Vote for Louisville high school boys preseason 2024-2025 athlete of year before poll ends

As fall sports get underway, ushering in the 2024-25 prep sports season, it’s time for readers to vote for The Courier Journal's preseason boys Athlete of the Year.

Listed below are five standouts for the preseason award.

Players from the following counties were eligible: Bullitt, Jefferson, Oldham, Shelby and Spencer.

Voting is open now. The poll closes at 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 5, and the winner will be announced Aug. 7.

Brayden Bruner, Pleasure Ridge Park baseball

Center fielder Brayden Bruner batted .400 with four home runs, nine doubles, nine triples, 46 RBIs, 49 runs scored and 33 stolen bases while helping the Panthers win their seventh state championship . Bruner was named Sixth Region Player of the Year and first-team All-State.

Hank Scherer, Trinity track and field

Sprinter Hank Scherer competed in his first state track meet this spring. He won the 100 meters, finished second in the 200 and was part of the 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams that placed first in the Class 3A Track and Field Championships .

Tripp O'Brien, Bullitt Central soccer

Tripp O'Brien was named the Sixth Region Offensive Player of the Year after he recorded 37 goals in 2023, which placed him as the state's No. 4 goal scorer. He was also vot e d the top high school boys soccer player in the Louisville area.

Cole Edelen, Male basketball

As a sophomore, Cole Edelen averaged a team-high 21.4 points per game and made 116 3-pointers. The Courier Journal named Edelen to its All-State team, and he led the Bulldogs to the 26th District championship.

Cortez Stone, Central football

Cortez Stone is the No. 8-ranked football player in Kentucky in the Class of 2025 by 247Sports . Last year, he was named second-team All-State by The Courier Journal after he rushed for 1,871 yards and 23 touchdowns.

Reach sports reporter Prince James Story at pstory@gannett.com and follow him on X at @PrinceJStory.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Vote for Louisville high school boys preseason 2024-2025 athlete of year before poll ends