I.V. foursome gains honors for soccer
From our weekly issue dated November 18, 2009
(Illinois Valley News file photo)
Four members of the Illinois Valley High School boys soccer team walked away with all-conference honors when coaches from the Skyline Conference met at Hidden Valley High School last week.
Besides two players who were named to the all-conference second team, and one who received honorable mention, for the first time in at least eight years one Cougar player was selected for first-team honors.
Jordan Crouse, a three-year member of the varsity soccer squad, was chosen by the coaches as a member of the Skyline Conference first team. Crouse, a junior, plays as a midfielder and forward.
“These selections are voted on by the other coaches in the league who recognized Jordan’s contribution to the team,” said Cougar coach Gary Enoch. “It’s quite an honor for him to be selected as a first-team player. He’s fast, plays balls in the air very well, has good ball skills and was one of our three team captains.”
Selected to the second team all-conference roster were senior defender Ben Kendall and freshman forward Jovany Sanchez. Kendall has been a member of the soccer team for four years and was another of the team’s captains. As well as being a member of the soccer team, Kendall did double duty as a place-kicker and punter on the football team.
“Ben became one of our team leaders this year,” Enoch pointed out.
“It’s something we expect of our seniors, and he plays a position on the field that requires communication with the rest of the players. He did a great job for us in that role.”
Sanchez, although only a freshman, led the team in scoring with six goals on the season.
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“It’s rare that a freshman leads a varsity team in scoring, but Jovany has a knack for putting balls into the back of the net,” observed Enoch. Sanchez was the only freshman from any of the five Skyline teams to achieve all-conference honors.
For the second consecutive year, junior defender Anthony Realmuto was recognized for his play on the field.
“Anthony is our other team captain and sort of became our inspirational leader,” Enoch said. “He works hard every day and encourages his team to do the same. Every coach needs someone like Anthony on the roster.”
This was the last season that IVHS will play in the Skyline Conference. Due to declining enrollment, Illinois Valley High School will drop out of the 4-A rank and join the 3-A Sunset Conference.
“I look forward to the change,” noted Enoch. “It will give us a chance to be much more competitive. For the first time in many years, we’ll be competing against schools that are similar in size to ours. It should be a good thing in the long run.”
(HaeRang Kim is a journalism student at Illinois Valley High School.)
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