03/29/2024
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Seven Bladen County athletes — 6 from East Bladen and 1 from West Bladen — have been named to the North Carolina Soccer Coaches Association’s All-Region 5 Class 2A boys’ soccer team.

Chosen to the honor squad from East Bladen were seniors Malcolm Bolden and Omarion Atkinson, juniors Lee Barnes, Jamie Delgado and Zac Metz and sophomore Chace Butler. Senior defender Charlie Cruz Rodriguez was West Bladen’s representative on the All-Region team.

Malcolm Bolden

Bolden was selected to the NCSCA All-Region Team for the 3rd time and was also selected to the NCSCA All-State team for the 2nd time. Bolden poured in 31 goals, dished out 10 assists and recorded ‘Hat Tricks’ of 3 or more goals in 7 games. He was also named Southeastern Athletic Conference Co-Player of the Year.

Lee Barnes (right)

It was Barnes’ 2nd time being named All-Region. “Lee had another incredible year,” said Eagle Coach Jay Raynor. “Lee led an inexperienced group of backs this year. He was forced to make spectacular saves more than he should have. He kept us in games and won some games for us as well.” Barnes was credited with 114 saves and recorded 2 shutouts.

Metz was also a repeat selection to the All-Region team. Metz was a standout performer on the backline for the Eagles and was credited with 341 steals in 17 games.

For Atkinson, Delgado and Butler it was their 1st time being chosen All-Region. “Omar brought a ton of athleticism to our backline,” noted Raynor. “What he lacked in experience he made up for in heart as well as effort. Playing in a system with a back three is not easy. Omar fit in perfectly to our system and took our backline to a different level.” Atkinson recorded 371 steals in 17 games.

“Jaime had an impressive year,” stated Raynor. “He missed most of the season with a broken wrist, but after returning from his injury, Jaime helped us unlock our potential and changed how we played in the midfield. Our success on the back end of the season can be contributed to his ability on the ball as well as his knowledge of the game.”

“Chace took his game to another level this year,” said Raynor. “His speed and defensive prowess on the flanks is something teams had to adjust too. Defensively Chace had a great year, a solid year. He has a lot of room to grow and I can’t wait to see what next year looks like for him.”

Charlie Cruz-Rodriguez

Cruz Rodriguez led the West Bladen team with 133 steals in 16 games. He was also named to the All-Southeastern Athletic Conference team.

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