Maryland-bound Nick Downing has been named the Gatorade Circle of Champions Boys High School Player of the Year. The 5-foot-9 defender led Redmond Eastside High School to Washington AAA consecutive state titles. He closes out his prep career this spring. Downing is the second Seattle area player to win the title. U.S. national team midfielder Chris Henderson was honored in 1988. Aly Wagner of San Jose (Calif.) Presentation High School won the first Girls Player of the Year award. Wagner led the Panthers to consecutive CIF regional titles and her Central Valley Mercury club team to back-to-back national titles. Her coach at Presentation is former Hermann Trophy winner Mani Hernandez. Wagner is headed to Santa Clara.
Boys Players of the Year
New England — Brian Lavin, Guilford (Conn.).
Middle Atlantic — Beckett Hollenbach, Haverford (Pa.).
Southern — Sanjee Welisitigoda, Potomac (Md.) Bullis.
Midwest — Ryan Mack, Birmingham (Mich.) Seahold.
Central — Taylor Twellman, St. Louis University.
Southwest — A.J. Herrera, Albuquerque (N.M.) St. Pius X.
Mountain — Burke Ewers, Tempe (Ariz.) Corona del Sol.
Pacific — Nick Downing, Redmond (Wash.) Eastlake.
Girls Players of the Year
New England — Venessa Pruzinsky, Trumbull (Conn.).
Middle Atlantic — Abby Wambach, Rochester (N.Y.) Our Lady of Mercy.
Southern — Sarah Pickens, Greensboro (N.C.) Day School.
Midwest — Danielle Borgman, Cincinnati McAuley.
Central — Jena Kluegel, Mahtomedi (Minn.).
Southwest — Anne Remy, Norman (Okla.).
Mountain — Caroline Putz, Bountiful (Utah).
Pacific — Aly Wagner, San Jose (Calif.) Presentation.
