By Maurice Singleton/Sports Writer

Bay High’s Aiden Boudro has been selected as Mississippi’s Gatorade soccer Player of the Year for 2024. The forward is coming off an incredible season in which he led the Tigers with 17 goals and eight assists on their way to the second of consecutive state championships for the Tigers. The Tigers went 23-1-2 this season.

Bay High soccer coach Chris Doxey said that first and foremost, Boudro’s God-given ability and size are the foundations of what makes him a special player. At 6’3” and 175 pounds and incredibly athletic, Boudro is quite an imposing figure on the soccer field.

“He uses his God-given stature and work rate off the field, combined with his physical attributes to make him a very special player,” said Doxey. 

Doxey explained that opponents usually assign one player to follow Boudro the entire game, and it’s usually one of their better players. And in some situations, Boudro is crowded by two or three defenders, which opens up other opportunities for the Tigers.

“What he does is he causes other teams to change their game plans, and they are more focused on him,” said Doxey. “That in turn allows us to implement our game plan.”

Boudro was very successful in drawing defenders in the Tigers’ five playoff games, culminating with this year’s state championship. He didn’t score a single goal in any of the playoff games, but he more than did his job of drawing defenders and opening up opportunities for his teammates.

The Tigers shutout four opponents and allowed only a single goal to Pass Christian in a 2-1 overtime win in the South State championship. They defeated New Albany 1-0 in the state championship match. 

Boudro has verbally committed to continue his soccer career at Davidson College in North Carolina in the fall of 2025. However, he’ll be a senior at Bay High in the fall, and there are high expectations at Bay High for Boudro and his teammates, who will be looking to replace three starters in the ’24-’25 season.

“I’m looking forward to what his senior season is going to bring, not only for him individually, but for our school and community,” said Doxey. 

“His future is bright,” said Doxey. “His future is in his hands. There are going to be possibilities for him based on what he wants.”

Boudro is the fifth player to be coached by Doxey to be named Mississippi’s Gatorade Player of the Year. The other four came while he was coach at Gulfport.