By PAUL GOTHAM
Cam Blankenberg led Wayne High School to an 18-2 regular season mark, the No. 2 seed in Class A and back-to-back sectional as well as regional titles. I’zick Reaves and Greece Athena grabbed the top spot in AA2 with an 18-2 mark. Jalen Taggart headed a Rush-Henrietta squad that went 18-2 and nabbed the top seed in Class AAA.
The three student-athletes headed the list of local players who earned All-State honors as announced today by the New York State Sportswriters Association (NYSSWA).
Blankenberg, the Finger Lakes East Player of the Year, averaged 28.7 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists per game to garner Class A First Team All State. The junior notched a triple-double on six separate occasions and racked up 20 double-doubles. The 6-foot-6 guard tops returning active scorers in Section V with 1,674 career points. He led Wayne to its second straight Second V Class A title and second consecutive state semifinal appearance.
Teammate Aidan Twist (Jr. 16.0 ppg) earned Eighth Team Class A selection along with East High teammates Zion Parson (Jr. Third Team/18.1 ppg), Kesean Leonard (Sr. Sixth Team) and Micah Johnson-Breedlove (Sr. Tenth Team).
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Class A Honorable Mentions include Caiden Evans (Sr. Greece Olympia), Richie Miles (So. Wayne), DePatrick Overstreet (Sr. Geneva) and Justin Smith (Sr. Batavia).
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Reaves, the Monroe County Division III Co-Player, averaged 17.0 points per game, 3.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. The senior guard was named NYS Class AA Second Team. His best game came on January 15 where Reaves dropped a career-high 38 points, grabbed eight rebounds, handed out three assists and had two steals in a 73-67 overtime win against Canandaigua. He led the way as Athena ended a decade-long sectional title drought. Reaves and the Trojans went on to clinch a spot in the NYS Class AA semifinals.
Penfield senior Patrick Emling (18.0 ppg) was named to the Class AA Seventh Team along with Victor senior Griffen Hopkins (Ninth Team/25.4 ppg), Athena senior Ne’Sean Fowlks (Tenth Team/12.0 ppg) and Penfield sophomore Jake McCarthy (Thirteenth Team/12.0 ppg).
Class AA Honorable Mentions: Connor Chapman (Sr. Canandaigua), Levi Kulik (Sr. Webster Thomas), Chase Leonardo (Jr. Irondequoit), Tajmir Mullins (Sr. Monroe) and Joey Vigerzi (So. Gates Chili).
Taggart, the Monroe County Division I Co-Player of the Year, finished the year averaging 25.9 points per game, alongside 5.5 rebounds. The junior guard earned NYS Class AAA Fourth Team. He connected on 42.7 percent of his shots from behind the 3-point arc as part of an overall field-goal percentage of 48.7. He poured in a season-high 39 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against eventual Section VI champion, Jamestown. The junior guard also accounted for 31 points and eight rebounds in a win over 2024 NYS Class AAA champion Green Tech (II). He led Rush-Henrietta to a Far West Regional appearance, recording a double-double in that game as well. Taggart has 1,146 career points.
Classmate Avery Council (20.0 ppg) was named to the NYS Class AAA Eleventh Team. Fairport senior LaShard Lowry Jr. (22.0 ppg) earned a spot on the NYS Seventh Team. Aquinas junior Christian McCullough (21.0 ppg) garnered a Tenth Team selection.
Class AAA Honorable Mention: Jadeir Breedlove (Aquinas, Sr.), Landon Brunken (Fairport ,Sr.), Henry Fox (McQuaid Jesuit, Jr.), Jaiyden Jones (McQuaid Jesuit, Sr.) and Gavin White (UPrep, So.).
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