Valley Sports ReportTHE VALLEY — Athens sophomore Brady Flynn posted an impressive first varsity season at the plate and on the mound. He is the 2025 Valley Sports Report "Boys Newcomer of the Spring."
Flynn was the VSR "Player of the Year, and the "Newcomer of the Year."
Flynn, who had 10 at-bats of a freshman, hit .442 (23 hits in 52 ABs) with seven doubles, 23 RBI, 23 runs scored, and eight stolen bases.
Flynn walked 12 times and was hit by one pitch for a .537 on-base percentage, to go along with a .577 slugging percentage for a 1.114 OPS.
On the mound, Flynn was 3-0 with a 1.97 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. He struck out 24 and walked six, while allowing 22 hits in 21 1/3 innings. Opponents hit .256 against him.
ALL-VALLEY SUPER 7 BOYS NEWCOMERS OF THE SPRING
Brady Flynn, sophomore, Athens: See above.
Dominic Palmer, junior, Tioga: Palmer spent the regular season running sprints, relays, and competing in the long jump and high jump, but when the postseason rolled around he focused his attention on the pentathlon.
In his first effort, Palmer won the event at the IAC Championships with 2,160 points. He followed that up with a second-place finish at the State Qualifier with a school-record 2,944 points, which easily topped the state standard of 2,901 points.
Palmer finished 12th at the State meet with 2,521 points.
Griff Walter, freshman, Waverly: Walter hit .302 (13 hits in 43 ABs) with 11 RBI, three runs scored, and two stolen bases. He walked 13 times and was hit by one pitch for a .443 on-base percentage.
On the mound, Walter was 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA and a 1.286 WHIP. He struck out seven in 11 2/3 innings.
Josh Rought, freshman, Tioga: Rought hit .306 (15 hits in 49 ABs) with four doubles, 15 RBI, 17 runs scored, and four stolen bases. He walked nine times and was hit by pitches twice for a .433 on-base percentage.
On the mound, Rought was 3-2 with a 4.44 ERA. He fanned 37 and walked 14, while allowing 22 hits in 23 2/3 innings.
Jackson Varner, junior, Tioga: Varner hit .343 (12 hits in 35 ABs) with one home run, nine RBI, and eight runs scored. He walked six times for a .429 on-base percentage.
Jaxon Chandler, freshman, Waverly: Chandler consistently won points for the Wolverines in the 110-meter hurdles and the high jump.
Chandler finish fourth in 110 hurdles and sixth in high jump at Class C Championships. He was eighth in the high jump and ninth in the 110-meter hurdles at the STAC Championships.
Drayton DeKay, sophomore, Waverly: DeKay was a consistent point-winner for the Wolverines in the pole vault and triple jump.
DeKay was sixth in the pole vault, and 14th in the triple jump at Class C Championships. He also ran on the sixth-place 1,600-meter relay team. He was eighth in the triple jump at the STAC Championships, and ran on a pair of relays — the 400 and 1,600 — that finished ninth.
