Top 25 athletes to look out for: 15-11

Continuing the Top 25 list of student-athletes to keep an eye on during the 2018-19 school year, we have a four-sport athlete and a Section II champion in this group.

Soccer, Senior

A high-scoring offensive threat in soccer, Jamison Baker is one of the top returning players on the pitch this season. The Coxsackie-Athens senior scored 17 goals and dished off one assist for 35 total points as a junior. That output landed him a first team Patroon Conference All-Star selection last season. As a sophomore, Baker showed flashes of what was to come, scoring four goals to go along with four assists. If you’re looking for a preseason MVP candidate in the Patroon, Baker’s name is on the short list.

Football/Basketball, Junior

Dayquan Griffin emerged as one of the top basketball players in the area during his sophomore year, earning himself a first team Patroon Conference All-Star selection in the process. The junior has proved that he can score at will, pouring in 33 points during a mid-season contest. Griffin also plays widereceiver/linebacker on the Bluehawks football team and is a player to keep an eye on during the fall season.

“Dayquan is extremely tough to guard in the low post. He has a strong lower half which allows him to get good positioning and finish well around the rim. He should dominate in the low post for us and make other teams not want to see him in the lineup as long as he continues to put the work in he has been over the last couple years,” Hudson basketball coach Shawn Briscoe said. “He is a hard worker and if we get him to have the same motor on defense and continue to work on him facing the basket, he is going to be tough to stop in all phases of the game. It is all about staying hungry and humble and the success will come to this gifted player.”

Volleyball/Soccer/Basketball/Softball, Senior

A three-sport star at Chatham, Brooke-Lyn Doyle can do it all. Softball and volleyball are her top sports, but Doyle can also be found on the basketball court. In volleyball, the Lady Panther was a first team Patroon Conference All-Star last year. As a freshman, she was a second team All-Star in softball while claiming first team honors as a sophomore and junior. Oh, and she’s heading out onto the soccer pitch this season, adding a fourth varsity sport to her ledger.

“Brooke has been one of the best athletes I have coached in the last 10 years,” Chatham softball coach JB Brantley said. “She is a gifted athlete as she has been named to numerous All-Conference teams from volleyball to softball. Going into her fifth year of two varsity sports is a pretty amazing high school career. Looking forward to seeing her make the transition to the soccer field this fall. She is a gamer as her competitiveness takes over at the right times.”

Football/Baseball/Wrestling, Senior

A Patroon Conference All-Star for baseball, Mier was the youngest player in the Hudson River Collegiate Baseball League this summer. He also made it to the third round of tryouts for Team USA 17U. Mier is a standout on the football team at Taconic Hills and wrestled as a junior, though you may not see him on the mats as a senior as he focuses in on the sport that he will play in college — baseball.

“We are all looking forward to seeing him play next summer,” HRCBL president Ed DuPont said recently. “I think he has a bright future ahead of him at the next level. We are looking forward to seeing where he will be attending college after his senior year at Taconic Hills.”

Wrestling, Junior

A two-time Section II champion and two-time first team Patroon Conference All-Star, Caleb Svingala doesn’t have much left to prove when it comes to wrestling. Largely wrestling in his brother, Trent’s, shadow, look for Svingala to emerge as a serious threat to make a run at a state title this year in the lower weight classes. He gave the No. 1 seed in the state tourney everything he could handle last year, losing a close battle, 4-2. Over the past two seasons, Svingala has went undefeated during the regular season and straight through sectionals.

“Expectations are to once again win a Section 2 title and contend for a state title,” MH coach Tommy Gibbons said. “Caleb has continued to improve his skills and add more and more to his arsenal of moves. Strong kid for his weight class and will be a force this year.”