Ryan Leonard (Amherst, Mass.) is one of the top 2005 forwards in New England. (Wendy Harrington/Pope Francis Athletics)
It’s not often a team’s best player is also its most improved, but this year Ryan Leonard was both.
After bursting onto the scene as a freshman at Pope Francis last season, pacing the Cardinals in scoring en route to the Super 8 co-title, Leonard returned as a sophomore in 2020-21 and upped his game further, solidifying his spot as one of the premier high school players in the state.
This year, in the midst of the COVID-shortened season, Leonard, a 2005-born forward from Amherst, Mass., led the team in scoring again. In 11 games, he amassed 20 goals on a team-high 27 points as Pope Francis went undefeated in MIAA play and continued dominating into the postseason.
