East Bladen senior Gabe Barber has been named to the North Carolina Soccer Coaches Association Class 2A All-State team. Barber and 5 of his Eagle teammates – Jake Evans, Will Hester, Jay McKoy, Garrett Melvin and Freddy Wooten – have been named to the NCSCA Class 2A All-Region 6 team.
Barber (pictured, above), the Three Rivers Conference Player of the Year, fired in 24 goals, dished out 22 assists and had 423 steals. He is the 3rd East Bladen player to be named All-State Soccer.
“Gabe was a heck of a leader and a player,” said Eagle Coach Jay Raynor. “He came through in big moments throughout the year and made himself standout amongst the best in the state.”
Evans, a senior, dished out 22 assists, scored 9 goals and made a team-high 443 steals. Melvin, a junior, was second on the team with 16 goals and was credited with 5 assists and 311 steals.
Juniors Wooten and McKoy were key stand-outs on the Eagle backline defense that allowed only 11 goals in 22 games. McKoy came up with 401 steals, and Wooten recorded 342 steals. Hester, a junior midfielder, contributed 411 steals to the Eagle defensive effort.
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