In its 41st year celebrating the nation’s best high school athletes, Gatorade announced Beck Haswell of Sheridan High School is the 2025-26 Gatorade Wyoming Football 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 Haswell as Wyoming’s best high school football player, and he joins an elite legacy that spans professional athletes and coaches to CEOs, such as Peyton Manning (1993-94, Isidore Newman School, LA), Nick Singleton (2021-22, Governor Mifflin High School, PA) and Keelon Russell (2024-25, Duncanville High School, TX).
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound senior tight end and defensive end led the Broncs (13-0) to a fifth straight Class 4A state title this past season, extending the program’s winning streak to 55 games.
Employed as a “Swiss Army knife” by Sheridan’s coaching staff, Haswell compiled 583 rushing, receiving and passing yards and scored eight touchdowns.
The state’s No. 1 recruit as rated by 247 Sports, a two-time Super 25 Team selection and the 2025 4A Lineman of the Year, he recorded 41 tackles on defense including six sacks and 10 tackles for a loss.
Haswell has volunteered locally on behalf of Bronc youth football and soccer programs, the annual Gold Buckle Club WYO Rodeo and the Sheridan Hoop Jam Tournament.
He has also donated his time as a educational peer helper and the Out of the Darkness Suicide Walk in addition to serving as a member of the school photo club.
“Beck brings relentless hustle to the ball and he’s one of the most talented players I’ve coached in 29 years,” said Wendell Smith, Sheridan High School Assistant Coach. “Opponents consistently ran away from his side of the field and repeatedly tried to double-team him in their pass-protection schemes. He’s an incredible blocker and dynamic receiver, and his versatility on offense made him a threat to score every time he touched the ball. As our Wildcat QB, he struck fear into the hearts of opposing defenses and, throughout his career, he played an important role on our special teams’ units.”
Haswell has maintained a 3.98 weighted GPA in the classroom.
He has made a verbal commitment to receive athletic aid to play football at the University of Wyoming next 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.
