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2025 MALE ATHLETE-OF-THE-YEAR NOMINEES
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Brandon Ascione, Boiling Springs: Brandon is a four-year honor roll student with a 94.0 grade point average and will attend Elizabethtown College to major in Actuarial Science and continue his athletic career as member of the basketball program. A four-year varsity letterwinner in basketball, Brandon finished with 1,339 career points and was a two-time MPC All-Star selection. He scored 1,035 of those career points during his three years at Boiling Springs.
“I think an important time was transferring from a small, private school, Carlisle Christian Academy to a public school, Boiling Springs High School. Being in two different environments so quickly taught me a lot about adapting to your surroundings. Hardships and different people will also be coming and learning to adapt is essential. Throughout High School, one thing that stuck with me was that little things matter and make big things happen.”
Ty Kirchhoff, Camp Hill: Ty is a National Language Honor Society and National Honor Society member who has a 93.2 grade point average. He plans to attend a four-year college, and his list of choices include Penn State, Tennessee, Utah, Hawaii Pacific, and Clemson. He earned 10 varsity letters in soccer, basketball, and baseball but he stood out on the soccer pitch where he was part of teams that won multiple District 3 championships and a PIAA State Class AA Championship in 2023. A three-sport team captain and All-State soccer selection, he finished with 201 career points that included 75 goals and 51 assists.
“Life altering experiences have a way of changing your mindset. Six months after my dad was diagnosed with ALS, my mom was given a 14 percent chance to live with stage 4 melanoma. During this time, I was playing on an academy soccer team that had me and my mom traveling every weekend to games hours away. I quickly learned that I didn’t want to be away from my family so much and was missing out on the family life experiences. This taught me very early on the importance of balance. The balance of high-level sports and family time. I feel very fortunate to have experienced this lesson early in life because I feel this is something that usually takes years to learn.”
Cole Korch, Cedar Cliff: Cole is a World Language Honor Society member and four-year distinguished honor student who is ranked in the top five percent of his class with a 4.0 grade point average. He plans to major in Business or Finance and has his choice of college down to Penn State or Pittsburgh. He earned seven varsity letters in soccer and track and field, was a soccer team captain his senior season and earned the Coaches’ MVP Award.
“One of my most rewarding jobs has been as a referee for youth soccer. It has allowed me to be a role model and mentor for newcomers to the game, sharing my excitement and love for the sport. As my passion for soccer deepened, I made the decision to pursue the role of a Certified US Youth Soccer Referee. The choice not only allowed me to stay connected to the sport I love but also challenged me to develop a new and more demanding set of skills and perspectives. Refereeing has transformed my understanding of soccer, along with teaching me the importance of fairness, quick decision making, and the dynamics of teamwork from a different vantage point.”
Jake Mitchell, Cumberland Valley: Jake is a two-year National Honor Society member with a 94.7 grade point average who plans to attend Gettysburg College to major in Business and continue his wrestling career. He earned seven varsity letters in wrestling and lacrosse, was a three-time PIAA State Championships qualifier as a wrestler and finished his career with 124 victories.
“I dislocated my elbow during one of my matches at the state tournament my sophomore year. It was the second time I had dislocated that same elbow. I tore multiple ligaments and muscles in my arm, and despite healing relatively quickly, it was almost two months before I could return to physical activity. It was a long, rough offseason trying to get back to my old form. I felt like I was stuck in place, not making any improvements. In the end, I was able to make the state tournament the next year and have an overall strong season. I showed to myself, and to my teammates, what we were capable of doing with hard work, and belief in ourselves. Coming back from injury and seeing myself succeed was a huge part of my life journey, and it has helped me jump levels both in sports, and in life.”
Logan Newman, East Pennsboro: Logan is a National Honor Society member the last two years with a 94.5 grade point average. He plans to attend Bucknell University and major in Civil Engineering while be a part of the track and field program as a thrower. Logan has earned 10 varsity letters in football and indoor and outdoor track and field. He was a two-way lineman for football and has qualified for multiple District 3 championships in the shot put and discus throw and owns the East Pennsboro school record in the discus throw.
“Throughout my youth I grew up without a father figure in my life. It was hard for as an elementary schoolboy to see all my friends’ dads support them and do things with them every young boy should experience. So, throughout those years my friends always gave me a kind, positive, and happy environment to be in even though they had no idea what was going on behind the scenes. This has shaped me into naturally always being happy, positive, and kind to others no matter what the circumstance. The reason I am this way is because you never know what someone is going through or what conflicts they are battling that they aren’t willing to share.”
Eli Reider, Mechanicsburg: Eli is a National Honor Society member and a four-year first honor roll student who has a 4.0 grade point average and is in the top 10 percent of his class. His plans as of now include attending Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to study Mechanical Engineering and continue his football career. Eli earned five varsity letters in football and baseball, was a two-year starter at quarterback and a three-year starter at safety. He was an All-State selection in 2024 and owns the school records for single season total touchdowns and single season touchdown passes.
“An important part of my life journey that likely wouldn’t be on a resume is an unofficial lawn mowing business that I ran in my neighborhood throughout middle school and high school. I would mow, weed, mulch, shovel snow, and do other simple landscaping tasks for a few of my neighbors, and earn some cash from doing this. This was a very important part of my life journey because it really helped me learn time management skills, responsibility, and customer service, as well the value of hard work. This likely wouldn’t appear on my resume since it isn’t an official “job”, but it’s still important to my growth as a person.”
Noah Hayes, Northern York: Noah is a National Honor Society and National Language Honor Society member who is in the top five percent of his class with a 98.8 grade point average. He plans on attending a four-year college to continue his academic and athletic careers and major in Finance. His choices include Penn State, William & Mary, Liberty, and Delaware. Noah has earned seven varsity letters in soccer and track and field, was a captain of the soccer team his senior year and earned the Sportsmanship Award his final high school season.
“When I was younger, around 12, doctors advised that I completely take out gluten, dairy, and refined sugar from my diet because of severe migraines that I would have regularly. This phase of my life lasted about 9 months, and it challenged me in many ways. However, I contribute many of the lessons in handling peer pressure, responsibility, discipline, and awareness of my surroundings that I have learned over the years to this part of my life.”
Cole Collier, Red Land: Cole is a National Honor Society and Spanish National Honor Society member who is in the top five percent of his class with a 3.0 grade point average. He plans to attend Millersville University and major in Computer Science. Cole earned seven varsity letters in soccer, basketball, and baseball, was a team captain in two of those sports his senior year and played three different positions for the soccer team including goalie.
“I believe one of my best attributes is that I truly enjoy making others happy and their days better. It may be through compliments, laughter, small jokes, or just a smile. I hope to carry this trait throughout my life and incorporate it into my college experience and professional career. Even when working hard and diligently, there is time to take others into account and provide levity.”
Seth Toth, Susquenita: Seth is a National Honor Society student who has earned distinguished honors all four years and owns a 98.2 grade point average. He will attend Pennsylvania College of Technology and will major in Forestry. Seth earned six varsity letters in basketball and baseball and was the basketball team captain as a senior.
“All my teachers and coaches have made an impression on me. They have taught me to try my hardest and never hesitate to try new things. My family has helped and supported me all through high school and athletics. I have learned to give 100% no matter the cost. I had to overcome pilonidal cyst surgery after my sophomore year. This took a toll on my physical and mental health. It taught me that I had to push through my struggles and work even harder to succeed.”
Owen Schlager, Trinity: Owen has a 3.1 grade point average and will attend Siena College to play NCAA Division I basketball and major in Business and Sports Marketing with aspirations to be a coach. The highly decorated four-year letterwinner in basketball was a multiple year All-State player and ended his career with the Trinity points record (2,139) and career steals (223).
“Something about me that you wouldn’t find on a resume is that I used to struggle with meeting new people and building relationships. For a long time, I felt uncomfortable starting conversations or putting myself out there because I was afraid of being judged or not fitting in. What really changed that for me was the people closest to me, especially my best friend and my girlfriend. They encouraged me to open up, to be myself without overthinking, and they showed me how much better life feels when you let people in. Through them, I learned that relationships aren’t about being perfect; they’re about being real and showing up for each other. Over time, I realized how important it is to overcome that fear because the connections you build can shape who you are and help you grow into a better version of yourself.”
Mason Sanno, West Perry: Mason is a National Honor Society member who has a 93.9 grade point average and will attend Millersville University to major in Engineering and continue his baseball career. He earned 11 varsity letters in baseball, basketball, and soccer and was a team captain for all three sports, was a multiple sport first team conference all-star and has competed at the District 3 level in multiple sports.
“In 11th grade I took a partners course at my high school where I would help out with a special needs class. There was a girl named Heather in the class that had the inability to see, she was blind. She left a heartfelt impression on me that I will forever cherish. There was never a day where she didn’t have a smile on her face and was just cheerful to be around. She was always laughing no matter how her day was going. One day I just sat there and took it all in. This matters to me because she showed me no matter what the circumstances are you have to enjoy life.”
Logan Chronister, West Shore Christian Academy: Logan is a National Honors Society member who has been a distinguished honors student and Vo-Tech student of the quarter and owns a 4.0 grade point average. He owns his refrigerant universal license and plans to work for an HVAC company after graduation to pursue his career in the HVAC industry. Logan has eight varsity letters in soccer and track and field, served as a team captain and became the first male in school history to record 100-plus goals in his career.
“Something about myself is that I always aim to please and work very hard for it. I am the type of person that tries to make everyone happy, and I work hard to be the best that I can for others and sometimes I tend to forget about myself. I always try and do the right thing no matter what it cost me, and I also am the type of person to sacrifice something to help someone or many others such as my team. Honestly, this trait that I have is an important part of my life journey as I continue to go into the workforce, raise a family, meet new people, try new things. It is very important because I can continue to help others and please them with everything that I do, and this will always make me want to work harder and harder to be the best that I can. I guess you could say that part of my motivation to work very hard and accomplish things such as these achievements I have said have come from this very thing.”