The Olathe West High School (Kan.) forward was surprised by his family, coaches and teammates with a drive-by parade outside of his home on Wednesday evening. Ranked as the No. 135 recruit for the Class of 2020 by TopDrawerSoccer.com, he signed a National Letter of Intent to play soccer on scholarship at Liberty University in Virginia.
Gatorade named Liberty University commit and Olathe West High School (Kan.) forward Jony Muñoz the 2019-20 National Boys Soccer Player of the Year on Wednesday, in honor of his accomplishments on and off the field.
Muñoz, who graduated this spring, was surprised by his family, coaches and teammates with a drive-by parade outside of his home on Wednesday evening. After beating out nearly half a million high school soccer players nationwide for this prestigious award, he joins an inspiring group of former Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year winners. Combined, the former winners have 11 National Championships and 12 became MLS first round draft picks.
The 5'7", 133-pound senior forward led the Owls to a Class 6A state championship this past season, ending with a 20-1 record. Muñoz tallied 36 goals and 19 assists, including a goal and assist in the team’s 2-1 win over Blue Valley West High in the state final. Additionally, the former member of the U.S. Soccer Under-16 Men’s National Team was named the Most Valuable Player of the High School All-American Game in December.
By the end of his two-year prep soccer career, Muñoz recorded 53 goals and 28 assists. Ranked as the No. 135 recruit for the Class of 2020 by TopDrawerSoccer.com, he signed a National Letter of Intent to play soccer on scholarship at Liberty University in Virginia.
Muñoz, a guitar player in his church’s worship band, dedicated many hours to his academics, maintaining a weighted 3.97 GPA, and helping his community. He spearheaded a food drive, which ended with over 1,000 canned goods for those in need, and was awarded the Olathe Noon Optimist Club’s community leader award as a member of his high school’s OWLS student-leadership organization. Additionally, Muñoz traveled to Mexico last summer for a service-missioned trip that assisted the underprivileged youth.
Muñoz is now a finalist for the Gatorade Male High School Athlete of the Year award, which is announced in July.