Freddy Wooten (23, center) and Jake Evans (right) were East Bladen players named to the All-Three Rivers Conference boys’ soccer team. [Kenneth Armstrong photo]
East Bladen’s Gabe Barber, Freddy Wooten, Jake Evans, Jay McKoy and Will Hester and West Bladen’s Keni Verdugo-Gomez and Jonathan Santana-Dominguez have been named to the All-Three Rivers Conference Boys Soccer Team.
Eagle Coach Jay Raynor was named the Three Rivers Coach of the Year after his East Bladen team won the league championship with a perfect 14-0 record and 17-4-1 overall mark. Raynor’s Eagles have won three straight league titles while posting a 41-1 record in league play.
Barber was named the Three Rivers Conference Player of the Year, finishing the season with 24 goals, 22 assists and 423 steals.
Wooten, a junior, anchored the backline defense that allowed only 11 goals in 22 games and was credited with 342 steals. Evans, a senior, dished out 22 assists, scored 9 goals and made a team-high 443 steals.
McKoy, a junior, was another key defender who came up with 401 steals. Hester, a junior, aided the defensive effort with 411 steals.
Verdugo-Gomez, a junior, fired in a team-high 21 goals, dished out 6 assists and made 48 steals. Santana-Dominguez, a senior, led the Knights with 112 steals and added 3 assists and a goal.
Receiving Honorable Mention for East Bladen were: freshman Malcolm Bolden (9 goals, 6 assists, 289 steals); junior Jacob Priest (41 saves, 14 shutouts in goal); senior Jon Von Rupp (9 goals, 5 assists, 254 steals); junior Garrett Melvin (16 goals, 5 assists, 311 steals); senior Jay McGill (4 goals, 3 assists, 214 steals); senior Angel Martinez (5 goals, 7 assists, 252 steals).
Honorable Mention nominees from West Bladen were: senior Brandon Labra (72 steals, 3 goals, 2 assists); senior Wilmer Garcia (6 goals, 6 assists, 41 steals); senior Eric Sandoval (77 steals).