The 2024 Southern Hills Athletic Conference All-Conference Boys Soccer Team. Front row, from left, Noah Bitzer, Lynchburg-Clay; Hayden Browning, Peebles; Jay Cordrey, Lynchburg-Clay; Isaac Eyre, Lynchburg-Clay; Abe Flader, Whiteoak; Connor Gross, Peebles; Beau Hesler, North Adams; Owen Kirk, Ripley and Ryder Luncan, Fayetteville; Back row, from left, Zane Matthews, Fairfield; Cameron McCann, North Adams; Logan McIntosh, Fairfield; Brylee Mills, West Union; Trystyn Perkins, Eastern; Jayce Rothwell, North Adams; Blake Rugenstein, Fayetteville; Noah Shuemake, Eastern; Tyler Wessner, Whiteoak; and Braedon West, Lynchburg-Clay. (Photo provided by the Southern Hills Athletic Conference)
Beau Hesler, North Adams High School (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
Cameron McCann, North Adams High School (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
Jayce Rothwell, North Adams High School (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
Brylee Mills, West Union High School (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
Connor Gross, Peebles High School (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
Hayden Browning, Peebles High School (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
By a recent vote of the coaches, the Southern Hills Athletic Conference announced the 2024 Boys Soccer All-Conference Team. Nineteen young men from the conference schools in Adams, Brown and Highland counties received All-Conference honors, a half-dozen of them from the Adams County high schools.
The All-Conference performers from Adams County schools includes three seniors, two juniors, and one sophomore, led by North Adams with three honorees, Peebles with two and West Union with one.
The North Adams Green Devils completed a fine season, falling in the Division V district championship game in penalty kicks to Minford, a team that finished as state runner-up. The Devils’ leading goal scorer, Beau Hesler, was named to the All-SHAC squad, amassing 11 goals and 15 assists (tops in the SHAC) in his junior campaign. Joining Hesler on the All-Conference Team were a pair of North Adams seniors, Jayce Rothwell and Cameron McCann. Rothwell was one of the most outstanding goalkeepers in southeast Ohio, spinning 14 shutouts with 132 total saves, allowing just 11 goals in 20 outings. McCann did not post gaudy numbers, just three goals and two assists, but it has his stellar defensive play that aided Rothwell in those 14 clean sheets and impressed fellow coaches enough to earn an All-Conference selection.
Coach Stone Crothers and his Peebles Indians finished the 2024 season with an overall record of 6-10-1, 3-4-1 in conference action and they placed two players on the All-SHAC Team, sophomore Connor Gross and senior Hayden Browning. Gross was the Tribe’s leading scorer, tallying 12 goals and give assists while Browning, much like North Adams’ McCann, was chosen for his abilities as a defender on the pitch.
The final All-Conference selection from Adams County was West Union junior goalie Brylee Mills. Mills totaled 156 saves on the season with five shutout performances and occassionally got out of the goal, long enough to score six goals and add an assist. Unfortunately, the SHAC’s leading goal scorer, James Smith, was left off of the All-Conference choices.
The remainder of the coach’s picks for the All-Conference Boys Soccer Team included: Noah Pitzer, Jay Cordrey, Isaac Eyre and Braedon West (Lynchburg); Abe Flader and Tyler Wessner (Whiteoak); Owen Kirk (Ripley); Ryder Luncan and Blake Rugenstein (Fayetteville); Zane Matthews and Logan McIntosh (Fairfield); and Trystyn Perkins and Noah Shuemake (Eastern Brown).
Lynchburg’s Braedon West was named the SHAC Player of the Year while his coach, Jason West, was named the SHAC Coach of the Year.
All of the above selections were recognized at the the SHAC Fall Sports Awards ceremony.
2024 SHAC Boys Soccer Final Standings
Lynchburg 7-0-1
North Adams 6-2-0
Fayetteville 5-2-0
Eastern Brown 4-2-2
Peebles 3-4-1
Fairfield 3-5-0
Whiteoak 3-5-0
Ripley 1-6-1
West Union 0-7-1
