2023 showed us that New Jersey high school athletes are some of the best athletes in the country. Whether it be during the Fall, Winter, or Spring, someday we may see these young athletes in the pros. Here are the finalists for JSN Boys High School Athlete of the Year:
Dylan Harper: The Rutgers commit had a 2023 to remember as a junior at Don Bosco. Last season, Harper averaged 23.4 points a game which ranked 3rd in the state of New Jersey.
His performance landed himself on the ESPN Top 100 list as the #2 overall high school recruit in the entire country. As a senior this year, Harper has picked up right where he left off, scoring 22 points for Don Bosco in their opening night win against Eastside.
Micah Ford: The Stanford commit missed 4 games this year but still had lights out numbers for the Toms River North Mariners. Ford was a huge threat with his feet and his arm, the senior rushed for 1,700 yards, scampering for 14 touchdowns on the ground. Through the air, Ford tossed 15 touchdowns with only 4 interceptions leading the Mariners to their second straight state title. Ford was also one of Toms River’s better players on the defensive side of the ball.
As a defensive back he posted 54 tackles on the year with 1 sack and two interceptions.
Landon De Prima: Ramapo’s Senior quarterback led New Jersey in every single major passing stat. De Prima threw for over 3,000 passing yards and a whopping 42 touchdown passes in 2023.
De Prima was slated to join his brother at Harvard but reopened his recruitment and has since committed to Princeton just last week. As an Ivy League QB De Prima has excelled both on the field and in the classroom.
