockey to the tune of 13 goals and 13 assists this winter as the Wolves won 11 games, the most for the program since 2017. His prowess pushed SB to the semifinals as he grabbed a spot on BFP’s all-state second team as one of the top six forwards in the state. An ace for SB baseball in the spring, Kelly also brought the Wolves to the Final Four as the crafty lefty was a Metro first-team pitcher. In the fall, the junior quarterbacked the SeaWolves football team.

Related: The 32nd Annual Free Press All-State Boys Hockey Team

Owen Lawton, Middlebury Union High School

Lawton started his senior year grabbing a BFP all-state second-team soccer selection at goalie for the 13-win Tigers, and tallied 38 wins over a four-year career. Lawton was also a key contributor for the Middlebury hockey team. And in the spring, Lawton made the lacrosse coaches' D-I first team at attack and was named to the All-Academic squad as Middlebury reached the title game.

Jack McCoy, Burr and Burton Academy

McCoy was a dominant athlete in football, hockey and baseball in his junior year. Leading the Bulldog football team to the D-I semifinal he garnered a spot on BFP’s all-state first-team defense for 71 tackles and four interceptions from the safety position. On offense he had 2,014 pass yards and 724 rushing for 30 touchdowns as BBA’s starting quarterback. He also nabbed an honorable-mention selection from BFP as standout defenseman on the ice and was tabbed a first-team SVL coaches’ pick in baseball.

Eben Mosher, Green Mountain Union High School

Mosher was named Rutland Herald’s boys track performer of the year after winning four individual titles in the D-IV outdoor state championship. The senior won the 110-meter hurdles (15.87), 300 hurdles (42.13), javelin (143-2) and triple jump (38-11). Before he claimed those titles, Mosher made BFP’s all-state honorable-mention soccer team as a standout defenseman and the SVL coaches’ basketball squad.

Jamison Nystrom, Bellows Falls Union High School

Nystrom picked up the reins of Bellows Falls’ explosive football offense. In his senior season he compiled 951 yards from scrimmage and 12 touchdowns. Defensively the safety with extensive range corralled six interceptions. Also a special teams ace, he set the Terriers’ program record converting on 22 consecutive point after attempts (57 of 60 on the year) and was 1 of 2 on field goals. His overall excellence landed him as BFP’s all-state first-team kicker. In the winter and spring, Nystrom starred for BF basketball and baseball, earning first-team SVL coaches nods in both sports.

Woody Reichelt, Stowe High School

The standout forward for Stowe hockey, Reichelt tallied 63 points for the Raiders this winter and finished top-20 points scored all-time for the program to earn BFP’s all-state second-team distinction. Stowe reached the D-II semifinals and Reichelt finished with over 100 career points. Reichelt kicked off his senior year in the fall on Stowe’s soccer team where he landed on BFP’s all-state honorable-mention team as a standout midfielder. And in the spring, Reichelt reached the semifinal round of the doubles tennis state tournament.

Penn Riney, Middlebury Union High School

Riney picked up high praise from longtime Middlebury football coach Dennis Smith when he said that the senior was one of the best blocking tight ends that he’s had during his time with the program. Also an offensive threat, Riney pulled down 14 receptions for 149 yards and four touchdowns. But his defensive excellence (87 tackles and five sacks) earned him BFP all-state first-team defense as a versatile edge rusher. At 6-foot-5, Riney also excelled on the hardwood securing a BFP all-state honorable-mention selection and in the spring he was a defensive lacrosse standout for the D-I runners-up.

Tanner Robbins, Essex High School

The senior was the main force in the Hornets’ backfield in the fall racking up 1,117 yards and 16 touchdowns to lead Essex to the D-I semifinals. The steady back averaged 6.2 yards a carry, while also being a lockdown corner (Robbins earned BFP all-state first-team honors on defense in 2021 and offense this past season). This winter he was a scoring threat for Essex basketball and in the spring, he was first team all-state midfielder on the lacrosse field.

Tae Rossmassler, U-32 High School

Rossmassler lit Gutterson Fieldhouse on fire with a last-second goal in the D-II boys hockey championship against Mount Mansfield. The stunning goal off a rebound gave the Raiders a chance as the contest went to double OT and ended in an eventual triumph for U-32. Rossmassler was a standout for the Raiders all winter, while also earning a second-team coaches’ selection in football. And in arguably his best sport, lacrosse, Rossmassler competed for Montpelier and was a first-team coaches pick as he scored five goals in the D-III title win.

More: U-32 boys hockey stun Mount Mansfield in double OT championship

Jackson Strong, Rice Memorial High School

Strong made himself known as defenseman willing to dig pucks and win extra possessions in his senior year. The unselfish play pushed Rice to the top seed and an appearance in the D-I championship for a second straight season. He tallied 10 points this winter and was named BFP Mr. Hockey for the 2022-23 season. In the fall for Green Knights soccer, Strong earned D-II all-state selection from coaches as a defender. Finally, Strong earned a D-II coaches’ second-team nod in lacrosse this spring.

Carter Thompson, Mount Anthony Union High School

A true three-sport standout, the Bennington star was the only junior to make BFP’s all-state offensive team at the receiver position. He had 36 receptions for 689 yards and five touchdowns for the D-II champions, good for an honorable-mention pick. This winter Thompson steered the Patriots in basketball and again garnered an HM selection from BFP. And in the spring, Thompson hit in MAU’s two-hole as the Patriots appeared in the D-I baseball championship, and earned a first-team nod from the SVL coaches.

Connor Tierney, Hartford High School

Hartford’s football and hockey mainstay landed hits, cycled pucks and competed for every inch this year. Tierney, a senior, earned a first-team selection from the state’s football coaches a year after landing on BFP’s all-state first-team offense. In the winter, the defenseman was named D-II player of the year and was on BFP’s all-state first team after compiling 25 goals and 35 assists over two seasons. The Hurricanes went 40-5 over that stretch. Tierney wrapped his final season this spring with the Hurricanes lacrosse team, which went undefeated and captured its first title in program history. For his efforts on defense, Tierney landed on the D-II coaches' first team.

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Contact Jacob Rousseau at JRousseau@gannett.com. Follow on Twitter: @ByJacobRousseau

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Best Vermont high school boys athletes: Top performers for 2022-23