Training camp opens Monday for high school football teams across New York, including those in the Mohawk Valley on the eastern edge of Section III.
Twenty-two area players earned all-state honors last fall, and 10 of them were underclassmen. This is an opportunity for online readers of the Observer-Dispatch and Times Telegram to pick which of those 10 will have the best season in 2026.
A weekly list of athlete of the week nominees is compiled by our sports department during the scholastic seasons, with information provided to the Times Telegram and the Observer-Dispatch by coaches and athletic directors through emails and other contacts, and this poll follows a similar plan, with voting open through noon on Monday, Aug. 17, the first day of practice.
Connor McDonald returns for Class A Whitesboro, as do Holland Patent's Ethan Briggs and Canastota's Devon Silvernail in Class C, Dolgeville teammates Caleb Herringshaw and Tim Gomez, and Notre Dame Juggler D'Marco Santiago in Class D, and Cade Zaleski and Wesley D'Imperio of Morrisville-Eaton, Reese Bowen of Frankfort-Schuyler, and Ian Carney of Waterville in eight-player competition.
Among the departed honorees are eight-player co-players of the year Gavin Baker and Jerome Bowen representing the last two state regional champions, Morrisville-Eaton and Frankfort-Schuyler, respectively, along with Baker's teammates Mason Marland and Landon Highers, and Bowen's teammates Sebastian Veloz, Thomas Service and Jayce Pearson. Brenin Dempsey of Cooperstown, Rocco Femia of Sauquoit Valley, and Richard Zalocha of New York Mills were other eight-player honorees; Jacob Moore of Dolgeville and Moses Shan of Notre Dame were honored in Class D; Payton Way, John Vitullo, Niko Martinez and Korey Case of Class B sectional champion New Hartford were picked along with Gabe Wheeler and Brody Barlow of Vernon-Verona-Sherrill, and Calvin Jacquays of Central Valley Academy; Whitesboro's Kevin George, Mike Hill, Simon Kikuch and Matt Kiszlewski were chosen in Class A; and Proctor Raider Walt Phillips received Class AA recognition.
A winner is scheduled to be announced Wednesday afternoon on the TimesTelegram.com and UticaOD.com websites.
Below is a quick look at the accomplishments of the returning players during their 2025 season.
REESE BOWEN, Frankfort-Schuyler: Earned honorable mention in eight-player competition as a versatile junior who was listed as an offensive end. Bowen caught 25 passes for 481 yards and seven touchdowns, ran for 186 yards and three touchdowns, and passed for 105 yards and one score on offense, and added 70 tackles, two sacks and two interceptions on defense.
ETHAN BRIGGS, Holland Patent: Quarterback received honorable mention in Class C as a junior when he passed for 1,656 yards with 16 touchdowns going to seven different receivers. He added 233 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
IAN CARNEY, Waterville: Carney passed for 1,170 yards and 15 touchdowns as a sophomore, and ran for 1,027 yards and 15 more touchdowns in eight-player competition, earning a first-team all-state selection.
WESLEY D'IMPERIO, Morrisville-Eaton: One of two 1,000-yard rushers for state's 2025 eight-player championship team, D'Imperio ran for 1,209 yards and 18 touchdowns as a sophomore. He also caught a touchdown pass and ran back a kickoff for a score, earning honorable mention from the New York State Sportswriters Association.
TIM GOMEZ, Dolgeville: Second-year starter at quarterback passed for 811 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior, and ran for 412 yards and scored five times, earning honorable mention in Class D.
CALEB HERRINGSHAW, Dolgeville: Junior linebacker led the Blue Devils with 95½ tackles, and added three sacks and two interceptions for the Class D sectional finalists. He ran for 539 yards and eight touchdowns on offense and was a second-team all-state selection.
CONNOR McDONALD, Whitesboro: McDonald ran for 1,218 yards and 19 touchdowns and caught 51 passes for 1,302 yards and 18 touchdowns as a multipurpose threat in his second varsity season as a junior and helped Whitesboro win its third consecutive Class A title as a junior. he also scored twice on fumble recoveries and once on a kick return, and earned first-team all-state honors.
D'MARCO SANTIAGO, Notre Dame: In his first season at Notre Dame as a sophomore, Santiago ran for 560 of his 714 yards and 10 of his 11 touchdowns in a three-game stretch that ended a lengthy Juggler losing streak. He added 66 tackles on defense and received Class D honorable mention as a running back.
DEVON SILVERNAIL, Canastota: Running back had 1,077 yards and 18 touchdowns rushing as a junior, added three touchdowns on pass receptions and on on a kick return, and earned honorable mention in Class C.
CADE ZALESKI, Morrisville-Eaton: A first-team selection on defense, Zaleski led Section III with 17 sacks as a junior while helping the Morrisville-Eaton win its Section III championship in four years and its first state regional eight-player championship. The lineman also had 107 tackles and forced seven fumbles.
This article originally appeared on Times Telegram: Vote: Mohawk Valley's top returning high school football player