SHAC honors All-Conference Soccer Teams

By Mark Carpenter

People’s Defender

By a vote of the coaches, the Southern Hills Athletic Conference named its 2023 Girls and Boys Soccer All-Conference Teams. Adams County is well represented with four girls and nine boys earning All-Conference recognition after turning in memorable regular seasons.

The North Adams Lady Devils finished 11-7-1 overall, 5-2 in conference play, and they placed three players on the All-Conference squad, all of them seniors. Harlee Brand has been the stalwart between the pipes for the Lady Devils and in 2023, she set the school record for shutouts amongst her seven for the season. brand allowed just 15 goals and collected 72 saves. Kenlie Jones was the team’s leading goal scorer with 27, also adding 12 assists and recording 60 shots on goals. Hunter Grooms was a definite team leader and she added 10 goals and 7 assists.

From Peebles, senior Elizabeth Gerth was the lone Lady Indian to be named All-Conference. Gerth played goal for Peebles and in 12 games, she recorded 148 saves.

The remainder of the Girls Soccer All-Conference Team includes: Emmalee Belmont and Katie Hunter (Eastern Brown); Lily Carlier and Ryley Kleemeyer (Fayetteville); Caitlin Collins, Lainie Lunsford, Aubrey Slack, Olivia Van Fleet and Jade Massey,Co-Player of the Year (Lynchburg); Faith Donley, Hannah Hamilton and Avery Teeters (Fairfield); and Grace Taylor (Ripley). Lynchburg’s Dennis West was named Coach opf the Year.

On the boys side, the North Adams Green Devils placed a quartet of outstanding athletes on the SHAC All-Conference Team, led a a pair of seniors, Cody Hesler and Gage White. Hesler scored 22 goals, had 20 assists (which gave him the school record)and was named the SHAC Co-Player of the Year by the coaches. White was a solid offensive threat, tallying 18 goals and 8 assists.

Also representing the Green Devils on the All-Conference Team were sophomores Beau Hesler and Colin Tolle. Hesler scored five goals and added 11 assists, while Tolle added four goals and three assists. To add icing to the cake, North Adams head coach Kirk Bunn was named the SHAC Co-Coach of the Year as he lead his team to a three-way tie for first place in the conference with a 6-1 record.

The Peebles Indians (9-8, 3-4 SHAC) placed a trio of players on the All-Conference Team, paced by a pair of seniors in Waylen Lloyd and Christopher Oldfield. Lloyd led the Tribe with 20 goals and four assists, while Oldfield manned the goalkeeper duties with 111 saves and five shutouts with an 88% save percentage. Peebles junior Hayden Browning was also named a member of the All-Conference squad.

2023 was a resurgent season for the West Union Dragons boys team as they finished 8-8-2, a school record for wins in a single season. The Dragons were led by their ultra-athletic forward, senior Arbutus Wuest, who shattered school records and led the SHAC with 37 goals scored, by far the best West Union boys season on record. Also honored from West Union was scrappy senior Trey Bracken, who seemed at times to be all over the field and scored six goals and dished out 11 assists.

The remainder of the All-Conference Boys Soccer team includes: Hunter Brewsaugh, Kendall Holden and Ricky Luncan (Fayetteville); Jay Cordrey and Isaac Eyre, Co-Player of the Year (Lynchburg); Larkin Friend, Zane Matthews and Logan McIntosh (Fairfield); Carson McCord and Noah Shumake (Eastern Brown). Along with North Adams’ Bunn, Lynchburg’s Jason West was named Co-Coach of the Year.

2023 SHAC Girls Soccer Final Standings

Lynchburg 5-0-1

Fairfield 5-1-0

North Adams 5-2-0

Fayetteville 4-3-0

Eastern Brown 3-3-1

Ripley 1-5-0

Peebles 1-6-0

2023 SHAC Boys Soccer Final Standings

Fayetteville 6-1-0

North Adams 6-1-0

Lynchburg 6-1-0

Fairfield 4-3-0

Peebles 3-4-0

West Union 2-5-0

Eastern Brown 1-6-0

Ripley 0-7-0