Another season is in the books for schools across the Capital region, which means it’s time for the Monitor to name its top performers of the last three months.
Although only two local schools crowned themselves champions, Bow in girls’ soccer and Hillsboro-Deering in football, many area athletes were among the top performers in the state in their sport.
Without further ado, here’s the Fall 2025 Monitor Players of the Season list.
Football: Colin Savard, Concord
Colin Savard, a junior, made all the headlines this year as the Crimson Tide’s starting running back. He led his team in many offensive metrics and was the main target for opposing defenses.
Savard was featured as an athlete of the week before the season began for his role as a captain and leader on the Tide’s squad. Even then, he blew all expectations for the season out of the water, considering the turnover of the offensive line and other options in the backfield.
Through nine games, Savard rushed 194 times for a Division I and state-leading 1,382 yards in the regular season and 16 touchdowns with an efficient 7.1 yards per carry. He was equally as efficient as a pass-catcher with 18 catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns.
He led the Crimson Tide to a playoff berth alongside a strong supporting cast, but a late comeback by Windham shattered Concord’s hopes of winning the first-round match.
Savard had one of the best running back seasons in the State, neck-and-neck with Souhegan’s Ryland Raudelunas. He will only improve in his senior season next year and will carry Concord’s hopes with him as sophomore quarterback Rhys Craigue develops alongside him.
Girls’ Volleyball: Liv Chandonnait, Belmont
Division III Player of the Year Liv Chandonnait helped the Red Raiders reach the semifinals and win a set against the top-seeded Inter-Lakes Lakers.
Chandonnait played great in the playoffs and remained consistent throughout the season. She was directly involved in winning 203 points and had 259 successful service receptions across 18 games.
Chandonnait was efficient at the net with 138 kills, but was even better from the service line, and she slammed home 61 aces on 237 serves with only 22 errors. She was dependable defensively with 175 digs to keep plays alive.
Under the tutelage of D-III Coach of the Year Bry Kelly, she grew into one of the best players in the state. The two will continue working together for the club volleyball season as Chandonnait seeks the right fit for collegiate volleyball.
“Her passion and grit are what leads her through her volleyball career. Not only has she greatly improved this year in her skills, but she has also truly impacted the Belmont Volleyball Program for many years to come,” Coach Kelly said about Chandonnait’s season.
Field Hockey: Caylin Worthen, John Stark
Senior Caylin Worthen was named to the Division II All-State First Team last season, and one-upped herself with another strong season to win the D-II Co-Offensive Player of the Year.
She played and started all four years of her varsity career, winning two state championships in her freshman and sophomore seasons. Four straight final fours were in large part thanks to Worthen’s ability to command the midfield and attack.
As a forward, she was shifty and navigated through opposing defenses with grit and immense focus. She scored her 100th point in early September and went on to lead Stark to a 13-1-2 record and a playoff win.
She will continue her field hockey career at Franklin Pierce University.
Boys’ Soccer: Finan Murphy, Hopkinton
Finan Murphy continues to prove to be one of the top offensive midfielders in the state. Although his Hopkinton team fell in the semifinals to a difficult Kearsarge defense, Murphy never gave up as his time on the high school soccer team approached its end.
With 14 goals and 15 assists this season, he was first in assists and second in points on his team behind senior forward Nolan Linstad. However, Murphy’s consistency across four seasons placed him tied for fourth in career points (121) by Hopkinton players since 2006.
Always a tough player to defend while dribbling, a threat on set-pieces as a taker and in the box, he spelled trouble for opposing defenses.
Murphy was a D-III All-State First Team player and was named as a top-11 player in high school soccer across all divisions this season.
Girls’ Soccer: Madi Lamothe, John Stark
Junior Madi Lamothe led Division II in goals scored with 24 and provided five assists on an offensively talented Stark squad that was only shut out once.
Her team did not always command the field with possession, but Lamothe took advantage of opportunities when they presented themselves.
She reached 100 career points this season and did so with strong driving runs and well-weighted passes through lines. She also acted as an effective poacher with good positioning inside the box to finish against the keeper.
She was named to the D-II All-State First Team for her efforts and hopes to continue growing to play collegiate soccer.
Co-ed Golf: Zach Nelson, Concord and Mady Savary, Bishop Brady
Nelson and Savary were two of the best golfers in the state this year.
Nelson, a junior for the Crimson Tide, tied for third place in Concord’s fourth-place finish at the D-I golf championship at Canterbury Woods. Nelson shot a 2-over 74 and was the only Concord golfer to make the top 16 to qualify for the second round of the D-I individual championship, ultimately finishing runner-up in D-I.
He was named the 2025 NH Golf Association’s Jr Boys Elite Player of the Year after playing in 10 events on the tour this summer.
Nelson competed well in the Interscholastic New England Championships in Baltic, Conn. and placed tied for 29th on 78 strokes, nine behind the leader.
Savary was dominant for the Giants in NHIAA play and was a leading golfer in the state this season.
She helped lead Bishop Brady to back-to-back D-III team titles and was the runner-up in the girls’ individual championship, just one stroke shy of the championship. This was Savary’s second year in a row finishing in second place in the girls’ championship.
She had success again in the regional championships and came in second place among a field of 58 other golfers. She finished fourth in the 2025 NH Golf Association’s Jr Girls Elite Player of the Year leaderboard.
Boys’ Cross Country: Josiah Conley, Concord
Josiah Conley continued his form as a senior and was once again the top boys’ cross country runner in the Monitor’s coverage area.
Running is a sport that requires a certain type of mental toughness that’s hard to replicate in other sports. A runner doesn’t depend on their teammates to be faster, only on themselves, and Conley showed he had the right mindset this year.
In the Division I Championship, he led the Concord boys’ team with a third-place finish and returned the Tide team to the Meet of Champions for the first time since his freshman year.
“He’s always come back to running as his center. It’s what he loves to do, it’s what brings him joy every day. He loves the guys on the team,” his coach, Zach Procek, said after the race. “To see him in the top three and run, what I would say, is his best race of the season. …I’m just so impressed with his performance today and over the last four years. He deserves all the credit that’s due to him.”
He finished 17th in this year’s New England Championship with a 16:52 time. He also recently competed in the NXR Northeast & New York Regional Open and placed 41st among a field of 274 runners.
Girls’ Cross Country: Maddy Lane, Hopkinton
After coming in second to Exeter’s Alexis Paterna in the Meet of Champions, Maddy Lane got a win of her own on the big stage when she won the New England Interscholastic girls’ cross country championship at Thetford Academy in Thetford, Vt.
Her 18-minute, 29.29-second 5K race saw her finish fractions of a second ahead of Paterna. The junior runner was dominant all season and won her third straight individual title with a 5K time of 18 minutes, 58.53 seconds in the Division III Championship.
“I really enjoy the longer distance, and I feel like it plays more to my strengths because I would say I’m better in the endurance, aerobic field rather than speed. I also just like all the different courses and the environment better,” she said in her Athlete of the Week feature.
After a nearly undefeated season in New Hampshire, she continued performing at a high level and finished fourth at the NXR Northeast & New York Regional Open.
She thrives in the cross-country world and will continue to be a force to be reckoned with in the track and field season and next year as a favorite to win it all again as a senior.
