CHICAGO — In its 31st year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with USA TODAY High School Sports, has announced Josh Bronstorph of Dunwoody High School as its 2015-16 Gatorade Georgia Boys Soccer Player of the Year. Bronstorph is the first Gatorade Georgia Boys Soccer Player of the Year to be chosen from Dunwoody High School.
The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Bronstorph as Georgia’s best high school boys soccer player. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year award to be announced in May, Bronstorph joins an elite alumni association of past state award-winners in 12 sports, including Abby Wambach (1997-98, Our Lady of Mercy, N.Y.), Derek Jeter (1991-92, Kalamazoo HS, Mich.), Candace Parker (2001-02, Naperville Central HS, Ill.), Alexi Lalas (1987-88, Cranbrook HS, Mich.), Heather O’Reilly (2001-02, East Brunswick HS, N.J.) and Mark Sanchez (2004-05, Mission Viejo HS, Calif.).
The 5-foot-8, 160-pound senior midfielder scored 44 goals and passed for 19 assists this past season, leading the Wildcats (12-7-1) to the Class AAAAA state tournament’s second round. The Region 6-AAAAA Most Valuable Player, Bronstorph did not play high school soccer as a sophomore or junior, opting to play with his club team in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy. He concluded his prep soccer career with 68 goals and 29 assists.
Bronstorph has maintained a B average in the classroom. He has volunteered locally at a homeless shelter and food bank in addition to serving as a youth soccer coach.
“Josh Bronstorph is a very good player,” said Thom Jacquet, head coach of Greater Atlanta Christian School. “He’s fast and a very hard worker. We beat them but he was a handful.”
Bronstorph has signed a National Letter of Intent to play soccer on an athletic scholarship at Georgia Southern University beginning this fall.
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade high school sports leadership team in partnership with USA TODAY High School Sports, which work with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.
Bronstorph joins recent Gatorade Georgia Boys Soccer Players of the Year Steven Moore (2014-15, Houston County High School), Adam Sheikali (2013-14, McIntosh High School), Salomon Lorenzano (2012-13, McIntosh High School), Holden Fender (2011-12, Walton High School), John "Snoopy" Davidson (2010–11, Rome High School), Jordan McCrary (2009-10, Lassiter High School), Chris Thomas (2008–09, Greater Atlanta Christian School), Connor Barbaree (2007-08, Walton High School), and Jimmy Maurer (2006-07, St. Pius X Catholic High School) among the state’s list of former award winners.
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