The Herald releases its 2022 All-Area high school soccer teams and players of the year
The All-Area boys and girls soccer teams — as well as Players and Coaches of the Year — have been selected by The Herald’s sports staff to punctuate a memorable spring sports season.
Meet the best high school soccer players from York, Chester and Lancaster counties below.
Boys All-Area soccer teams
Phillip McCarter of the Catawba Ridge Copperheads has been picked as the Coach of the Year. He led the Copperheads to a perfect 8-0 mark in Region 3-4A this past season and also guided them to a second-consecutive Upper State title appearance before being eliminated by Eastside. Catawba Ridge completed the season with an overall record of 20-3.
Caden Tull of Catawba Ridge is the choice for the Player of the Year. He was the offensive leader for the Copperheads as they produced another outstanding season. The junior forward finished with 33 goals and 11 assists.
Tull was joined on the All-Area first team by teammate Joshua White, who is also a junior forward. White completed the season with 24 goals and 21 assists.
The Nation Ford Falcons also placed a pair of players on the first team. Adrian Gartheus and Eli Patrick were rewarded for their productive seasons. Gartheus, a junior forward, scored 14 goals and handed out nine assists on the year. Patrick, a senior back, was the leader on defense for the Falcons during the spring campaign.
The Clover Blue Eagles had Gavin Egan and Jakeem Amuda tapped for the first unit. Egan, a junior forward, was one of the top scorers for Clover, while Amuda, a senior back, was the leader for the Blue Eagles on the defensive end of the field.
The Rock Hill Bearcats had Alex Lopez and Benji Martinez chosen for the first team. Lopez, a junior forward, ended the year with 14 goals and eight assists. Martinez, a senior midfielder, scored 10 goals and passed out 15 assists.
The Indian Land Warriors also had two players on the first unit. John Fosu and Jack Ammann represented the Warriors. Fosu, a senior midfielder, led Indian Land with 26 goals and 15 assists. Ammann, a sophomore goalkeeper, finished the season allowing only 1.38 goals per contest. He recorded 103 saves and had 11 shutouts.
The Northwestern Trojans landed one first team player. Richard Gregory, a senior who played defensive back and midfielder, was selected as a back. He finished the season with seven goals and four assists in addition to being a top performer on the defensive side of the ball.
The Andrew Jackson Volunteers also had one player tabbed for the first team. Tyson Funderburk, a junior midfielder, ended the season with 14 goals and 13 assists.
All players on the first unit were selected to the All-Region teams in their respective regions.
All-Area first team
Forwards: Caden Tull (Catawba Ridge), Joshua White (Catawba Ridge), Adrian Gartheus (Nation Ford), Gavin Egan (Clover), Alex Lopez (Rock Hill).
Midfielders: Benji Martinez (Rock Hill), John Fosu (Indian Land), Tyson Funderburk (Andrew Jackson).
Backs: Eli Patrick (Nation Ford), Jakeem Amuda (Clover), Richard Gregory (Northwestern).
Goalkeeper: Jack Ammann (Indian Land).
All-Area second team
The All-Area second team is also composed of an impressive group of players. They are as follows:
Forwards: Patrick Bramlett (Nation Ford), Braden Gritz (Fort Mill), Nicky Glenn (Clover), Blake Brice (Andrew Jackson).
Midfielders: Luke Martin (Nation Ford), Greer Hopkins (Northwestern), Zach Zawlocki (Catawba Ridge), Santiago Castano (Indian Land).
Backs: Sullivan Drummond (Clover), Preston Shivel (Fort Mill), Derek Ringnalda (Catawba Ridge).
Goalkeeper: Jakob Whitfield (Lancaster).
Girls All-Area soccer teams
Brandon Schmidt of the Catawba Ridge Copperheads has been chosen as the Coach of the Year. Schmidt led his team to a tie for the top spot in Region 3-4A with a record of 7-1. After a playoff appearance that went to the third round, they completed the year with an overall mark of 16-4.
Olivia McPherson of the Clover Blue Eagles was selected as the Player of the Year. She was the leader for the Blue Eagles as they compiled a record of 7-1 in Region 3-5A and an overall mark of 12-10. McPherson, who is a senior midfielder, finished the year with 19 goals and 10 assists.
She was joined on the All-Area first team by teammates Savannah Mellon, who is a senior, and Elizabeth McAllister, who is a sophomore. Mellon and McAllister both played as backs for the Eagles and led their defensive efforts all season.
The Fort Mill Yellow Jackets placed two players on the first unit. Dylan Harder, a junior forward, and Kennedy Little, a sophomore forward, both had impressive seasons. Harder finished with 22 goals and three assists, while Little had 16 goals and two assists.
Catawba Ridge also placed two players on the first team. Sadie Commerford, a sophomore midfielder, and Sarah Sexton, a sophomore back, represented the Copperheads. Commerford scored 18 goals and handed out seven assists, while Sexton finished with six goals and seven assists in addition to being a key defensive player.
The Indian Land Warriors placed Jasmine Nixon and Zoie Kempf on the All-Area first team. Nixon, a sophomore forward, finished the season with 21 goals and nine assists. Kempf, a sophomore forward, registered 10 goals and eight assists.
The Nation Ford Falcons also had two players chosen for the first team. Katelyn Carroll was picked as the goalkeeper, while Camryn Rogers was selected as a defensive player. Carroll, who is a junior, finished the year with 127 saves and recorded 10 shutouts. Rogers, who is a senior, had seven goals and five assists in addition to being a leader on the back line for the Falcons.
The South Pointe Stallions had senior Ava Robitaille selected to the first team. The attacking midfielder and Western Carolina signee scored 14 goals and added 10 assists on the year, per MaxPreps.
All members of the first team were selected to the All-Region teams in their respective regions.
All-Area first team
Forwards: Dylan Harder (Fort Mill), Kennedy Little (Fort Mill), Jasmine Nixon (Indian Land), Zoie Kempf (Indian Land).
Midfielders: Olivia McPherson (Clover), Sadie Commerford (Catawba Ridge), Ava Robitaille (South Pointe).
Backs: Savannah Mellon (Clover), Elizabeth McAllister (Clover), Sarah Sexton (Catawba Ridge), Camryn Rogers (Nation Ford).
Goalkeeper: Katelyn Carroll (Nation Ford).
All-Area second team
The All-Area second team is composed of another impressive group of players. They are as follows:
Forwards: Darby Grigg (Northwestern), Ashlyn Farrar (Clover), Harleigh Payne (Andrew Jackson).
Midfielders: Allison Evans (Fort Mill), Emerson Batson (Clover), Adrienne Copper (Catawba Ridge), Hannah Austin (South Pointe), Ansley Moore (South Pointe).
Backs: Riley Cota (Nation Ford), Karly Griffin (Nation Ford), Piper Dillon (Indian Land), Addison Padgett (Indian Land).
Goalkeeper: Shyann Holt (Catawba Ridge).
The Herald published its track and field spring sports All-Area teams, its golf and lacrosse All-Area teams and its baseball and softball teams last week. Sam Copeland, Jay Edwards and Alex Zietlow all contributed to the selections of these teams.