Which Mississippi Coast athlete had the best 2023-2024 athletic year? Vote now.
The 2023-24 athletic season on the Mississippi Coast showcased some of the top athletes in the state from the football field to the diamond and everywhere in between.
This week we highlight some of the best players who took the field for their schools around South Mississippi and you get to choose who is named the Athlete of the Year.
This is not a scientific poll and you can vote as many times as you like. The poll closes at noon on July 3. Here are the candidates for this year’s honor:
- Brooklyn Cuevas, Hancock: The William Carey basketball signee was a two-way star during her senior season. She scored 17 points a game on the hardwood while leading the Hawks to the Final Four, and helped her softball team do the same while batting .426 with 26 hits and 12 doubles.
- Ian Gonzalez Rioz, St. Stanislaus: Gonzalez Rioz made his lone season of Coast football count. He was responsible for over 3,500 yards and 36 touchdowns and parlayed the season into a scholarship at Pearl River Community College.
- Ethan Surowiec, Gulfport: The Ole Miss signee was one of the top baseball players in the state. Surowiec led the Coast with a 1.410 OPS and drove in 37 runs with 10 doubles and nine home runs.
- Brooklyn Mitchell, St. Patrick: Mitchell excelled in three different sports as a senior. She was a 3A MAC All Star in volleyball, led the Coast in basketball with 24.8 points a game and had a Coast-high 45 RBIs on the diamond. She is a Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College softball signee.
- Teegan DeWitt, Hancock: The PRCC softball commit reached 500 career strikeouts her junior season while holding a Coast-best 0.78 ERA. She also torched opposing pitchers with a .541 batting average and 38 RBIs.
- Nico Williams, Gulfport: Williams starred on the gridiron and on the diamond. The Southeast Louisiana football signee threw for 2,182 yards and 18 touchdowns with eight more scores on the ground as a senior before locking down batters with a 1.57 ERA and 78 strikeouts. Williams also hit .325 with 27 RBIs.
- Ty Keys, Poplarville: Keys’ freshman year in Popvegas was an explosive one. He tied for the Coast lead in rushing touchdowns with 24 in the fall and then led the Coast in stolen bases with 25 in the spring. He’s already holding football offers from Ole Miss, Mississippi State and UCF among others.
- Myah Favre, Our Lady Academy: The sophomore dominated the net on her way to her second Sun Herald Player of the Year honor is as many years. She recorded 461 kills, 126 digs and 81 blocks in 2023.
- Dorian McMillian, Pascagoula: McMillian had a busy senior season. He led the Panthers to the Final Four while scoring 15.9 points a game. He won 6A Mr. Basketball and committed to further his career at Jackson State.
- Zaniya Johnson, Biloxi: Johnson is Mississippi’s top basketball prospect — boys or girls — and she’s only just finished ninth grade. She averaged 17.6 points and 11.1 rebounds as a freshman and holds offers from Alabama, Auburn, Ohio State, Florida State and others.
Scott Watkins
Sun Herald