Published: December 31, 2008 02:33 pm      

Mountain Ridge, Northern booters fill six spots on All-Area first team

CUMBERLAND — Josh Neilson and Matt Cunningham, who led Mountain Ridge to a second straight Area championship, and Zac Lipscomb and Daniel Warnick, the only repeaters from last year, head this year’s All-Area boys soccer team, selected recently by head coaches.

Lipscomb, the Area Player of the year, offensive player of the year David Hobel and defensive player of the year Luke Tompkins are captains of the 17-player team, which includes Aaron Valentine of Northern, Daniel Levitas of Allegany, Brendan Harness of Fort Hill, Eric Diamond of Bishop Walsh, Conor Forrester and Andrew McCreery of Southern, Jack Tasker of Keyser, Tom Hughes of Frankfort, Justin Bryant of Salisbury, Kasie Shoemaker of Hyndman, and Jeremiah Propst of Pendleton County.

The players of the year were featured in individual stories in the Times-News last week.

Neilson and Cunningham led Mountain Ridge to an undefeated regular season, a 15-1 overall record and Area and Appalachian Mountain Athletic Conference championships. Both were first-team All-Area and All-AMAC.

• Neilson, a two-year varsity player, scored five goals and had six assists in 16 games for a solid 1.00 scoring average for a defensive midfielder. He was the Miners’ third-leading scorer and 17th in the area. He was fourth in the AMAC in scoring with five goals, four assists and a 2.00 average.

Neilson often times dominated the middle of the field for the Miners and was a strong tackler. He was responsible for most of the Miners’ throw-ins, with his long throws reaching the mouth of the goal and providing many scoring opportunities. He holds the Mountain Ridge record for career assists with 14.

• Cunningham, a three-year varsity player and center midfielder, was the Miners’ second-leading scorer, and 13th in the area, with five goals and nine assists in 16 games for a 1.19 average. He finished sixth in the AMAC with three goals and a conference-leading six assists in seven games for a 1.71 average.

Cunningham played on the Area championship team in all three of his seasons at center midfielder. This year, Mountain Ridge scored 52 goals and allowed only six and Cunningham was a central figure on both offense and defense.

Cunningham, in three seasons, led his team to a 40-6-1 overall record, three Area and three AMAC championships.

Warnick and Valentine led Northern to a 12-3-1 overall record and second place in the Area and AMAC. Both were first-team All-Area and All-AMAC.

• Warnick, a speedy three-year starter and two-year striker, was sixth in the area in scoring with 13 goals and eight assists in 15 games for a 2.26 average. He ranked fifth in the AMAC with five goals, four assists and a 2.00 average.

Warnick’s aggressiveness and versatility enabled him to play the midfield, on a three-man line, in a two-man system, and alone at the top many times. In his three seasons, Northern rolled up a 37-10-2 record and a share of the Area championship in 2007. He had a 1.91 three-year scoring average, with 37 goals and 16 assists in 47 games.

• Valentine, a senior co-captain, was a two-year starter since transferring to Northern as a junior. He anchored a defense that allowed only 17 goals in the last 31 games — nine this year and a season-low eight in 2007.

A dependable, big-play defender, Valentine had the knack of being in the right place at the right time, leading the Huskies to a 27-5-1 mark over the last two seasons. He was instrumental in directing the attack and calling the signals on offense, and was comfortable dribbling out of trouble and often contributed controlled passes rather than simply clearing the ball.

• Levitas, a senior tri-captain, led Allegany to a 9-5-1 record and a share of the City title with Fort Hill. A speedy two-year starting sweeper, Levitas was able to go toe-to-toe with the best and fastest offensive players in the area, and was an invaluable leader on a defense that allowed just 15 goals in 16 games.

Coach Rick Zimmerman said the best description of Levitas’ play came from a teammate who said he was a better player when Levitas was on the field. With Levitas on the field, Zimmerman said, others were more willing to take a risk knowing that the dependable sweeper was behind them and able to pick them up if needed. Levitas was also All-AMAC and All-City.

• Brendan Harness, a senior co-captain at Fort Hill, helped lead the Sentinels to eight wins in their first 10 games, an overall 9-6 record, and a share of the City League title. Harness was also All-AMAC and All-City, and the City League’s scoring champ.

A two-year varsity player whose primary position was center midfielder, Harness was Fort Hill’s third-leading scorer with four goals and an assist. His precise passing and hustling play were keys as most everything the Sentinels ran was set up through him.

• Bryant, a junior, was a three-year starter at Salisbury. An aggressive forward with a powerful shot, he led the Elks to another trip to the Pennsylvania Class A district playoffs.

Bryant was one of only six area players with a 2.00 scoring average or better. He was fourth in the area, booting 16 goals and adding eight assists for 40 points in 16 games for a 2.50 average. He was also first-team All-Bi-State League.

• McCreery, a senior three-year player and two-year starter at Southern, was a team captain of the Rams. He led the team in scoring and when needed also became the team’s marking defender.

McCreery was 11th in the area in scoring with nine goals, three assists and 21 points in 15 games for a 1.40 average. Also first-team All-AMAC, he was third in the conference with six goals, three assists and a 2.14 average. McCreery has played on West Virginia United traveling teams the past six years, and played in Argentina last summer.

• Forrester, a three-year player and two-year starter, was selected Southern’s most valuable player. The Rams benefited from his versatility as he started the season on offense but was moved to the defensive end four games into the season.

Forrester, despite being moved to a defensive position, was among the area’s top 30 scorers. He was fourth among the Rams with four goals and three assists in 14 games for an 0.73 average.

Also first-team All-AMAC, Forrester was 11th in the conference in scoring with three goals, two assists and a 1.14 average.

• Diamond, a team captain and midfielder, was a four-year starter at Bishop Walsh. His physical presence and throwing ability were keys to the Spartans’ success.

Diamond played through an injury, turned in an inspired second half and had the game-tying assist against Keyser in a 2-1 win, enabling BW to a win share of the Bi-State League title. It extended the program’s streak of winning at least one championship to 26 consecutive seasons.

Diamond was also first-team All-City and All-Bi-State.

• Hughes, a senior, was a three-year starter at Frankfort, where he led the improving Falcons to a six-win season. The team leader in goals and assists, Hughes had a part in half of the Falcons’ 36 goals.

The speedy forward and center midfielder ranked eighth in the area in scoring with 12 goals and six assists in 19 games for a 1.57 average. He was also first-team All-AMAC, finishing 13th in the conference in scoring with three goals and an assist.

• Tasker, a junior co-captain, turned in an outstanding season as a lone striker for Keyser, registering double-figure totals in goals and assists. Only one other player, Mountain Ridge’s Dave Hobel, did the same.

A heady player with solid all-around skills, Tasker was the area’s third-leading scorer with 16 goals, 10 assists and 42 points in 16 games for a 2.62 average. Also first-team All-AMAC, he was seventh in the league in scoring with four goals, one assist and a 1.50 average in six games.

• Shoemaker, a senior at Hyndman, is the first girl to be named to the All-Area team. A transfer from Bedford, in her first season with the Hornets she led the team with 12 goals and 16 assists.

Shoemaker had the ability to shoot with both feet and placed the ball very well. An solid all-around player, Shoemaker was also first-team All-Bi-State.

• Propst, a senior at Pendleton County, was first-team All-Area and first-team All-Bi-State.

A three-year starter and co-captain, Propst was a versatile player whose skills enabled him to be an asset at any position. He played center midfielder until moving into the goal when the starting keeper went out with an injury. Propst led the Wildcats in goals scored and was second in saves. He ranks second all-time in both categories at Pendleton.

Mike Mathews is a Cumberland Times-News sportswriter. Contact Mike Mathews at mmathews@times-news.com.