University of Georgia-recruit Ryan Puglisi of Old Avon Farms is the 2023 Gatorade Connecticut Football Player of the Year. He’s the second player from Old Avon Farms to win the honor that celebrates the nation’s top high school athletes for excellence on the field, in the classroom and in the community.
The 6-foot-3, 210-pound senior quarterback passed for 1,758 yards and 14 touchdowns this past season, completing 66.9 percent of his throws for 10.0 yards per attempt to lead the Winged Beavers to a 7-3 record in the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC). Puglisi also rushed for 361 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 5.9 yards per carry. A Nike Elite 11 finalist, he is ranked as the nation’s No. 112 prospect in the Class of 2024 by ESPN.
Puglisi has volunteered locally on behalf of the Special Olympics and has helped raise money for cancer research through his work with A Shot For Life, a sports-based non-profit organization based in Massachusetts. “Ryan is a tremendous competitor and high-character kid with an elite arm,” said Hotchkiss School head coach Dempsey Quinn. “He plays the game the right way and is fun to watch on the field. He makes all the throws; he’s a stud. From a talent perspective, he’s in a league of his own.”
Puglisi has maintained a B-plus average in the classroom.
From Gatorade news release
Puglisi joins recent Gatorade Connecticut Football Players of the Year John Neider (2022-23, Jonathan Law High School), Victor Rosa (2021-22, Bristol Central High School), Wilfredo Aybar (2020-21, Cheshire Academy), and Jack Wallace (2019-20, St. Joseph High School), among the state’s list of former award winners.
