High school boys lacrosse: Deseret News 2025 Players of the Year stood out all season, leading the way for their teams – Deseret News

This year’s Deseret News Lacrosse Players of the Year were instrumental in their teams’ success.
Whether dominating on offense, anchoring the defense, or stepping up in crucial moments, these athletes delivered exceptional performances and proved to be among the state’s elite.
Here’s a look at the 2025 Deseret News Lacrosse Players of the Year.
Thanks in large part to the play of junior goalie Rhett King in net, Corner Canyon had a season to remember, ending with a victory over Davis in the 6A championship.
On the season, King had a strong 3.8 GAA and a .728 save %.
Corner Canyon head coach Jeff King relied a lot on King this season to shore up the defense and he delivered in more ways than one.
“Rhett King was the cornerstone of our defense, leading a unit that held opponents to under four goals per game throughout the season. His quick reflexes and smart positioning in goal consistently shut down scoring opportunities,” said coach King.
The leadership that King displayed in goal often gave the team a spark not only defensively but on the offensive end as well.
“Beyond the crease, Rhett played a crucial role in gaining possession, often sparking transitions with key saves and clears. He finished the season as our second-leading ground ball collector, underscoring his hustle and all-around impact on the field,” added coach King.
“His leadership and intensity set the tone for our entire defensive unit. While not an official statistic, Rhett often spearheaded our clear, oftentimes going into the offensive side to aid us in transition.”
While Alta’s season ended one game sooner than it was hoping, there were still many positives to take away from the season and maybe none bigger than senior Braxton Horoba.
Horoba was a key cog in the Alta attack. On the season, Horoba tallied 72 goals to go along with 47 assists.
“What sets Braxton apart is his exceptional field vision. He has a unique ability to see plays develop before others do, which made him an invaluable asset in every game. His versatility allowed him to adapt to any situation — whether it required physicality or finesse,” said Alta head coach Brandon Horoba.
“His shiftiness and creativity as a dodger made him extremely difficult to defend, and he often created scoring opportunities not just for himself, but for his teammates as well.”
While known primarily for his goals and offensive display, Horoba showed incredible toughness and focus on defense, causing 27 turnovers for the season.
“Braxton was always willing to take a hit or absorb a check to make a high-value play. His toughness and dedication to the game were unmatched. As a two-year captain at Alta, he led by example every day with an incredible work ethic and strong leadership presence,” said coach Horoba.
Judge Memorial was able to grab the 4A championship in convincing fashion, routing Juan Diego 15-4 in the title game.
Much of the team’s success this season can be attributed to standout attacker Rome Swanwick.
Swanwick was a constant force at the top of the Judge Memorial attack, leading the team with 61 goals and 25 assists to tally 86 points.
“Rome is one of the purest shooters in the state, if not the top. He increased his assist count by 10 from last year against the top competition in and out of the state,” said Judge Memorial head coach Jeff Brzoska. “He is one of the hardest riders on the attack side I have ever seen and teams game plan to stay away from his side of the field in their clear.”
Swanwick was injured for a big chunk of the season with a nagging tailbone and achilles injury but to his credit, continued to play through it and never missed a game.
“He is a true gamer who just loves to play lacrosse and was named a team captain this spring. Rome was awarded a USA Lacrosse All-American this year for the first time. Me and the entire coaching staff couldn’t be more proud of Rome for earning the 4A player of the year again as he has been a scoring machine since his freshman year for Judge as a three-year starter,” said Brzoska.

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