AI-assisted summary Olentangy Liberty’s Jake Struck and Fairfield Union’s Christian Thompson were named Athletes of the Year.

Liberty’s football coach John Sansbury and Centennial’s girls basketball coach Ernest Bell won Coach of the Year awards.

Upper Arlington’s hockey team and Fairfield Union’s girls basketball team were named Teams of the Year.

Central Ohio’s top high school athletes, coaches and teams – the best of the best for 2024-25 – were honored June 18 at Upper Arlington High School.

Olentangy Liberty’s Jake Struck, Fairfield Union’s Christian Thompson, Liberty football coach John Sansbury, Centennial girls basketball coach Ernest Bell, the Upper Arlington hockey team and the Fairfield Union girls basketball team earned the top honors at the Central Ohio High School Sports Awards.

In addition, the top athletes in 30 sports were honored during the show, which was produced with the support of Meijer. Cleveland Browns Hall of Famer Joe Thomas was the guest speaker.

Struck was named Boys Athlete of the Year. He helped Liberty win the Division I football state title, amassing more than 1,800 yards and 31 total touchdowns. In hockey, Struck had 47 goals and 49 assists and was named state Player of the Year. In lacrosse, Struck contributed 79 goals, 43 assists, 87 ground balls and 24 caused turnovers. He also won state titles in hockey and lacrosse as a sophomore and junior, respectively. Struck will play lacrosse at Ohio State.

The other finalists were Liberty’s Andrew Leonard (football, hockey and baseball) and Olentangy Orange’s Levi Davis (football, basketball and track and field).

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Thompson was named Girls Athlete of the Year. She capped her prep career by winning the high jump (5 feet, 8 inches) in the Division II state track meet. That concluded a school year in which she also was first-team all-state in volleyball and basketball. In volleyball, Thompson had 471 kills, 395 digs, 41 blocks and 40 aces. In basketball, she averaged 19.3 points and 11.3 rebounds, leading Fairfield Union to a Division IV state semifinal. Thompson will compete in track at Ohio State.

The other finalists were Hilliard Davidson track’s Lilly LaRosa and Grandview Heights swimmer Carrie Furbee.

Sansbury earned Boys Coach of the Year for guiding Liberty football to its first state championship. The Patriots went 14-2, defeating Cincinnati Moeller 28-14 in the title game.

For helping Centennial make history, Bell earned Girls Coach of the Year. The Stars (19-2) went undefeated in the City League-North (12-0) and defeated Africentric 52-47 for their first City championship.

UA hockey was named Boys Team of the Year. The Golden Bears became the second central Ohio hockey state champion, following Liberty in 2023, when they defeated Cleveland St. Ignatius 5-2 at Nationwide Arena.

Fairfield Union girls basketball earned Girls Team of the Year. The Falcons reached their first state tournament in 26 years and finished 27-1, improving by 19 wins from the previous season.

Central Ohio high school Athletes of the Year for 2024-2025

Baseball: Ashton Martin, Jonathan Alder

Ashton Martin, Jonathan Alder Boys basketball: Devin Brown, Olentangy Orange

Devin Brown, Olentangy Orange Girls basketball: Sydney Mobley, Big Walnut

Sydney Mobley, Big Walnut Boys bowling: Drew Damron, Jonathan Alder

Drew Damron, Jonathan Alder Girls bowling: Lacey Holden, Gahanna Lincoln

Lacey Holden, Gahanna Lincoln Boys cross country: Andrew Walton, Fairfield Union

Andrew Walton, Fairfield Union Girls cross country: Brooke Chapman, Olentangy Orange

Brooke Chapman, Olentangy Orange Field hockey: Julie Conroy, Thomas Worthington

Julie Conroy, Thomas Worthington Football: Andrew Leonard, Olentangy Liberty

Andrew Leonard, Olentangy Liberty Boys golf: Jack Flores, Thomas Worthington

Jack Flores, Thomas Worthington Girls golf: Eva Lim, Columbus Academy

Eva Lim, Columbus Academy Gymnastics: Tia Estrada, Olentangy Berlin

Tia Estrada, Olentangy Berlin Hockey: Mason Herndon, Upper Arlington

Mason Herndon, Upper Arlington Boys lacrosse: Jake Struck, Olentangy Liberty

Jake Struck, Olentangy Liberty Girls lacrosse: Madeline Pohmer, Olentangy Liberty

Madeline Pohmer, Olentangy Liberty Boys soccer: Londen Sears, New Albany

Londen Sears, New Albany Girls soccer: Elise Karas, Upper Arlington

Elise Karas, Upper Arlington Softball: Ashlin Mowery, Lancaster

Ashlin Mowery, Lancaster Boys swimming and diving: Austin Carpenter, St. Charles

Austin Carpenter, St. Charles Girls swimming and diving: Hayden Hollingsworth, Upper Arlington

Hayden Hollingsworth, Upper Arlington Boys tennis: Henry Lessard, Bexley

Henry Lessard, Bexley Girls tennis: Amiya Bowles, Bexley

Amiya Bowles, Bexley Boys track and field: Chayse Lipscomb, Fairfield Union

Chayse Lipscomb, Fairfield Union Girls track and field: Celia Schulte, Hilliard Davidson

Celia Schulte, Hilliard Davidson Boys volleyball: Jordan Dyer, Pickerington North

Jordan Dyer, Pickerington North Girls volleyball: Jetta Brenning, Olentangy Liberty

Jetta Brenning, Olentangy Liberty Boys water polo: Liam Miller, St. Charles

Liam Miller, St. Charles Girls water polo: Sarah Snider, Upper Arlington

Sarah Snider, Upper Arlington Boys wrestling: Mitchell Younger, Watterson

Mitchell Younger, Watterson Girls wrestling: KyLee Tibbs, Gahanna Lincoln

Other honors were presented to Circleville High School’s Addison Edgington (Courage Award), former central Ohio coach and athletic director Tony Pusateri (Lifetime Achievement Award) and former Columbus Academy coach and assistant athletic director Anne Horton (USA Today Studio IX Trailblazer Award).

Furbee, who will swim at Ohio State, earned the Capt. Warren B. Sneed Memorial Scholarship, worth $3,000, for her academic and athletic achievements and community service.

Gahanna won best band, best mascot and best cheerleading team.

(This story has been updated to add a video and a photo gallery.)

The Dispatch high school sports team can be reached at sports@dispatch.com and at @DispatchPreps on X.