Boys Soccer: Ralston Valley’s Ethan Orchard Named Gatorade Colorado Player of the Year
Ralston Valley’s Ethan Orchard.
Photo: Derek Regensburger
CHICAGO (June 12, 2026) — In its 41st year celebrating the nation’s best high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Ethan Orchard of Ralston Valley High School is the 2025-26 Gatorade Colorado Boys Soccer Player of the Year.
Gatorade Player of the Year is the top honor in high school sports, celebrating the nation’s best high school athletes for their excellence in sport, academics and community. The award recognizes Orchard as Colorado’s best high school boys soccer player, and he joins an elite legacy that spans professional athletes and coaches to CEOs, such as Alecko Eskandarian (1999-00, Bergen Catholic High School, New Jersey), Cristian Roldan (2012-13, El Rancho High School, California) and Dan Klink (2024-25, Loyola Blakefield, Maryland).
The 6-foot, 165-pound senior midfielder led the Mustangs to a 18-1-1 record and the Class 5A state final this past season. Orchard scored 19 goals and passed for 8 assists, netting the tying goal in the final minute of the semifinals to force overtime, where he ultimately converted his penalty kick to help send Ralston Valley to the state title game. The Colorado 5A Player of the Year, Jefferson County MVP and Offensive Player of the Year, he is also a 2025 United Soccer Coaches All-American.
Orchard has volunteered locally with the Arvada Food Bank, an organization that collects and distributes food for those in need. He has also served as a youth soccer and futsal coach. “Ethan Orchard was clearly the best high school soccer player in Colorado this year,” said Zach Hindman, head coach of Broomfield High School. “He’s playing at a level far above his peers. The anchor for a Ralston Valley team that made it to the final as a guy who did everything in the middle of the field, he’s extremely physical, creative and owns great leadership skills. He’s just exceptional.”
Orchard has maintained a weighted 3.95 GPA in the classroom. He has signed a written letter of athletic aid to play soccer on scholarship at the University of Denver this fall.
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one state winner from each of the 50 states and Washington D.C., in 12 different sports: football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, baseball, softball, boys and girls soccer, and boys and girls track & field. In total, 610 high school athletes are honored each year. From the pool of state winners, one national winner is selected in each of the 12 sports. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others as sources to help evaluate and determine the winners in each sport.
As part of Gatorade’s commitment to breaking down barriers in sport, every Player of the Year also receives a grant to donate to a social impact partner. To date, the Gatorade Player of the Year program has provided more than $6.4 million in grants to winners across more than 2,200 organizations.
To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate student-athletes, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com
