TIOGA COUNTY BOYS SOCCER: NEWARK VALLEY'S SOKOL LEADS MULTI-TALENTED ALL-STAR GROUP (2019-12-13)

Tioga County Sports Report
TIOGA COUNTY — Newark Valley's Nathan Sokol and SVEC's Hunter King were the top two players in the IAC South Large School this season, sharing the division co-MVP honor awarded by the coaches.

King was instrumental in the success of a defense which helped the Eagles' win the division. Sokol was one of four IAC players to score 20 or more goals this (the others played in the IAC North) and in the end would get the edge for 2019 Tioga County Boys Soccer “Player of the Year.”

Sokol, a senior, put the ball in the back of the net 20 times. He also dished out eight assists and his foot speed was integral in the Cardinals' ability to move the ball around the pitch

King was hands down the unanimous choice for "Defensive Player of the Year" as he stepped up to play a vital role in protecting the goal. The senior moved from center-midfield to center-back to shore up a defense that was otherwise youthful with two freshmen in the three-back system.

In addition to mentoring his young teammates, King had to step up his game even more when senior goalkeeper Brayden Ferris went down for several games due to injury. The Eagles finished the season with six shutouts.

SVEC'sAddison Young is the Newcomer of the Year. What the freshman defender/midfielder lacked in size and age did not deter him from being determined and aggressive on the field. His abilities allowed him to move from outside back in the beginning of the season to defensive center-midfielder by the end.

Jason Banks and Gary Holmes shared the SVEC head coaching duties this season and also share the Coach of the Year honor. The duo led SVEC to the division title, an IAC Large School runner-up showing, 9-0 IAC South record and an 11-5 overall record.

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ALL-TIOGA COUNTY TEAM
Player of the Year — Nathan Sokol, Sr., Newark Valley
Defensive Player of the Year — Hunter King, Sr., SVEC
Newcomer of the Year — Addison Young, Fr., SVEC
Coach of the Year — Gary Holmes & Jason Banks, SVEC
Forward
Noah Shiel, Sr., Newark Valley
Jason Caldwell, Jr., Owego
Lance Jensen, Sr., SVEC
Daniel Thomas, Sr., SVEC
Midfielder
Corey Young, Sr., Newark Valley
Joey Higgins, Sr., Owego
Jacob Banks, So., SVEC
Alex Doucett, Sr., SVEC
Mason Holmes, So., SVEC
Defender
John Simmons, Jr., Newark Valley
Riley Malone, Sr., Newark Valley
Jack Rollison, Fr., Owego
Nate Ryck, Jr., Waverly
Goalkeeper
Hunter Sisson, Jr., Owego
Honorable Mention
Brayden Ferris, Sr., SVEC
Cameron McIsaac, So., Waverly

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IN PHOTO: NV's Nathan Sokol. ... TCSR STOCK PHOTO.