2026 OBSERVER/Post-Journal Boys Basketball Player of the Year Dominic Gonzalez. OBSERVER file photo by Cody Jacobson

A little more than a year ago, Dominic Gonzalez’s “wow moment” came in the final seconds of the first half of the Class AAA Far West Regional against Rush-Henrietta at Gates Chili High School in Rochester.

Upon stealing a pass near midcourt, he took four dribbles and let fly a high-arcing shot. As the ball floated through the air, Gonzalez kept his eyes locked on it as he jogged toward the baseline. When the ball banked off the glass and through the hoop as the horn sounded, he ran off the court on his way to the locker room, followed by his jubilant teammates.

It was merely a sign of things to come for the 6-foot guard, because the “wow moment” of the 2024-25 season, not surprisingly, turned into “wow moments” (yes, plural) during the 2025-26 campaign.

Following are a few examples of Gonzalez’s highlight-reel performances during his spectacular senior season, which was capped by the Red & Green’s third straight sectional title.

— Dec. 27, at Lockport: Scored 23 points, collected six rebounds, dished out four assists and had five steals in a 61-49 victory.

— Jan. 3, vs. St. Francis: Scored 25 points (he was 4 of 6 from the 3-point arc) and grabbed four rebounds in a 67-55 win over the private school.

— Jan. 8, at Williamsville North: Shot 10 of 15 from the floor on his way to 23 points in a 74-71 win. He also grabbed three rebounds, had two assists, four steals and a block.

— Jan. 31, vs. Nichols: Scored 25 points, brought down three boards and had four assists in a 65-61 setback to the private school.

— Feb. 12, vs. Clarence: Scored 22 points on 6 of 10 shooting from the arc to push him past 1,000 points for his career. He also had three rebounds, two assists and two steals in the 60-31 win.

— Feb. 26 vs. Niagara Falls at Buffalo State: With a berth in the Section VI Class AAA championship game on the line, he scored 19 points, grabbed six rebounds, dished out three assists and added a steal in Jamestown’s 64-51 win.

— March 6 vs. Health Sciences at Buffalo State: Seeking a third straight sectional crown, Jamestown received arguably Gonzalez’s finest all-around performance of his career as he scored 24 points (on 9 of 15 shooting) against Western New York’s top-ranked team, hauled down eight rebounds, handed out six assists and added a steal in the Red & Green’s 61-55 win.

The opposing head coaches from the Erie County Interscholastic Conference took notice of Gonzalez’s consistently outstanding play when the postseason all-star teams were announced.

By averaging 19.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.3 steals per game, he was named the ECIC Division 1 Player of the Year, a First-Team All-ECIC selection and a First-Team all-defensive choice. As a bonus for his outstanding Red & Green career, his 1,142 career points place him ninth on the school’s all-time scoring list. The only alums ahead of him are Maceo Wofford, Justin Johnson, Zack Panebianco, Jaydian Johnson, James Rojas, David Anderson, Carlos Rivera and Tommy Campion.

Pretty good company, don’t you think?

Oh, Gonzalez can add one more honor to his high school hoops resume: The 2025-26 OBSERVER/Post-Journal Player of the Year.