The 2025-26 prep sports season is in the rearview mirror, but before focusing on 2026-27, it’s a good time to look back on memorable individual performances from the male athletes throughout the state.
Some are outgoing seniors who ended their careers in style, while others are going to be returning for more next year.
Here were our top five, with an emphasis on multiple-sport athletes.
1. Gideon Gash, Detroit Catholic Central
Yes, Gash is one of the state’s top football recruits in the 2027 class who recently committed to Texas Tech. But he made sure to fully embrace being a multisport athlete. In the fall, Gash was named first team all-state in Division 1-2 as a defensive back and also was an important wideout, catching three touchdown passes in the state championship win over Detroit Cass Tech.
While still a coveted football recruit, Gash was still busy in the winter as a member of Catholic Central’s basketball team, being a rotation player for a Catholic Central team that won the regular-season title in the Catholic League Central Division.
In the spring, he originally bypassed lacrosse to run track and field, where he was second in the 100-meter dash at the Catholic League meet, and was part of two winning relay teams and finished third in the long jump at the Division 1 state meet.
When that was over, Gash rejoined the lacrosse team for its last week of the season and was a part of Catholic Central’s Division 1 state championship squad.
2. Tristan Comer, Freeland
The 6-foot-6, 275-pound Comer has signed to play football at Michigan State and had a nice fall, being named first-team all-state in Division 3-4 for Freeland. But that was just a prelude to a unforgettable winter, when he was also a first-team all-state player for Freeland’s boys basketball team that captured its first state championship in school history when it won the Division 2 crown.
Comer was an offensive and defensive force in the middle of the paint for Freeland, averaging 15.1 points and 8.8 rebounds a game while shooting 66% from the field. He finished with 1,464 career points, 1,028 career rebounds and was a part of 85 wins in his high school career.
3. Cortez Porter, Davison
Porter certainly didn’t take much time off in his high school career, being a three-year starter in football and a four-year varsity performer in both basketball and track. A lockdown corner and playmaking wideout who has signed with Ferris State to play football, Porter had 54 tackles and five interceptions on the gridiron. He then seamlessly transitioned to basketball, where he was named first team all-state in Division 1 after averaging 24.4 points, 4.6 assists and 2.2 steals per game. Porter was a three-year varsity starter for the basketball team.
In the spring, Porter was a sprinter for the track who team who competed in the 100- and 200-meter dashes, and was a member of relay teams. Porter was on Davison’s 4×200 relay team that qualified for the Division 1 state track and field meet.
4. Cole Novara, Dexter
Novara may be small at 5-foot-8, but he impacted football and baseball games this year like he was 7-foot-8. During a football season that saw him named first team all-state in Division 1-2, Novara set single-season state records for receptions (128), receiving yards (2,162) and touchdown catches (26).
He and quarterback Cooper Arnedt formed one of the most lethal passing combinations in state history and helped Dexter advance to its first state championship game in Division 2. In baseball, he was named to the all-state Dream Team and helped Dexter make the Division 1 state quarterfinals. Novara batted .350 with a .502 on-base percentage, 33 RBIs and 73 runs scored. He’ll play baseball next year at Michigan State.
5. Drake Roa, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep
Headed to play baseball for Michigan, Roa ended his high school career as one of the state’s best three-sport athletes. In football, he was named first team all-state in Division 5-6 after catching 70 passes for 975 yards and 17 touchdowns.
During the winter, he was one of the best players for the school’s basketball team, averaging 15.6 points, 7.4 rebounds and two steals per game.
In the spring, Roa hit the diamond and excelled once again at his best sport, hitting .403 with 60 runs, 23 RBIs and 42 stolen bases. He also had a .996 fielding percentage at shortstop.
Roa was named to the all-state Dream Team for a second year in a row and helped Notre Dame Prep eclipse the 30-win mark.
Keith Dunlap is a freelance writer.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: A look back at the top 5 Michigan boys high school athletes from 2025-26
Reporting by Keith Dunlap, Special to The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Keith Dunlap, Special to The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
