Coastal Preps Fall 2026 Midseason Award Nominees
We’ve reached the midway point of the season in boys soccer, football, and volleyball, and numerous area players and coaches are off to a fantastic start. It’s now up to you to decide the best of the best in several categories.
A link to vote for the honors is at the bottom of the post. Voting will remain open until 11:59 p.m. Sunday, and results will be posted the following day.
***VOTE HERE***
BOYS SOCCER
Offensive Player of the Year
Senior forward Tre Bennett, New Hanover: UNCW commit has elevated his game to another level. He leads all area players with 48 points (19 goals and 10 assists).
Junior midfielder Harry Dyer, Hoggard: Good things always seem to happen when the ball touches Dyer’s feet. This season, the Wake Forest commit has six goals and five assists.
Senior forward Jax Lawrence, Topsail: Has put together an impressive start to his final high school season by scoring 13 goals and dishing out 14 assists.
Defensive Player of the Year
Senior defender Ben Loper, New Hanover: The multi-year starter for the Wildcats is one of the area’s best defenders. New Hanover has allowed only 14 goals in 12 matches.
Senior defender Landon Reese, Laney: With Reese leading the way, the Buccaneers have allowed only 13 goals in 15 matches. He has also chipped in two goals and three assists.
Senior goalkeeper Pedro Sandoval, Trask: Continues to show why he’s one of the top goalkeepers in the area. Sandoval has made 234 saves in 15 matches (15.6 per match) and has a 1.93 goals-against average.
Newcomer of the Year
Junior forward Tristan Mouney, Laney: After scoring 36 goals at the JV level, the striker has found the back of the net seven times in his first season on the varsity club.
Senior goalkeeper Hudson Nichols, Hoggard: Has been rock solid in goal for the Vikings, who have conceded only seven goals in 11 matches.
Junior goalkeeper Jackson Renton, Cape Fear Academy: First-year starter has made 56 saves in 14 matches and has a goals-against average of 1.43.
Coach of the Year
Dwight Findlay, Hoggard: Coming off their first state championship and with a huge target on their back, the Vikings are 10-0-1 overall and 4-0 in conference play.
John Matrisciano, Laney: The Buccaneers look like a legitimate contender for the NCHSAA 8A state title. They are currently 14-1 and have outscored their opponents 52-13.
Osvaldo Rivera, Trask: The Titans are off to a terrific 8-3-4 start. A season ago, the team finished 5-14-3.
FOOTBALL
Offensive Player of the Year
Senior quarterback Matthew Boring, Hoggard: Through five games, Boring is 72 of 105 for 875 yards and seven touchdowns. He’s also scored twice on runs.
Senior wide receiver Desyn Durand, Hoggard: His senior season is off to a fantastic start, as he has come down with 26 catches for 486 yards and five TDs.
Senior running back Amerius Revels, South Brunswick: Is on pace to surpass 1,000 yards for the second year in a row. Revels has 120 carries for 837 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also has a receiving TD.
Defensive Player of the Year
Senior defensive lineman Zack Albert, Topsail: Has made an immediate impact in his first year at Topsail. Through six games, Albert has 58 tackles, seven tackles for loss, five sacks, and one forced fumble.
Senior defensive lineman Marshall Chalk, Hoggard: Three-year starter for the Vikings continues to show why he is one of the best pass rushers in the area. Chalk has 42 tackles, six tackles for loss, two sacks, and 12 quarterback hurries in five games.
Senior linebacker Nate Earley, South Brunswick: Through four games, Earley has 56 tackles (14 per game), two tackles for loss, four forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.
Two-Way Player of the Year
Junior defensive back/wide receiver Skyler Barnett, New Hanover: The 5-foot-2 sparkplug has 14 catches for 106 yards and two touchdowns. On defense, he’s got 25 tackles, two tackles for loss, three interceptions, and five passes defended.
Senior defensive back/wide receiver MJ Smith, North Brunswick: Is tied for the area lead with three interceptions. Smith has also caught 10 passes, including a touchdown.
Senior linebacker/running back Kamajah Wilson, Trask: Wilson has come up with 64 tackles (12.8 per game) to go along with one sack and one forced fumble. He also has 24 carries for 209 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Newcomer of the Year
Senior running back Matoshi Lance, West Brunswick: Is averaging an impressive 12.7 yards per carry (64 carries for 810 yards) and has scored nine touchdowns. Lance has surpassed the 100-yard mark in three of six games.
Junior kicker/punter Kanoa McGee, Hoggard: The transfer from Panther Creek has already cemented his place among the all-time great kickers at Hoggard. He is averaging 45.3 yards per punt with three inside the 20 and has connected on six field goals, including a 54-yarder.
Junior wide receiver Carter Reitan, Topsail: In his first varsity season, Reitan has hauled in 32 catches for 420 yards and one TD.
Coach of the Year
TJ Albert, Topsail: The first-year coach is starting to change the culture in Hampstead. After going winless a season ago, Topsail is 2-4 overall and 1-1 in the Carolina Coast Conference.
Adam Purzitza, Ashley: In his first season with the Screaming Eagles, Purzitza has guided them to a 3-3 record with a thrilling overtime win against Laney.
Craig Underwood, Hoggard: Underwood once again has the Vikings playing outstanding football. Hoggard is 4-1 on the season and is outscoring its opponents 170-61.
VOLLEYBALL
Offensive Player of the Year
Senior outside hitter Norah Davis, Hoggard: UNCW commit and reigning Coastal Preps Offensive Player of the Year is hitting an impressive .361 with 292 kills and 24 aces.
Sophomore outside hitter Leighton Grant, Coastal Christian: Continues to build off her strong freshman campaign. In 54 sets, Grant is hitting .217 with 179 kills and 31 aces.
Sophomore outside hitter Ava O’Reilly, Topsail: Another talented youngster who is improving each match. O’Reilly is hitting .269 with 137 kills.
Defensive Player of the Year
Junior libero Kaitlyn Dreimann, Laney: A steady presence for the Buccaneers who rarely makes mistakes. She has 263 digs with only seven errors as well as 234 service receptions with five errors.
Junior middle Ava Gray, Wilmington Christian Academy: One of the area’s tallest players uses her height to her advantage. She has 65 blocks in 66 sets.
Senior libero Lydia Maughan, Hoggard: Talented libero has 272 digs as well as 379 service receptions with only 33 errors.
Newcomer of the Year
Senior setter Rylan Putnam, Ashley: First-year starter has 484 assists, 111 digs, 21 aces, and 12 digs through 21 matches.
Junior setter Anaya Redd, Topsail: Has helped the Pirates win 11 of their first 16 matches by handing out 165 assists, to go along with 117 digs and 16 aces.
Junior middle Imani Vanderhaar, Laney: Through 14 matches, Vanderhaar has put down 62 kills and come up with 19 blocks.
Coach of the Year
Deshay Becton, Laney: After finishing 10-13 a season ago, the Buccaneers have already surpassed that win total at 11-3. Laney is also 5-2 in conference play.
Emily Coleman, Hoggard: The Vikings are 16-2 overall and 6-0 in the Carolina Coast Conference, having won 45 sets and lost only 11.
Chris Johnson, Pender: The Patriots recorded only five wins each of the past two seasons, but already have eight through 17 games this fall. That includes a sweep over rival Trask.
***VOTE HERE***
