2019 American-Statesman's Top 50 high school athletes
THE TOP 10
1. Brett Baty, senior, Lake Travis: On his baseball accolades alone, Baty earned a spot in the top 10. The slugging third baseman and pitcher, who passed on a scholarship offer from the University of Texas after being drafted No. 12 by the New York Mets last month, had a school-record 19 home runs and 50 RBIs to go along with a .602 batting average and 50 runs. He earned All-Central Texas player of the year honors and helped the Cavaliers reach the Class 6A state tournament. Baty also earned a spot on the All-Centex basketball team after averaging 12.3 points on 62.2% shooting along with 5.9 rebounds for the regional quarterfinalists.
2. Chase Griffin, senior, Hutto: In his three seasons as the starting quarterback, the All-Centex football player of the year redefined the Hippos' program while breaking virtually every school passing record. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound quarterback, now at UCLA, passed for 4,051 yards and 51 touchdowns in 2018 while leading Hutto to an 11-1 record, the school’s first unbeaten regular season since 1966 and a spot in the Class 5A Division I regional semifinals. He completed 268 of 373 passes with just five interceptions and rushed for 415 yards and eight touchdowns on 82 carries while earning the 2018-19 Gatorade Texas Football Player of the Year award.
3. Avery Kalsu, junior, Dripping Springs: A versatile volleyball standout who earned the All-Centex player of the year award, Kalsu averaged two kills, 6.2 assists and 9.4 digs per set with 56 aces while helping the Tigers reach the Class 5A state tournament. But the Tulsa volleyball pledge didn’t slow down after volleyball season; as a member of the Tigers’ track and field team, Kalsu participated in the 100 and 400 meters, high jump, long jump, 400 relay, 800 relay and 1,600 relay. She capped her track season with a fourth-place finish in the 400-meter run at the UIL Class 5A state meet.
4. Ryan O’Keefe, senior, Round Rock: One of the most dynamic athletes in the state, O’Keefe flashed his blazing speed on both the gridiron and the track. A likely defensive back at Central Florida next season, the All-Centex honoree played quarterback for the Dragons and amassed 1,844 yards and 28 touchdowns rushing and another 1,068 yards and seven scores in the air. In the spring, O’Keefe capped a stellar track season with a fourth-place time of 10.50 seconds in the 100 at the Class 6A state meet.
5. Bailey Goggans, sophomore, Marble Falls: In the top performance by any area athlete at the UIL state track meet in May, Goggans continued a school tradition by racing to a pair of gold medals. Not only did she win Class 5A gold in both the 400 and 800, but her time of 2 minutes, 7.39 seconds in the 800 set a state record in her classification. The All-Centex girls track athlete of the year joins former Olympian and UT All-American Leo Manzano as a multiple gold winners for the Mustangs.
6. Greyson Alarcon, senior, Georgetown: The leader of the Eagles’ state championship boys swimming contingent had quantity and quality at the UIL Class 5A state meet. The Louisville signee and All-Centex boys swimmer of the year finished the day with four gold medals. He set a state record in the 100 butterfly with a time of 48.05 seconds during preliminaries and then won the state title in the event. He also won gold in the 100 backstroke to become the area’s lone double individual champion.
7. Cameron Everts, junior, Lampasas: Arguably the top athlete to compete for the Badgers since former UT star Johnny “Lam” Jones, the receiver earned All-Centex football honors by hauling in 79 passes for 1,308 yards and 17 touchdowns and rushing for another 342 yards and five touchdowns. He carried that success over into track season, winning the 300 hurdles at the Class 4A state meet.
8. Jordyn Carter, senior, Crockett: The girls basketball player, a four-year starter for the South Austin school, averaged 18.4 points on 54% shooting and added 5.1 assists, 6.8 rebounds and 5.3 steals a game while earning All-Centex honors. She also helped make school history by leading the Cougars to their first playoff win. She capped her prep career by qualifying for the Class 5A Region IV track meet in multiple events.
9. Wyatt Cheney, senior, Liberty Hill: An All-Centex selection in two sports, the Oklahoma State baseball pledge delivered plenty of heat in a busy senior year. During football season, the defensive back led the Class 4A Division I state finalist Panthers with 102 tackles, including 62 solo stops. In the spring, he delivered a 10-0 record, a 0.63 ERA and 114 strikeouts in 78 innings for a baseball team that reached the regional finals.
10. Danielle Serna, senior, Austin High: A 2018 top-10 selection after starring for the Maroons’ softball and girls basketball teams, Serna bypassed hoops as a senior but delivered a stellar softball performance while helping Austin to its best season in school history. The Colorado State pledge and All-Centex player of the year struck out 514 batters in 219 innings, went 29-6 as a starting pitcher and hit .388 with 21 RBIs and 31 runs scored.
THE BEST OF THE REST
(in alphabetical order)
Rodrigo Arellano, senior, Hendrickson: The All-Centex boys soccer player of the year had 17 goals and three assists while leading the Hawks to the district title.
Will Baker, senior, Westlake: The 7-foot post and All-Centex boys basketball player of the year, a Texas signee, averaged almost 25 points and 13 rebounds.
Brian Batts, senior, LBJ: The versatile football star played running back, defensive back and quarterback and was among the team leaders in scoring and rebounding for the district champion basketball team.
Thomas Bockholt, senior, Westlake: The All-Centex athlete of the year in boys golf won the Class 6A individual gold medal and helped his team win its third straight state title.
Brooke Briscoe, senior, Liberty Hill: The midfield engine of the Class 4A girls soccer state finalists’ prolific attack had 40 goals and 28 assists while setting virtually every school record.
Greg Brown III, junior, Vandegrift: The explosive 6-7 forward, a three-year member of the Statesman’s All-Centex boys basketball first team, averaged 30.1 points, 13.5 rebounds and 5.4 blocks for the playoff-qualifying Vipers.
Alfred Collins, junior, Cedar Creek: The 6-5, 260-pounder earned a spot on the All-Centex football team after racking up 92 tackles, including 28 for a loss, and six sacks and led the Eagles’ basketball team in scoring.
Ella Collins, senior, Anderson: The All-Centex swimmer completed a career three-peat by winning her third straight title in the Class 6A 100 freestyle with a personal-best 49.53 and won silver in the 200 freestyle.
Megha Dania, junior, Lake Travis: The All-Centex girls tennis player of the year beat Westwood’s Jessica Lu to claim the Class 6A girls singles title.
Sadie Englemann, junior, Westlake: The All-Centex girls golfer of the year tied for third at the Class 6A state tournament and helped the Chaparrals defend their state title.
Cade Felps, senior, Blanco: After rushing for almost 1,500 yards for the playoff-qualifying football team, the speedster qualified for the 100 in the 3A state track meet.
Michaela Francois, sophomore, Weiss: The All-Centex sprinter made school history by racing to gold in the 100 at the 5A state meet with time of 11.74, becoming the first member of the Weiss track and field team to win a state gold medal.
Corby Furrer, sophomore, Georgetown: In addition to swimming on the record-setting 400 boys freestyle relay team and the winning 200 relay team, the All-Centex swimmer won individual gold in the 500 free and silver in the 200 free.
Kiana Graham, junior, Westwood: The All-Centex athlete played on the top line for Westwood’s state championship tennis team in the fall and reached the finals of the spring’s 6A mixed doubles state bracket with partner Gaurav Singh.
Anna Cathryn Griffith, senior, Taylor: The Texas Tech track signee capped a brilliant prep career by becoming the second girl to win the pole vault in all four years and added silver in the 300 hurdles with a personal-best 44.46.
Scott Guzman, senior, Thorndale: The All-Centex baseball player also earned all-district honors in football and ran track for the Bulldogs.
Kyle Harrison, senior, Liberty Hill: The offensive spark plug for the state football finalists set an Austin-area single-season record with 2,875 yards rushing and scored 44 total touchdowns.
MaKenzie Harvey, senior, Pflugerville: The All-Centex girls soccer player of the year and daughter of Pflugerville head coach Mike Harvey had 19 goals and 21 assists while leading the Panthers to their best season in school history.
Kirt Hawkins, junior, Smithville: The explosive playmaker earned All-Centex football honors with 991 yards and eight touchdowns receiving as well as five return scores and qualified for the 4A state track meet in the triple jump.
Ana Herceg, sophomore, Weiss: The All-Centex girls swimmer of the year defended her 5A state title in the 200 freestyle with a state record of 1:46.39 and added silver in 500 free.
Cameron Kleiman, senior, LBJ: The All-Centex boys cross-country athlete of the year led the Jaguars to a second-place team finish in their first Class 5A state meet with a second-place time of 15:08.41.
Hannah Laurence, senior, Thorndale: The leader and all-district performer for the Bulldogs’ state finalist softball team also competed in the Class 2A state track meet in the 100 hurdles.
Caden Leschber, senior, Thrall: The three-year starter and team captain for baseball hit .471 with five home runs and 46 RBIs and had seven wins and 86 strikeouts, and he also starred at quarterback for the football team.
Mason Mangum, junior, Westlake: The Arkansas football pledge and All-Centex selection at wide receiver also tallied 16 points at the 6A state track meet by finishing second in the long jump, fourth in the 300 hurdles and fifth in the 110 hurdles.
Jordan Mathis, junior, Vandegrift: The All-Centex girls cross-country athlete of the year clocked personal-best 17:26.14 while finishing eighth at the 6A state meet.
Tori McCann, senior, Cedar Ridge: The Texas State signee and All-Centex softball player had 23 wins, an 0.81 ERA and 180 strikeouts and also hit .400 for a team that spent most of the year atop the state’s Class 6A poll.
Jacob Munoz, senior, Cedar Park: The standout football player in the fall went 40-1 during wrestling season and won gold in the 220-pound class at the 5A state tournament.
Dushon Orr, junior, Taylor: The versatile All-Centex boys track athlete of the year won three medals at the 4A state meet, including gold in the long jump.
Abby Parra, freshman, Hays: One of the top freshmen in Central Texas, she not only debuted at the 6A girls cross-country meet but also qualified for the state track meet in the 1,600.
Vincent Ribeiro, junior, Round Rock: The All-Centex swimmer not only won the 6A title in the 200 individual medley but also took silver in the 100 breaststroke.
Grayson Schirpik, senior, Rouse: The All-Centex volleyball player, who signed with TCU, also qualified for the 5A state track meet in the high jump.
Sunita Schmidjorg, senior, Texas School for the Deaf: The TAPPS all-state player in both girls basketball and volleyball averaged 14.5 points, five assists and five rebounds for the state basketball finalists.
Jamal Shead, junior, Manor: The All-Centex boys basketball selection helped the Mustangs reach their first state tournament by averaging 19.3 points and 4.3 assists.
Gaurav Singh, junior, Westwood: The All-Centex boys tennis player of the year helped the Warriors win the 6A state team tennis title in the fall and teamed with Kiana Graham to reach the state finals in mixed doubles.
Aylen Vivar, senior, Bowie: The All-Centex girls wrestler of the year capped her prep career with a 35-3 record and a spot in the 6A state finals of the 102-pound class.
Montana Welch, sophomore, Taylor: Considered a long shot for gold at the 4A state track and field meet, the All-Centex athlete stunned the field by winning the boys pole vault with a mark of 15 feet, 3 inches.
Ace Whitehead, sophomore, Lampasas: The quarterback, an All-Centex pick, threw for 3,049 yards and 35 TDs on 71.5% passing while leading his team to the area round for the first time since 2010, and he also earned all-district baseball honors.
Micah Wiginton, junior, Weiss: The All-Centex boys wrestler of the year, who also plays football, capped a perfect season on the mat with a win in the 5A 152-pound state championship match.
Garrett Wilson, senior, Lake Travis: One of the top athletes ever to emerge from Central Texas had 70 catches for 1,151 yards and 19 TDs for the Class 6A Division I state football semifinalists before leaving school early to enroll at Ohio State.
Mikayla Woods, senior, Hendrickson: The two-time All-Centex girls basketball player of the year powered the 6A regional finalist Hawks on both ends of the court with 20.6 points, 5.5 assists, 6.8 rebounds and 6.1 steals per game.
Thomas Jones