I never knew what to expect from Class A this season. Throughout the winter, it was impossible to know what would happen. A true championship favorite never really emerged among the pack of the best, and more than a dozen teams were playoff-worthy. The only real expectation was chaos when the calendar turned to March.
That’s all to say that this season’s Class A awards were the hardest to pick among any NEPSAC class. The depth of talent and quality college prospects was so great that I even considered expanding our All-Class A teams to three.
Our awards include two All-Class A teams of five players each in addition to our Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Coach of the Year and Marksman of the Year, recognizing the best 3-point shooter this season.
Let’s hand out some hardware from the 2025-26 Class A boys season.
Player of the Year: Jordan Ghee, Hotchkiss
Class of 2026, 6-5 guard
Hometown: Totowa, N.J.
No player made a greater winning impact over the final stretch of the Class A season than Ghee, who led Hotchkiss on a season-ending 12-game winning streak to claim the championship. For the season, he averaged 18 points, five rebounds and three assists per game while shooting 40 percent from 3. He came up in the biggest moments, including his buzzer-beating 3-pointer to beat Dexter Southfield on Feb. 11 for a win Hotchkiss desperately needed in its playoff pursuit.
Defensive Player of the Year: Malik Adamson, Dexter Southfield
Class of 2027, 5-10 guard
Hometown: Dorchester, Mass.
One opposing coach said this award should be named after Adamson, who made life hell for opposing guards with his relentless ball pressure, motor, effort and hustle. He averaged two steals per game and consistently disrupted offenses. Adamson’s pressure is something that opposing coaches had to game plan for.
Other worthy candidates for this award: ISL Defensive Player of the Year Jonathan White (Arlington, Mass.) from BB&N, Tabor's Aiden Smith (New Bedford, Mass.) and Dexter's Lateef Afolabi (Dorchester, Mass.).
Coach of the Year: Connor Merrill, Deerfield
This was one of the toughest calls in our NEPSAC awards, but Merrill gets the nod after leading Deerfield to its best season in school history. His group won 18 games and earned its first NEPSAC playoff appearance as the No. 3 seed in Class A before grabbing its first postseason victory by beating Dexter Southfield in the quarterfinals. Merrill got his team to buy into an unselfish, balanced approach with a roster that included Division 3 commits Elijah Webb, Liam Simpson and Jonathan Ocasio in addition to uncommitted 2026 Andrew Rivera and promising 2027 Teddy Cyr.
We had several coaches under consideration for this award. In his second season, Lambros Papalambros guided Nobles to the No. 1 seed despite losing its best player midseason. Terrell Ivory put several new pieces together to push Phillips Andover to a breakthrough season, while Harry Rafferty led Phillips Exeter to a terrific second-half run to the semifinals in his first year on the job. Of course, Joe Busacca deserves praise for leading Hotchkiss to the title after losing just once after Christmas.
Marksman of the Year: Christian Chartier, Phillips Exeter
Class of 2027, 6-6 wing
Hometown: Hampton, N.H.
In his first NEPSAC season, Chartier established himself as one of the most dangerous 3-point threats in the region as he hit on 37 percent of his looks from downtown on more than six attempts per game.
Class A First Team
Alonzo Archbold, Hotchkiss
Class of 2027, 6-8 forward
Hometown: Staten Island, N.Y.
Archbold asserted himself as an early leader for this Hotchkiss team and was hugely important in its championship run, averaging 15 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two blocks per game.
Miles Clanton, Phillips Andover
Class of 2026, 6-6 guard/forward
Hometown: Atlanta, Ga.
Clanton was a Player of the Year candidate all winter in his postgraduate season. With a unique blend of skill, athleticism and physicality, he helped spearhead Phillips Andover's run to the Class A championship game. He averaged 16.6 points and 10 rebounds per game for the season, and he shined when the lights were bright, averaging 20.3 points and 10.3 rebounds in the playoffs.
Jordan Ghee, Hotchkiss
Class of 2026, 6-5 guard
Hometown: Totowa, N.J.
Our Player of the Year also took home Class A tournament MVP honors after scoring 21 points in the title game. He remains uncommitted in the 2026 class.
Nick Hailey, Phillips Andover
Class of 2026, 6-6 guard
Hometown: Matthews, N.C.
NCAA: NYU
Hailey was an anchor of Andover's terrific winter with his combination of skill, 3-point shooting ability and defensive versatility. He averaged 15.4 points and 5.4 rebounds while shooting 40.1 percent from 3 f for the season, and put up 19.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in the Class A tournament en route to earning a commitment to NYU in late March.
Cole McClure, Phillips Exeter
Class of 2028, 6-4 guard
Hometown: Stratham, N.H.
McClure was outstanding in his first NEPSAC season, averaging 16.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game as he led Exeter to an 18-6 record and an appearance in the Class A semifinals.
Class A Second Team
Malik Adamson, Dexter Southfield
Class of 2027, 5-10 guard
Hometown: Dorchester, Mass.
Our Defensive Player of the Year averaged 15 points, six rebounds and four assists as he led Dexter Southfield to the No. 6 seed in Class A and 14 victories, including four over Class AA opponents.
Jack Charchaflian, Nobles
Class of 2028, 6-1 guard
Hometown: Winchester, Mass.
Despite missing most of the season with a hand injury, Charchaflian still played 11 games total and 10 of Nobles’ 15 Class A games. Nobles was 9-1 in Class A with Charchaflian available as he averaged 15.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.6 steals per game.
Markus Maxwell-Grimes, Suffield
Class of 2026, 6-1 guard
Hometown: New York, N.Y.
NCAA: Mercyhurst
Maxwell-Grimes was one of the best two-way players in the class this season as he averaged 16 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals per game to lead Suffield to the No. 7 seed. He was named the Western Mass. Player of the Year.
Andrew Rivera, Deerfield
Class of 2026, 6-3 guard
Hometown: Milford, Mass.
On a well-balanced Deerfield squad, Rivera stood out with his three-level scoring and facilitating ability as he averaged 14 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. He’s still uncommitted in the 2026 class.
Devan Williams, Milton Academy
Class of 2026, 6-1 guard
Hometown: Uncasville, Conn.
Williams led Milton Academy in scoring again at 21.5 points per game while shooting 37 percent from 3-point range and 86 percent from the free throw line. He added 5.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game as he led the Mustangs to the No. 4 seed in Class A.
Honorable mentions: Lateef Afolabi (Dexter Southfield), Sage Baptiste (Tabor), Zach Baum (Nobles), Josh Belcher (Phillips Exeter), Solis Blue (St. Sebastian’s), Jabari Edmonds (Phillips Andover), Mert Gocer (Loomis Chaffee), Preston Merrick (Hotchkiss), Mekhi Simmons (St. Paul’s), Liam Simpson (Deerfield)
