NIXA, Mo. (KY3) - Gatorade announced Jackson Cantwell of Nixa High School as its 2025-26 Gatorade National Football Player of the Year.

The 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 Cantwell as the best high school football player, and he’s also been selected as a finalist for the distinguished Gatorade National Football Player of the Year award to be announced in December. Cantwell joins an elite legacy that spans professional athletes and coaches to CEOs. He becomes the first offensive lineman to win the national award.

The 6-foot-8, 305-pound senior left tackle led the Eagles in the Missouri Class 6 state championship game, losing i

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