Vote: Who was Connecticut’s top sophomore football player of 2023?

We give you nine candidates to choose from

The 2023 high school football season is complete and we are going around the East Coast, reflecting on the last few months.

One of the big questions is what newcomers on the scene made the biggest impact to a football program or state even? That’s where sophomores that saw extensive playing time come into the mix.

That’s why we ask the question: Who was the top sophomore football player of 2023?

We will go state-by-state along the East Coast and once that voting is done, do a final poll including all the sophomores that won going head-to-head. 

We’ve selected nine worthy candidates and ask you the fan to vote for who you think topped them all.

Voting will end on February 14th, 2024.

Editor’s note: Our corresponding poll is intended to be fun, and we do not set limits on how many times a fan can vote during the competition. This poll is specifically for fans to vote on the players that have been nominated and in no way discredits any other player that may not be mentioned in our poll. 

Here are the nominees: 

AJ Robinson, QB, Windsor: Robinson showed he was one of the top sophomore passers all season long, with the quarterback completing 117-of-202 passes for 2,000 yards, 34 touchdowns and just a mere four interceptions. 

Aaron Ladr, QB, Ellington: The Knights' quarterback was efficient and taken care of the football, with only five interceptions this season. Ladr has thrown for 1,455 yards and 19 touchdowns. 

Vincent Burbank, QB, Northwest Catholic: Burbank played well under center for Northwest Catholic, completing 114-of-181 passes for 1,361 yards and 17 touchdowns. 

Anthony Cortello, QB, Seymour: The sophomore signal caller had a solid 2023 season among the others on this list. Cortello completed 69-of-127 passes for 1,128 yards and 14 touchdowns. 

Brady Rossacci, RB, Sheehan: Far and away the state's leader in rushing when it comes to sophomores is Rossacci. The running back has carried the ball 316 times for 2,016 yards and scored 24 touchdowns.

AJ Sigel, QB, North Branford: Though Sigel doesn't have quite the numbers Rossacci has on the ground, he's been pretty solid himself as a running quarterback. Averaging over 120 yards per game, Sigel has rushed for 1,212 yards and 15 touchdowns. 

Joey Montalvo, WR, East Catholic: Montalvo had been one of the top most sure-handed wide receivers in the state, racking up 43 catches for 789 yards and nine touchdowns.

Ryan Lavender, LB, Berlin: Leading the sophomore class in the tackling department is Lavender, who has made 123 tackles, 11 for a loss and three sacks. 

Kalib Shaw, LB, Crosby: Another linebacker that's played pretty well this season is Shaw, as the sophomore has tallied 115 tackles, 13.5 have gone for a loss and three sacks. 

-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sbliveconn