Looking back on the 2024-25 school year, there were some memorable performances from high school male athletes on the SouthCoast.
We’re working on a project that you, our readers, can help with.
We want to select a 2024-25 Male High School Athlete of the Year from the SouthCoast.
We’re also selecting a High School Sports Team of the Year, High School Coach of the Year and a Female High School Athlete of the Year. These all cover the fall, winter and spring seasons for the 2024-25 school year.
For Male Athlete of the Year, we’ve narrowed the list down to nine choices — one from each of the area’s schools.
Now we’d like you to vote for the person you think should be crowned the Male Athlete of the Year. Your vote will be part of the formula we use to select the winner. Our staff will also weigh in and we’ll wind up with an overall winner.
(Editor’s Note: Voting will end at 8 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 3.)
Candidates are listed in alphabetical order by school.
Will Levrault, Apponequet
Levrault lettered in three sports — golf, basketball and lacrosse — over his four-year career. As a three-year starter in basketball, Levrault finished his career with 1,162 points, which ranks second all-time at Apponequet. He helped the Lakers qualify for the postseason all four years and reach the Div. 3 Sweet 16 his junior and senior seasons. The four-year varsity lacrosse player finished his career second all-time in points (284) at Apponequet with 168 goals and 116 assists. He also had 109 ground balls.
Michael Veegh, Bishop Stang
Veegh proved to be one of the area’s top runners, competing in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track at Bishop Stang. Veegh made the switch from soccer to cross country and ended up qualifying for All-State. In the winter, the Mayflower Catholic League All-Star took sixth in the state in the 600 meters (1:22.03) and qualified for Nationals in the 400 (49.67). He also went undefeated in the 300 and 600 during dual meets. In the spring, Veegh, a conference all-star, won the Div. 5 championship in the 400 meters (49.54) and qualified for the Meet of Champions for the second straight year.
Ray Gramlich, Dartmouth
Gramlich was dominant in both football and lacrosse for Dartmouth. He was named the 2024 Standard-Times Football Defensive Player of the Year as a senior, recording a team-high 111 tackles to help Dartmouth hold the opposition to an average of 14 points per game with 2 shutouts. Offensively, Gramlich carried the ball 138 times for 881 yards (6.4 average) and scored 13 touchdowns, earning Southeast Conference All-Star honors. He also had 15 catches for 108 yards. In lacrosse, the conference all-star was one of the area’s top shut-down defenders. He also was a key contributor in winter track on multiple relays throughout his four years.
Justin Marques, Fairhaven
Marques left his mark in football at Fairhaven High and the state as the senior running back had 1,907 rushing yards and 42 touchdowns to finish his career with 5,514 rushing yards and a state-record 110 touchdowns. Marques also stood out in ice hockey, recording 11 goals and 8 assists. In the spring, Marques controlled the midfield for Fairhaven lacrosse as one of the area’s top faceoff guys. He finished the season with 30 goals, 24 assists and a faceoff win percentage of 72%.
Jack Gwozdz, GNB Voc-Tech
Gwozdz enjoyed a breakthrough year in volleyball as he notched 257 kills, 131 digs, 61 assists and 23 aces to power the Bears to a playoff berth. Gwozdz also had an impact on the soccer field as the two-year varsity player anchored the defense from the center back position.
Nick Rosa, New Bedford
Rosa was a force for New Bedford High volleyball, powering the Whalers to the Big Patriot League championship in its inaugural season, earning League MVP honors. As a senior, he had 314 kills to finish his career with 660, just three shy of tying the school record. He also was a role player on New Bedford’s boys basketball team that won the Big 3 Conference championship.
Max Finney, Old Colony
Finney made a name for himself on the basketball court at Old Colony, finishing his career with 1,411 points, 1,015 rebounds, 373 steals and 406 assists. He is a two-time Mayflower Athletic Conference MVP, three-time MAC champion and two-time State Vocational champ. Finney also stood out on the football field, recording 121 tackles, 1 interception, 2 forced fumbles and 1 fumble recovery as a senior. The MAC All-Star also carried the ball 109 times for 670 yards (6.2 average) and scored four rushing touchdowns and three 2-point conversions. He added five catches for 71 yards and a score.
Gavin Martin, Old Rochester
A three-sport athlete, Martin shined brightest in football and basketball. As a senior quarterback, Martin powered the Bulldogs to a trip to the Div. 5 state semifinal. He carried the ball 151 times for 1,508 yards and scored 18 rushing touchdowns and a pair of 2-point conversions. He also threw for 1,083 yards and seven scoring strikes, earning a spot on the Div. 5 All-State team and South Coast Conference All-Star team. In basketball, he led the Bulldogs to a second-straight Div. 3 State final appearance. Martin was in the top 10 in scoring in the SCC this year, averaging 15 points per game. He was in double figures in 18 of 22 games with a high of 29. He also averaged almost 6 assists per game, including a school record of 12 in one game, along with guarding the opposition’s best player nightly.
Will Wiksten, Wareham
A multi-sport athlete, Wiksten was solid for Wareham in soccer and track and field. In the spring, the three-year runner qualified for the Div. 6 championship in the 110 hurdles, placing 19th, and 400 hurdles, placing 16th. He also took third in the 400 hurdles and sixth in the 100 hurdles at the Mayflower Athletic Conference championship.
This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Vote for the SouthCoast High School Boys Athlete of the 2024-25 Year