Last week, MaxPreps took a look at the
G.O.A.T. in every high school sport. It might've come as no surprise that former Newman quarterback Peyton Manning topped the list as the greatest all-time high school football player. Or LeBron James was the greatest boys basketball player. Or Alex Rodriguez is baseball's G.O.A.T.
But what about athletes currently playing the game?
On MaxPreps' list of the current greatest high school athletes in every sport, we don't venture outside of Louisiana ... or Newman High School ... or even the Manning family to find the best football player. Arch Manning, the nation's No. 1 football recruit, tops the list of the best athletes in 31 sports for 2022-23.
The list is for high school players only. Athletes in sports like tennis, golf, soccer, ice hockey and gymnastics who have turned professional or attend home-school or online schools were not considered.
Every high school sport's current G.O.A.T.
Football — Arch Manning, Newman (New Orleans)
Being the all-time passing leader in your own extended family may not be a big deal, but when your family includes a pair of Super Bowl MVP quarterbacks — it's a big deal. Arch has been the No. 1 recruit in the nation by 247Sports, throwing for 1,868 yards this year. He has surpassed uncles Peyton and Eli Manning as the school's career passing yardage leader with 8,137 yards.
Boys basketball — Ronald Holland, Duncanville (Texas)
The MaxPreps National Junior Player of the Year last year led Duncanville to back-to-back state championships. He averaged 15.9 points and 7.9 rebounds for the national champions.
Girls basketball — Juju Watkins, Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.)
She earned MaxPreps National Player of the Year honors as a junior while scoring 25 points and grabbing 10 rebounds per game. She led Sierra Canyon to a state championship in the Open Division and a No. 3 overall national ranking.
Baseball — Maxwell Clark, Franklin Community (Franklin, Ind.)
He earned MaxPreps Junior Player of the Year honors last season when he batted .577 with nine home runs and 32 RBI. He is also ranked No. 1 by Perfect Game.
Softball — Keagan Rothrock, Roncalli (Indianapolis)
MaxPreps named Rothrock the national player of the year in 2022 after batting .523 with 14 home runs and posting a 28-0 pitching record with a 0.70 ERA and 382 strikeouts. She led Roncalli to a state championship and a MaxPreps National Championship.
Boys wrestling — Christian Carroll, Jimtown (Elkhart, Ind.)
An undefeated state champion at New Castle last year, Carroll has transferred to Jimtown and is ranked the No. 1 wrestler in the nation by MatScouts. He recently wrestled for Team USA in Bulgaria.
Girls wrestling — Audrey Jimenez, Sunnyside (Tucson, Ariz.)
The No. 1 wrestler in the nation last year at 106 pounds, Jimenez has won three straight state titles in Arizona. She also won silver at the U20 world championships in Bulgaria in August.
Boys lacrosse — McCabe Millon, McDonogh (Owings Mills, Md.)
Ranked as the No. 1 lacrosse player in the nation by the National Lacrosse Federation, Millon is the son of Mark Millon and Erin Brown Millon, both of whom belong to the U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame. McCabe will play at Virginia next year.
Girls lacrosse — Natalie Shurtleff, St. Paul's Girls (Brooklandville, Md.)
USA Lacrosse Magazine named the midfielder the Mid-Atlantic player of the year after leading St. Paul's Girls to the IAAM championship with five goals against Glenelg. The Clemson commit led St. Paul's Girls to a No. 1 national ranking by the publication.
Boys golf — Eric Lee, Sunny Hills (Fullerton, Calif.)
The runner-up in the CIF state finals as a junior last year, Lee is ranked No. 1 in the nation by the American Junior Golf Association.
Girls golf — Leight Chien, University (Irvine, Calif.)
The CIF state champion as a junior, Chien is ranked No. 5 in the nation by the American Junior Golf Association.
Boys soccer — Nolan Spicer, St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio)
The Gatorade state player of the year in Ohio last year after leading the Wildcats to their third straight state championship, Spicer has St. Ignatius ranked No. 2 in the MaxPreps national computer rankings and favored to win a fourth straight crown. He had 26 goals and 12 assists as a junior.
Girls soccer — Melina Rebimbas, Rutgers Prep (Somerset, N.J.)
The Gatorade state player of the year in New Jersey in 2022, Rebimbas had 40 goals and 31 assists. She has 74 goals and 42 assists in her career.
Girls Volleyball — Bergen Reilly, O'Gorman (Sioux Falls, S.D.)
A MaxPreps All-American as a junior, Reilly earned tournament MVP honors at the U19 Pan-American games this summer. She recently joined the Olympic-level Team USA squad for the Pan-Am Final Six Tournament in Santa Domingo in September.
Boys volleyball — Luca Curci, Newport Harbor (Newport Beach, Calif.)
Part of a Newport Harbor team that finished the 2022 season ranked No. 1 in the nation by the MaxPreps computer rankings, Curci earned All-Southern Section honors and was nominated for the USA Today national player of the year award.
Boys swimming — Scotty Buff, St. Francis de Sales (Toledo, Ohio)
Buff is ranked No. 1 in the Class of 2023 by SwimSwam and recently broke the NCSA record for the 50 fly.
Girls swimming — Kiley Wilhelm, Myers Park (Charlotte, N.C.)
Ranked No. 2 in the nation for the Class of 2023 by SwimSwam, Wilhelm is regarded as the top butterfly swimmer in the nation. She will compete at Harvard next year.
Boys track and field — Micah Larry, Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)
Perhaps the top two-event athlete in the nation, Larry finished with the top long jump in the nation last year with a leap of 25-11.5, according to Athletic.net. He also figures to be one of the top sprinters this year after a personal best of 10.27 seconds in the 100 meters as a junior.
Girls track and field — Shanti Jackson, Wakefield (Raleigh, N.C.)
Jackson could be the top runner in the nation this year in the 100, 200 and 400 meters. She had the best time in the country last year in the 100 at 11.07. She also had the second best time in the 400 at 52.32.
Boys bowling — Kian Pryor, North Bend (North Bend, Ore.)
Pryor took first place in the U.S. National High School Championships as a junior, surviving seven rounds of play and rolling a 244 in the final to win by 19 pins.
Girls bowling — Kara Beissel, Seabreeze (Daytona Beach, Fla.)
The national runner-up as a junior, Beissel was the national leader after the fifth round, but finished behind 2022 graduate Jayden Hauck of Louisiana. Beissel had the tournament's highest average, however, with 232 pins per game.
Boys cross country — Leo, Lex Young, Newbury Park (Calif.)
The Newbury Park twins share the award as they are ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the nation by DyeStat after leading Newbury Park to a Southern Section championship and a No. 1 national ranking last year. Leo finished second while Lex finished third at the state meet.
Girls cross country — Sadie Englehart, Ventura (Calif.)
Only a sophomore, Englehart is already ranked No. 1 in the nation by DyeStat. She won the Gatorade Track and Field athlete of the year award in California for track and field as a freshman last year.
Field hockey — Maggie Kondrath, Hill School (Pottstown, Pa.)
An All-American and ranked among the top recruits in the country by MAX Field Hockey, Kondrath led Hill School to a national championship this year.
Boys gymnastics — John Pirone, Palatine (Ill.)
Pirone captured the all-around at the Illinois state meet as a junior with an average score of 9.55. He won two of the four events.
Girls gymnastics — Taylor Markley, Woodstock Academy (Woodstock, Conn.)
Markley won all four events at the Connecticut state gymnastics championships as a junior, leading Woodstock to the state title.
Boys ice hockey — Joseph Capra, Denver South (Denver)
A two-sport standout in Colorado, Capra was the Class 5A state player of the year in ice hockey and was a nominee for national player of the year by USA Today. He also plays quarterback and is 8th in the state in total offense with 2,472 yards.
Girls ice hockey — Rylee Bartz, Fargo North (Fargo, N.D.)
Bartz earned All-American recognition last year after setting state records with 67 goals and 21 assists.
Boys tennis — Eli Stephenson, St. Xavier (Louisville, Ky.)
Ranked among the top 20 players in the nation by the Tennis Recruiting Network, Stephenson has won back-to-back state singles championships in Kentucky and is part of a St. Xavier team that has won 29 state championships.
Girls tennis — Valeria Ray, Doral Academy (Doral, Fla.)
The Florida state single champion last year, Ray also had a key win against Vero Beach in the team playoffs, beating Grace Levelston, one of the nation's top-ranked players in the Class of 2023.
Boys water polo — John Burghardt, Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.)
An All-Southern Section pick as a junior, Burghardt was one of the leading scorers for Team USA at the FINA World Championships during the summer.
Girls water polo — Ava Stryker, San Marcos (Santa Barbara, Calif.)
An All-Southern Section player, Stryker also played for Team USA at the FINA World Youth championships in Serbia where she had two goals to lead USA to a gold medal.
