La Salle College High School standouts named MaxPreps PA High School Football Player of the Year, Courier Times/Intelligencer’s Offensive Player of the Year

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December 12th, 2025 | By Ryan Genova

Joey O’Brien, a senior at La Salle College High School in Wyndmoor/Glenside, has been named the 2025 MaxPreps Pennsylvania High School Football Player of the Year, the sports-centric news outlet announced on Thursday.

O’Brien, a Notre Dame signee, led the Explorers to a 13-1 record and a Class 6A state title, the school’s first since 2009. The Explorers defeated District 7 champ Pittsburgh Central Catholic 34-20 last Saturday at Cumberland Valley High School. 

According to MaxPreps.com, he caught 86 passes for 1,249 yards and 18 touchdowns, and recorded more than 50 tackles and four interceptions, three of which came in the state final.

In April, O’Brien accepted an invitation to the 2026 Navy All-American Bowl. In January, he was named to the Nike Next One’s Invitational during a Philadelphia Eagles game. As a junior, he was named a MaxPreps All-American, first-team All-State and PCL offensive and defensive MVP with 36 tackles (32 solo), 13 pass breakups, one interception, 1,029 receiving yards and 13 total touchdowns.

As a sophomore on the basketball court, O’Brien lost his right shoe during a transition play and was still able to catch a teammate’s pass for a fast-break dunk. A video clip of the play can be found here.

Gavin Sidwar

Senior quarterback Gavin Sidwar, a Missouri commit, has been named the Bucks County Courier Times/Intelligencer’s Offensive Player of the Year.

According to their coverage, Sidwar is the program’s all-time leader in every passing category, surpassing head coach Brett Gordon, a Glenside native, in all of them. He finished with two touchdown passes in the state final.

“I’m looking forward to playing college football, but I know I’ll miss my high school teammates and all of the things we were able to do here,” Sidwar told The Courier Times. “Being at La Salle couldn’t have worked out any better for me than it did and I have a lot of great memories.”

You can check out his October interview with Sports Illustrated here.

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Photos: Prep Redzone, Instagram