CLEVELAND HIGH SCHOOL STANDOUT NAMED GATORADE NEW MEXICO BOYS SOCCER PLAYER OF THE YEAR
CHICAGO (June 8, 2020) — In its 35th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company today announced Gabe Legendre of Sue Cleveland High School as its 2019-20 Gatorade New Mexico Boys Soccer Player of the Year. Legendre is the second 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 state award-winners in 12 sports, 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 (2004-05, 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 state’s returning Gatorade Player of the Year, the 5-foot-8, 155-pound senior forward recorded 30 goals and 13 assists this past season, leading the Storm (16-6) to the Class 5A state semifinals. A three-time First Team All-State selection, Legendre participated in the High School All-American Game in December. Ranked as the nation’s No. 175 propsect in the Class of 2020 by TopDrawerSoccer.com, he concluded his prep soccer career with 89 goals and 30 assists.
Legendre is a volunteer firefighter in the village of Corrales. He has also donated his time to community beautification projects. “Gabe scored both goals against us and was the difference-maker,” said Tommy Smith, head coach of Sandia Preparatory School. “He can take over a game at any time.”
Legendre has maintained a weighted 3.44 GPA in the classroom. He has signed a National Letter of Intent to play soccer on scholarship at Fort Lewis College in Colorado.
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. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which work with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.
Two-time winner 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), Sergio Rivas (2014-15, Cibola High School), and Guillermo Diaz (2013-14, Gadsden High School) among the state’s list of former award winners.
*release courtesy Gatorade
