Fans' Choice: Vote for 910Preps Boys' Athlete of the Year for 2024-2025

As major high school sports awards continue to roll out, it's time to look at some of the best athletes who performed at a high level in the 2024-25 sports seasons.

Fayetteville-area public schools saw success among their players throughout the year, crowning three Jack Britt girls wrestlers as state champions, NCHSAA 3A football runner-ups for Seventy-First, 3A East runner-ups for Terry Sanford baseball and girls' basketball, and a girls' tennis title to go along with a singles title for Drew Hedgecoe, and a host of track and field titles.

In the private sector, Fayetteville Academy notched its first girls' lacrosse title in program history, while Freedom Christian softball and baseball teams took a trip to the state championship game, returning as runner-ups. Trinity Christian football also finished as state runners-up after a second consecutive title run.

Now, it's your turn to choose. 15 student-athletes across the Fayetteville area are up for boys' athlete of the year. Here are the nominees for each and how they contributed to their squads this school year.

Boys' Athlete of the Year nominees:

Justin Caldwell, Berean Baptist (basketball) — Caldwell showed why he was one of the best post players in the area this season. The highly recruited forward averaged 21.4 points per game and 3.1 rebounds in his junior season.

Rashad Dockery, South View (football) —  The speedy Tiger tied a state record with an eight-rushing-touchdown game this season during a school-record 320-yard performance. He led Cumberland County with an average of 154.3 yards rushing per game (1,543 on the season) and scored 24 TDs.

Donavan Frederick, Seventy-First (football) — As a senior, Frederick averaged 8.4 tackles per game with 126 on the season, 28 tackles for loss, and four sacks in the Falcons’ 15-1 run to a second straight 3A East Region crown and state championship appearance. 

Drew Hedgecoe, Terry Sanford (tennis) — Hedgecoe, a Baylor commit, had an astounding senior season en route to his fourth 3A state title, going 17-0 in singles matches and 3-0 in doubles, and was named as 2024-25 Best of 910Preps All-Stars Boys Tennis Player of the Year.

DeAndre Nance, Seventy-First (football, basketball) — Nance finished his Falcons career with 5,130 passing yards (1,678 this season) and 4,364 yards rushing. For his stellar play in leading Seventy-First to the state championship game again, and was named the Best of 910Preps Football Player of the Year on offense.

Elijiah Oehlke, Trinity Christian (football) —  A Wake Forest signee, Oehlke threw for 2,768 yards (third in the NCISAA) and 35 touchdowns for the NCISAA Division II state runners-up, going over 400 yards twice this season.

Jonathan Pate, Terry Sanford (baseball) — As the All American conference pitcher of the year, Pate pitched an ERA of 2.84 and was second in the 3A East in wins with nine of the season. He also struck out 69 batters for No. 3 in the AAC.

Karsten Swinney, Freedom Christian (basketball) — During the season, Swinney surpassed the 2,000-point career mark and was later named the Sandhills Athletic Conference Player of the Year after averaging 27.8 points, 6.5 assists, and 2.9 steals per game, including nine 30-point performances and two 40-pointers as well. 

Marcus "MJ" McDuffie, E.E. Smith (basketball) — The 6-foot-5 first-year center ranked fifth in the NCHSAA 3A East with 199 field goals for the Golden Bulls, who won their second regular-season conference title in three seasons after winning just one game in 2021. McDuffie averaged 17.7 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting a scorching 84% from the field.

Josh Mozingo, Terry Sanford (baseball) — The ECU commit was all-around for the Bulldogs' 3A East runner-ups team. He stole 25 bases, hit two home runs, and led the team in batting average (.490).

Michael Rice, Jr., Douglas Byrd (track) — Rice took first place in the state in Class 3A for the 500-meter race, finishing in a personal-best 1:04.48 to give the Eagles a state banner for indoor track, then added a spring title in the 800-meter race with a 1:52.98 time.

Kenny Vera, Northwood Temple (basketball) — Lees-McRae commit and 2,000-point scorer Vera ranked 11th across the state among NCISAA schools with nine double-doubles while averaging 18.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists and shooting 50%.

Mason Walker, Terry Sanford (basketball, baseball) — On the hardwood, Walker averaged 10.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game for the Bulldogs, and led the conference and 3A East in RBIs with 42 (also fifth in the state), along with a .448 batting average and 29 runs scored.

Xayden Watson, Trinity Christian (football, basketball) — The ultimate do-it-all team player for the Crusaders' state runner-up football team, Watson shares the basketball to the tune of 6.3 assists per game, ranking 24th in the state across all public and private school classifications. He ranks in the top 10 in the NCISAA in steals per game (3.2) and made free throws (112). Watson averaged 14.4 points and 5.7 boards for the Sandhills Conference champs. In football, Watson's average of 30.85 yards on punt returns ranked No. 6 in the nation. He also notched an NCISAA-high 1,032 receiving yards (93.8 per game) with 22 total TDs (second in NCISAA). His 138 points scored ranked second in the state among private schools.

Jordan Williams, Cape Fear (tennis) — The talented junior and United 8 player of the year posted an area-high 25 wins in his junior campaign and finished 25-3 overall.

Voting will conclude on Monday, June 16 at 8 p.m.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville NC fans' choice voting for Boys' Athlete of the Year