Coronado soccer star named Nevada Preps boys athlete of the year

Coronado boys soccer striker Gavin Flickinger set a high bar during his junior year in 2024.

He scored 60 goals to set a state record for most goals in a season in the top classification (5A/4A), while leading the Cougars to an undefeated season and Class 5A state championship.

But records are meant to be broken.

Flickinger eclipsed his own mark, scoring 67 goals during the fall of 2025. He finished his two-year high school career with 127 goals, which are the most by a player in the top classification (5A/4A).

Flickinger added 25 assists this season to help Coronado finish a second undefeated season (25-0) by winning its third straight 5A state title last fall. The Cougars’ 55-game winning streak is a state record, and they are the only 5A/4A/3A team to win three straight boys soccer state titles.

For his record-setting performance during another dominant season, Flickinger was named the Nevada Preps Boys Athlete of the Year.

“He’s just a true leader,” Coronado coach Dustin Barton said. “He motivated the kids throughout the year. I don’t think he was shooting for the records this year. It was just one of those things that (happened) just because of our success of the team.”

Video game numbers

Flickinger was named the Gatorade state boys soccer player of the year, and the 5A Southern Region player of the year for the second straight year.

Once he scored 60 goals as a junior, Flickinger said he felt like reaching that mark was obtainable again as a senior, along with former Liberty standout and current MLS player Danny Musovski’s 124 career goals. But he added that the winning the state championship was more important than breaking any records.

“It was a team effort,” Flickinger said. “The records (I got) shouldn’t shadow over everyone else’s work because everyone was constantly putting in the same amount of work. Winning the state championship is a good representation of that. Getting those records wouldn’t be possible without them.”

Flickinger’s stat lines during the season would be hard to reach in video games. He recorded a hat trick in 13 of Coronado’s 25 games, which included scoring 22 goals in Coronado’s first five games of the season.

Flickinger scored a game-high six goals in an 11-0 win over South Lake Tahoe on Aug. 16 in Coronado’s finale of its yearly Tahoe Tournament.

Defining moment

As teams threw everything at Coronado to stop Flickinger and and the Cougars’ winning streak, Barton said Flickinger was a great example of the coach’s message to the team to not be complacent during the season.

“He was a great role model,” Barton said. “He was a great example for all the kids. The younger kids looked up to him. It was just his spirit and he never gave up. Whenever people were always focused on him, he would pass the ball. It wasn’t all him, so that really helped us open up other players.”

Flickinger scored three goals in Coronado’s 6-1 win over Sparks in the 5A state semifinals to break Musovski’s record for most career goals for a 5A/4A player. (North Tahoe’s Will Wolford, in 3A, scored 165 goals during a four-year high school career for the all-time record.)

Flickinger said the semifinal win was one of his most memorable games, but said the 5A state title game against Hug was the “most defining” moment of he and his teammates high school careers.

The Cougars were down 1-0 at halftime and scored twice in the second half to defeat Hug on its home field to win the title in Sparks. It was the final game for a Coronado senior class that played multiple high school varsity years together and several years of club together.

“That chemistry comes out on the field and everything clicks when we play,” Flickinger said. “We all trust each other, work for each other and have each other’s backs.”

‘Next-level’ potential

Flickinger is committed to play Division I soccer at Fordham this fall. He said he chose Fordham because the program is strong and in a good situation in the Atlantic 10 conference.

Coronado’s 2017 4A state-title winning team had a prolific goal scorer in Preston Judd (29 goals and 24 assist). Now, Judd is in his third season with the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer and entered Tuesday tied for fourth in the league with 11 goals.

Barton said Flickinger could be in line to follow a similar path of playing soccer professionally.

“He has a definitely shot. … He has what it takes,” Barton said.

“He’s going to college for his academic because he wants to get that first. But I think he has a chance to play at the next level after that. So I’m really anxious to see what happens because he’s such a great kid.”

Nevada Preps

The Review-Journal will announce its year-end awards throughout the week.

Wednesday: Boys Athlete of the Year

Thursday: Girls Athlete of the Year

Friday: Coach of the Year

Saturday: Team of the Year

Sunday: Game of the Year