OLATHE, Kan. — Olathe West pulled it off perfectly.
"Everyone was saying 'Congratulations,'" Jony Munoz said. "I had no idea what they were talking [about]."
Munoz was told he was coming up to the school to sign some papers. When he arrived, there were his Olathe West soccer teammates, his coaches and friends from church parading through the parking lot.
At first, he thought they were there to celebrate him being named Kansas Gatorade Boys Soccer Player of the Year. Then came the big reveal.
"I'm so shook," he said. "I can't explain it. It's insane."
Out of the hundreds of thousands of boys playing high school year during the 2019-20 school year, and out of the 50 who had been named Gatorade Player of the Year in their states, Munoz was chosen as the Gatorade National Player of the Year for boys soccer.
"Winning Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year and them making a banner and putting it in front of the school, that was the cherry on top," Munoz said. "And so this is ... a whole other ice cream."
Munoz scored 36 goals and tallied 19 assists in 21 games for the Owls his senior season.
He is the first ever National Gatorade Player of the Year in any sport from the state of Kansas.
"To win the national award, it's an unbelievable achievement," said Olathe West principal Jay Novacek. "And, to be honest with you, I think Gatorade got it right, because they picked a tremendous young man."
The school, which is only three years old, will receive its own Gatorade trophy to display. Munoz also was responsible for adding another trophy to the hallways at Olathe West – the school's first ever team state championship, won by the boys soccer team this past fall.
"For the state championship, I said it was a fairy tale ending," Munoz said. "But I guess I didn't really understand what a fairy tale ending was until this."
Munoz is off to play his college soccer at Liberty next school year.
