Monroe High School just made history, becoming the first Rochester city school *ever* to snag a state football title, powered by their All-Greater Rochester small schools player of the year, Messiah Hampton. This unbelievable achievement capped off a wild 2025-26 high school sports year in Section V, where we saw 19 athletes take home All-Greater Rochester player of the year awards across 18 sports. Now, it all comes down to one massive vote: who is the *overall* Boys AGR Player of the Year?
Unstoppable Dynasties and Double Winners Everywhere You Look
Beyond Monroe’s historic football win, the talent across Section V was absolutely next-level. Arkport’s Ibrahim Ford straight-up established himself as a national-level distance phenom, tearing it up on the track and trails. The dude grabbed the AGR runner of the year award not once, but *twice*! He dominated cross-country in the fall and then came back to crush outdoor track in the spring, ultimately scoring a second-place finish at the New Balance Nationals in the grueling 2000m steeplechase. Talk about endurance!
And speaking of double winners, Honeoye Falls-Lima’s Chris Noto cemented his legacy with back-to-back AGR wrestler of the year awards, locking down his second consecutive state title. What a run for Noto! But if we’re talking dominance, you’ve got to look at Fairport. Seriously, what are they putting in the water there? Five Red Raiders were voted players of the year in 2025-26, absolutely blowing away every other school! The next closest was McQuaid, with three winners, including a pair of co-swimmers of the year. Fairport is on another level right now.
The Front Runners for the Ultimate Award
Now, for the big kahunas, the guys vying for the single biggest honor in Section V. First up, we’ve got Honeoye Falls-Lima’s Linden Bellizzi, our Nordic skier of the year. This kid is the latest in a long line of champions from HF-L, following in the ski tracks of his older brother Braden, who won in 2023. This winter, Bellizzi absolutely shredded, becoming the school’s fourth racer to win the NYSPHSAA combined title. He didn’t stop there, crushing the state’s individual 7.5K race to grab second overall, finishing in a blistering 21:04.8. And he helped push his team, alongside Jack Lighthouse and Thomas Cushman, to a second-place finish in the team relay with a time of 27:28.0, just seconds behind the leaders. Before all that state glory, Bellizzi won the Section V individual title, conquering Bristol Mountain’s course in 21:06.0, a full 14 seconds faster than the runner-up, leading HF-L to the team championship. This rising senior is pure gold.
Then there’s Fairport’s Devon Brougher, our tennis player of the year. This guy was already an All-Greater Rochester team member in 2025, and he just kept building on that. He won the Section V state qualifier tournament, which includes players from schools of all sizes! Fairport coach Joseph Ahl couldn’t stop raving about him: “Devon went undefeated during the regular season at first singles and won the (Section V) Class A1 individual singles championship after being down a set in the finals.” Talk about clutch! Ahl continued, “Devon continued his dominant streak by winning the Section V state qualifier tournament and finishing the season in the top 16 in singles in all of New York State.” As a freshman, Brougher has a future so bright you need shades.
And don’t forget Midlakes’ Aiden Bryant, our indoor track and field athlete of the year, also a strong contender in this stacked field.
So, who’s it going to be? This is YOUR chance to decide who gets the biggest honor! The poll is open until 8 p.m. on August 2, and the winner will be announced on the DandCSports Instagram page. Get your votes in, sports fans, because this race is tighter than a drum!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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