THE SPORTS REPORTS: OWEGO'S BRICH NAMED ALL-REGION 'BOYS' SOCCER PLAYER OF THE YEAR;' OWEGO'S KOTSKI, DeMICHELE ALSO EARN TOP HONORS — TIOGA COUNTY WELL-REPRESENTED ON ALL-REGION TEAMS (2024-12-24)

The Sports Reports
Sectional championships, All-American’s and all-state players highlight a special year boys’ soccer in our region. Now, it’s time to recognize the area’s best with The Sports Reports All-Region teams.

Owego’s Vasil Brich led Owego to their fourth sectional title in four years and he’s The Sports Reports' "Boys' Soccer Player of the Year."

Brich had 18 goals and 10 assists for Owego, who went 19-0 to start the season with their only loss coming in the state quarterfinals.

Brich is joined by teammate Connor Kotski on the major awards list, as Kotski is the "Goaltender of the Year."

Kotski allowed just 14 goals on the year with eight shutouts to help Owego win a STAC and Sectional title.

Owego coach Alessio DeMichele is "Coach of the Year" after leading Owego to those titles and the 19-1 season.

Elmira won a sectional title this year, avenging regular-season losses to Ithaca and Corning along the way. Spencer Wheeler, who moved into the area after playing at Bath the previous year, is the "Offensive Player of the Year."

Wheeler had 20 goals and four assists, scoring in 14 of Elmira’s 18 games on the season, including all three postseason games. Six of his goals were match-winners. He was an all-state player.

Horseheads’ Ben Church, a Division I commit to Binghamton, became the first All-American in Blue Raiders history this year. He is "Defensive Player of the Year."

Church anchored the Blue Raiders defense and shut down attacks through the middle.

Elmira goalie Sean Hanrahan allowed one goal or less in 12 of 18 games this year and had 78 saves and won 12 matches for Elmira, the most by any team in the STAC West. He is "Newcomer of the Year."

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PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Vasil Brich, Owego.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Spencer Wheeler, Elmira.
DEFENSIVE PLAEYR OF THE YEAR: Ben Church, Horseheads.
GOALIE OF THE YEAR: Connor Kotski, Owego
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Sean Hanrahan, Elmira.
COACH OF THE YEAR: Alessio DeMichele, Owego.

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ALL-REGION FIRST TEAM
VASIL BRICH, OWEGO: See above.

SPENCER WHEELER, ELMIRA: See above.

BEN CHURCH, HORSEHEADS: See above.

CONNOR KOTSKI, OWEGO: See above.

TAYLOR FREELOVE, CORNING: Freelove scored 22 goals and dished out eight assists in 15 matches — eight versus N.Y. State end-of-season ranked opponents, and seven against Class AAA opponents. He scored a hat trick against Baldwinsville in the Class AA state quarterfinals.

NOAH BANKS, SVEC: Fast, with good foot skills, good speed, a strong leg and a hefty soccer IQ, Banks scored 18 goals and doled out a team-high 19 assists this season.

CLAAS HUENECKE, SVEC: A proven finisher, Huenecke had an innate ability to be in the right place at the right time. He was among the leaders in the region with 28 goals, and also had 12 assists.

JAXSON BELOKUR, OWEGO: A lockdown defender, Belokur was a key component in a River Hawk defense that allowed just 14 goals in 20 games this season.

SEAVER NELLIS, CORNING: A center-defender and STAC All-Conference selection; Nellis anchored a defense that conceded 17 goals with a brand new goalkeeper.

ANTHONY KITCHING, ELMIRA: Anthony led the Express to 7 shutouts on the season and the helped the Express hold opposition to a goal or less in 12 of their 18 contests.  Anthony consistently won balls in the air with his athleticism and was the leader of one of the best defenses in Section IV. Anthony was named to the STAC All-Conference team this season.

LUCA CAPILLI, ELMIRA: Luca was second on the team in goals (6) and tied for the team lead in assists (5) as a junior center-midfielder this season.  Luca's unmatched work rate and ability to be everywhere on the pitch was the catalyst for much of the Express' defensive success, and his ability to win the ball launched a number of outstanding counter attacks that lead to goals.  Five of Luca's six goals came from outside of 30 yards as the power on his shots were difficult to handle from anywhere on the field.

FINN SCHWEIZER, NOTRE DAME: Schweizer helped a defense that had six clean sheets on the season.

MICAIAH FITCH, WELLSBORO: Fitch had 21 goals and 10 assists for the Hornets.

ALEX CITRINO, WELLSBORO: Citrino had 21 goals and 14 assists on the season.

DEAKON VALENTINE, NP-LIBERTY: Valentine recorded 168 saves, three shutouts and a 2.0 goals-against-averge, going 11-7-1 on the year.
 
JACK WHEATON, TOWANDA: The Northern Tier Sports Report "Player of the Year, Wheaton was a strong offensive midfielder.

ELI STANTON, NORTHEAST BRADFORD: Stanton was a strong defensive standout for the Panthers.

TROY ROSENBLOOM, ATHENS: Rosenbloom, who spent the vast majority of his first three varsity seasons on the defensive end for the Wildcats, shifted to the offensive end this season and was one of the team's leading scorers. Rosenbloom, who has good speed and a good feel for the game, scored six goals and dished out four assists. The final goal of Rosenbloom's career was an overtime game-winner in the regular-season finale. Rosenbloom suffered a broken leg on the play in a collision with the keeper.

MATT HIGGINS, OWEGO: A talented all-around player with good speed and a knack for finding the net, Higgins scored 18 goals and dished out five assists.

ELIJAH FRIEND, HORSEHEADS: A STAC Metro-West Conference all-star, Friend scored five goals and dished out five assists. A solid midfielder with great knowledge of the game, he controlled the midfieldand was a leader both on and off the pitch.

ALL_REGION SECOND TEAM
ZAYIR VANSCOY, OWEGO: If there was a second assist in soccer (like hockey), VanScoy would likely have more than doubled his assist total. Possessing a high soccer IQ, VanScoy was a presence in the midfield, scoring eight goals and dishing out seven assists.

BELA KRENNER, NEWARK VALLEY: Krenner has a great head for the game, and possesses all the skills a coach wants. He scored nine goals and doled out 12 assists.

ELIJAH WILLIAMS, NEWARK VALLEY: Fast and a strong finisher, Williams scored nine goals and dished out six assists.

JASON JANTZ, SVEC: A fast and physical defender, Jantz was a mainstay for the Eagles in the defensive end, but also had four goals and four assists to help SVEC to a 12-5 season and trip to the Section IV, Class B semifinals.

MICAH VICKERY, WELLSBORO: Vickery was the Northern Tier West Sports Report "Defensive Player of the Year."

CONNOR BARNES, TOWANDA: Barnes was a tough defender for the Black Knights.

ADYNN WHEELAND, NP-LIBERTY: Wheeland scored 16 goals and dished out six assists on the year.

BRADY STETTER, NP-LIBERTY: Stetter finished the season with 16 goals and nine assists.
 
LUCAS CUNEO, WELLSBORO: Cuneo had 12 goals and eight assists this season.
 
SEAN HANRAHAN, ELMIRA: See above.

ROHAN AMIN, CORNING: A talented midfielder, Amin was a STAC all-division selection.

ALEX LARGE, CORNING: An outside defender and STAC all-division selection, Large anchored a defense that conceded 17 goals with a brand new keeper.

JACKSON POTTER, NOTRE DAME: Potter registered six shutouts on the year for the Crusaders.

GAVIN MCINERNEY, HORSEHEADS: McInerney posted seven shutouts on the season. He had 11 goals against, and 85-percent save percentage.

KAELAN BRENEN-BUSECK, ELMIRA: A late season position change saw Brenen-Buseck put his stamp on the Express season. After moving from a defensive midfield position into the attacking third, Kaelan delivered three goals and an assist down the stretch including a match-winner in overtime against Seton Catholic to lock up a home sectional match for Elmira.

GRAYSON TIMMONS, CORNING: A STAC all-division selection, Timmons had five goals and three assists for the Hawks.

CASEY ROBBINS, CORNING: A STAC all-division selection, Robbins anchored a defense that conceded 17 goals with a brand new keeper.

ALL-REGION THIRD TEAM
DAVID SEELING, WELLSBORO: Seeling scored 14 goals and dished out 12 assists for the Hornets.

TATE STRANGE, NP-LIBERTY: Strange had eight goals and seven assists for the Mountaineers.

KYLE JANTZ, SVEC: Possessing a strong soccer savvy, Kyle Jantz was a presence in the midfield for the Eagles. He scored five goals, and dished out 11 assists.

CHASE CHRISTIAN, ELMIRA: In his second varsity season, Chase took a step forward and has shown himself to be one of the best defenders in the conference. His versatility on the field makes him dangerous wherever he is placed.  Chase was notorious for locking down the opponent's best player in close games and his quickness and individual ability provided the Express with goals late in games if they needed them.  Chase finished with 2 goals and an assist from the center-back position on only seven total shots.

DOM CAPILLI, ELMIRA: Capilli followed up a good freshman season with a solid sophomore season. He was third on the team in goals (4) and tied for the team lead in assists (5). He is an extremely dangerous 1v1 player and often creates great scoring chances with the ball on his foot.

BRODY HAMILTON, ELMIRA: In his second varsity season, Hamilton proved to be a valuable player as both a defender and a defensive passer. He is good at winning the ball in the air and strong on the tackle. His passing vision from the defensive third was fantastic as he helped the Express with two assists and making numerous other passes that led to scoring opportunities.

COLETON OWEN, HORSEHEADS: A STAC West all-star, Owen was a solid outside-back on defense who provided stability and also pushed up to help with the attack.

TRISTAN QUANZ, HORSEHEADS: A STAC West all-star, Quanz had one goal and one assist for the Blue Raiders. He started the season at left fullback, but was moved to defensive midfielder and greatly helped to solidify our midfield.

GABRIEL PATTERSON, NOTRE DAME: A key performer for the Crusaders. Patterson had three goals on the season.

LANDYN PROUDFOOT, CORNING: A STAC all-division selection, Proudfoot had six goals and two assists on the season.

BRAYDEN ONOFRE, ATHENS: A speedy presence, Onofre made an impact on both ends of the pitch for the Wildcats.

CHASE INGRHAM, ATHENS: Fast and with a nose for the goal, Ingram could be poised for a big senior season in '25. He scored a team-high seven goals, and had two assists.

 PEYTON ROBINSON, WAVERLY: Quick with good foot skills, Robinson plays the game with an attitude. He scored three goals and doled out six assists.

LOGAN ROSKOW, WAVERLY: A heady player with a good leg, Roskow scored a pair of goals this season.

JOSH LEONARD, ATHENS: Very active with a head for the game, Leonard played a big role in the midfield for the Wildcats.

BRADY LANDMESSER, TIOGA: A big body with a strong leg, Landmesser scored three goals and dished out six assists.

CONNOR CHOBOT, OWEGO: A bit overlooked, Chobot kept things moving in the midfield for the River Hawks. He scored one goal and dished out two assists.

ALL-REGION ROOKIE TEAM
Sean Hanrahan, Elmira: See above.

Ben Shrawder, Towanda: The Northern Tier Sports Report "Newcomer of the Year."

Jesse Lantz, Waverly: The Valley Sports Report "Newcomer of the Year." He had five goals this season.

James Goodman, Corning: Goodman scored four goals and had six assists as a spot starter or first player to enter match off the bench all season.

Ben Hufnagel, Corning: Hufnagel had a 7-7 record in goal and allowed just 17 goals in 14 games.
 
Chase Smith, Elmira: Smith, who started 12 games, scored two goals for the Express in his first season as a member of the team.  His pace and work rate consistently caused disruptions to opposition defenses.  

Nolan Kennedy, Elmira: Kennedy started six games for the Express as a freshman. His technical ability and match IQ will set him up for future success within a team that returns 18 of the 22 rostered players from a championship season.
 
Brayden Spier, Horseheads: Spier started all season at forward and contributed six goals and one assist as our left forward.

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