CLEVELAND STANDOUT NAMED GATORADE NEW MEXICO BOYS SOCCER PLAYER OF THE YEAR
CHICAGO (June 6, 2019) — In its 34th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company today announced Gabe Legendre of Sue Cleveland High School as its 2018-19 Gatorade New Mexico Boys Soccer Player of the Year. Legendre is the first Gatorade New Mexico Boys Soccer Player of the Year to be chosen from Sue Cleveland High School.
The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Legendre as New Mexico’s best high school boys soccer player. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year award to be announced in June, Legendre joins an elite alumni association of past state soccer award-winners, including Alexi Lalas (1987-88, Cranbrook High School, Mich.), Steve Cherundolo (1996-97, Mt. Carmel High School, Calif.), Abby Wambach (1997-98, Our Lady of Mercy School of Young Women, N.Y.), Heather O’Reilly (2001-02, 2002-03, East Brunswick High School, N.J.), Matt Besler (2004-04, Blue Valley West High School, Kans.), Jack Harrison (2013-14, Berkshire High School, Mass.) and Mallory Pugh (2014-15, Mountain Vista High School, Colo.).
The 5-foot-7, 152-pound junior forward and midfielder led the Storm to a 20-3 record and the Class 5A state championship this past season. Legendre recorded 32 goals and 13 assists, including a hat trick in the state semifinals. He produced three hat tricks and 10 multi-goal games en route to earning Class 5A co-Player of the Year honors. Legendre is also a two-time First Team All-State selection. He concluded his junior year with 59 goals and 17 assists in his prep soccer career.
Legendre is a volunteer firefighter in the village of Corrales. He has also donated his time to community beautification projects. “Gabe is an impactful player that finds a way to make things happen for his team,” said John Shepard, head coach of Rio Rancho High. “He plays at full speed all the time, yet still makes good decisions. If he can’t score, he assists.”
Legendre has maintained a 3.32 GPA in the classroom. He will begin his senior year of high school this fall.
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. From the 12 national winners, one male and one female athlete are each named Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year. In all, 607 athletes are honored each year.
Legendre joins recent Gatorade New Mexico Boys Soccer Players of the Year Adam Foltz (2017-18, Alamogordo High School), Charles Touche (2016-17, Albuquerque Academy), Miguel Lucero (2015-16, Atrisco Heritage Academy High School), Sergio Rivas (2014-15, Cibola High School) and Guillermo Diaz (2013-14, Gadsden High School) among the state’s list of former award winners.
As a part of Gatorade’s cause marketing platform “Play it Forward,” Legendre also has the opportunity to award a $1,000 grant to a local or national youth sports organization of his choosing. He is also eligible to submit an essay to win one of twelve $10,000 spotlight grants for the organization of choice, which will be announced throughout the year.
*release courtesy Gatorade
