Vote for the Treasure Coast's best boys athlete during the 2025-26 season
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Backpacks have been placed in hibernation for a couple of months.
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But even with students being off from school for the sunny summer days, that doesn’t mean it’s time to move forward from the year that was.
TCPalm is currently looking back at the Treasure Coast’s top performers with the release of Spring All-Area teams. But here, we’re going as far back as this past fall to examine the area’s top best boys athlete during the 2025-26 athletic calendar.
With star-studded performances from the fall to the spring, we ask who was the pound-for-pound best?
We want to hear the answer from you as a poll was set up below. Voting ends at 12 p.m. Saturday. Here are the area’s 10 candidates:
Boys Athlete of the Year candidates
Wrestling: Kane Drake, Jensen Beach
Year: Freshman
Drake’s first varsity season on the mat wasn’t too shabby. Wrestling at the 120-pound weight class, the freshman cruised to district and regional titles before taking home second place at the Class 2A state meet. Drake finished his freshman campaign with a 41-7 record.
Tennis: Jayden Dyer, Jensen Beach
Year: Senior
Dyer rounded out his career as a Falcon by being named Player of the Year for the second year in a row. The senior was dominant at the top of Jensen Beach’s lineup, going 11-2 at No. 1 singles and repeating as the District 14-3A champion. He also went 11-1 at first doubles, as he was often paired with Gavin Hoffman.
Soccer: Riley Loch, Pine
Year: Junior
Loch’s defensive contributions served as the driving force behind the Knights’ drive to another state title, as he flat out took away the opponent’s top scoring threat on a nightly basis. However, the junior did plenty of work on the other side of the pitch. Loch ranked second on the team in assists (14), third in points (30) and fourth in minutes played (1,469).
Baseball: Cody Morgan, Vero Beach
Year: Senior
Morgan served as the ace of a talented starting staff and put up the best numbers of his prep career. The South Alabama signee led the area with 111 strikeouts while relinquishing 19 walks. Helping Vero win its second region title in the last three years, he posted a 9-5 record with a career-best 1.30 ERA through 75 2/3 innings pitched.
Lacrosse: Connor O’Brien, St. Edward’s
Year: Senior
Scoring in every game he appeared in 2026, the senior captain led the area with 67 goals and 100 points. He poured in a season-best seven goals on two occasions. The attacker added a team-best 64 groundballs. O’Brien, who signed to play collegiately at the Naval Academy, was named an All-American by U.S. Lacrosse. It's the second year in a row that O'Brien was named the area's Player of the Year.
Swimming: Louis St. Petery, Sebastian River
Year: Senior
TCPalm’s Swimmer of the Year two times over ended his prep career on top after winning the 3A state title in 100-yard butterfly and 100 backstroke. The senior became the third swimmer from Sebastian River to win a state championship. He also led the Sharks’ 200-yard medley relay and 400 freestyle relay teams seventh-place finishes at state. St. Petery will swim at the Naval Academy next season.
Basketball: Jayden Prosper, St. Lucie West Centennial
Year: Senior
Highligthed a game-winning full-court buzzer-beater, Prosper was the area’s best player after putting up spectacular numbers for the Eagles. The senior was one of two rotation players from Centennial’s 2025 district title team, but shouldered the load as team leader. Prosper averaged 20.6 points per game on 55 percent shooting on the field. Prosper knocked down 60 3-pointers at a 43 percent clip while hitting 86 percent of his free-throw attempts. He also paced the team in rebounds (5.7), assists (4.6) and steals (2.9).
Golf: Jaxson Weese, Sebastian River
Year: Sophomore
Following a stellar freshman campaign, the Sharks’ top golfer backed that up with a better showing during his sophomore season. Weese capped his season with an eighth-place finish at the Class 2A meet. That was after winning a district title and finishing 10th at regionals. He took medalist honors in 10 matches.
Football: Efrem White, Vero Beach
Year: Senior
No area player, and very few players in the state, lit up scoreboards like White, who led Vero to the Class 7A state championship game. The senior athlete played the majority of the season at quarterback in place of injured starter Champ Monds. The super sub completed 76 percent of his passes for 2,590 yards, 32 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Even while lining up at quarterback, he was the area’s third-leading rusher, racking up 148 carries for 982 yards and 22 scores.
Cross Country/Track: Andrew Youssef, Vero Beach
Year: Senior
Youssef was outstanding in the fall and special in the spring. The senior was named TCPalm’s Runner of the Year in Cross Country after placing fourth at the Class 4A state championships with a time of 15 minutes, 38.1 seconds. He one-upped himself during the track and field season months later, winning a state title at the 3,200-meter run (9:01.99). With Youssef’s victory, Vero Beach was home to a state champion in the 3,200 in back-to-back seasons.
Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for Treasure Coast Newspapers. He can be reached at 772-985-9692, on X at @PatBernadeau or via email at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: VOTE: Which high school boys athlete was the best on the Treasure Coast