Greater Atlanta Christian School Standout Named 2008-2009 Gatorade Georgia Boys Soccer Player of the Year

CHICAGO (May 14, 2009) — In its third decade of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in partnership with ESPN RISE, today announced Chris Thomas of Greater Atlanta Christian School as its 2008-09 Gatorade Georgia Boys Soccer Player of the Year. Thomas is the first Gatorade Georgia Boys Soccer Player of the Year to be chosen from Greater Atlanta Christian School.

The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Thomas as Georgia’s best high school boys soccer player. Thomas is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year award to be announced in May.

The 6-foot, 175-pound senior forward recorded 53 goals and 14 assists this season, leading the Spartans (20-2) to the Class A/AA state championship. Greater Atlanta Christian’s all-time leader with 143 career goals, Thomas recorded a hat trick in the state title game, a 4-1 GAC win over Westminster. A 2008 All-South Region selection by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, Thomas was the 2008 Gwinnett Daily Post Player of the Year.

Thomas has maintained an A-minus average in the classroom. A member of the National Honor Society and his school’s Beta Club, Thomas has volunteered by charity fundraising on behalf of his church.

“He’s un-markable one-on-one,” said Killebrew Bailey, head coach at St. Pius X High. “He’s got it all. He can go to goal with either foot, he plays well off others, he can come back off the ball. He can do pretty much anything he wants to do. Everybody knows he’s the guy, and he still scores. That’s the mark of a special talent.”

Thomas has signed a National Letter of Intent to play soccer on scholarship at Elon University this fall.

The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field. The selection process is administered by ESPN RISE, which works with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.

Thomas joins recent Gatorade Georgia Boys Soccer Players of the Year Connor Barbaree (2007-08, Walton), Jimmy Maurer (2006-07, St. Pius X Catholic), and Chase Neinken (2005-06, The Walker School) among the state’s list of former award winners.

For more on the Gatorade Player of the Year program, including nomination information, a list of past winners, and the announcement of the Gatorade National Player of the Year, visit gatorade.com/playeroftheyear.