Valley soccer players earn NLC honors

PALMER — A pair of Valley players and coach received top honors during the Northern Lights Conference Championships at Palmer High School last weekend.

Colony senior Ben Sande was named the NLC Boys Player of the Year, Wasilla senior Alexa Starr earned NLC Girls Player of the Year honors and longtime Wasilla High mentor Blake Livingston was named NLC Boys Coach of the Year.

Sande, a junior in his second year with the Knights program, is enjoying a record-setting campaign. Through 25 matches, Sande has compiled 39 goals, eight assists and 47 points. With his production, Sande now owns the single-season school record for goals and points. His 39 goals surpass the former mark of 33 set by James Meaney in 2010. The 47 points best the old record of 40 set by Nathan Chud in 2000.

Colony head coach Jeremy Johnson said throughout the season Sande’s focus has been on helping his team win, not setting school records.

“When I announced he broke the record, he was as surprised as anyone,” Johnson said.

Johnson said Sande possess a unique skill set that has allowed him to have great success with Colony, which captured its 11th NLC title since 1998 with a 4-1 win over Kenai Central last Saturday.

“Ben is incredibly fast, very talented with the ball close in at his feet. He can strike the ball with either foot, at distance or close range,” Johnson said. “He’s multi-talented, speed, accuracy, shooting. Everything you can ask for.”

Like Sande with the Knights, Starr also put up tremendous numbers for the Wasilla girls. Starr, who helped lead Wasilla to its second straight state tournament with a 7-0 win over rival Colony in the NLC third-place match last weekend, collected 30 goals and 20 assists this season. Starr has 73 goals in her high school career.

“She’s matured into such a well-rounded player,” O’Neill said of Starr, who has committed to play college soccer for St. Cloud State in Minnesota next fall. “She’s so smart. When she’s playing a tough opponent she knows when to stay back, and she knows when to take her runs, take her chances. When she plays up top, she knows when to come back into the middle. Her experience has made her such a smart player.”

Livingston earned NLC Boys Coach of the Year honors for the eighth time. The season marked Livingston’s final year of his 17-year run as the Wasilla head coach.

All-Northern Lights Conference

Girls Player of the Year —

Alexa Starr, Wasilla

Girls Coach of the Year —

Dan Verkuilen, Kenai

Boys Player of the Year —

Ben Sande, Colony

Boys Coach of the Year —

Blake Livingston, Wasilla

Girls First team — Alexa Starr, Wasilla; Miranda Wolfe, Soldotna; Peyton Johnstone, Colony; Alex Ashe, Soldotna; Heidi Perkins, Kenai; Rachel Thompson, Nikiski; Taryn McCubbins, Soldotna; Ally Hull, Wasilla; Hayley Hagen, Grace; Kylie Morse, Kenai; Katie McCall, Palmer; Teyonna Williams, Wasilla; Aspen Daigle, Homer; Sahara Iverson, Colony.

Girls second team – Alli Steinbeck, Kenai; Sam Draves, Homer; Abi Tuttle, Soldotna; Skylar Shaw, Soldotna; Jodie Richey, Wasilla; Amy Hatter, Grace; Brianna Vollertson, Nikiski; Lydia Phillips, Wasilla; Kaylee Mahler, Colony; Cori Holmes, Kenai; Brice Pavlicek, Colony; Colleen Gamez, Grace; Tiana Lee, Palmer; Avery Parker, Palmer.

Boys first team — Ben Sande, Colony; Josh Beveridge, Grace; Grig Lozko, Wasilla; Austin Richardson, Colony; Wren Norwood, Kenai; Austin McKee, Kenai; Filip Reutov, Homer; Harrison Menard, Colony; Ty Fenton, Soldotna; Jake Forstner, Colony; Carson Dodd, Wasilla; Zack Tuttle, Kenai; Charalambos Asimakopoulos, Soldotna; Cade Johnstone, Colony.

Boys second team — Cameron Shaw, Colony; Max Dye, Kenai; Kyle Broach, Wasilla; Nikita Antov, Wasilla; Coby Smith, Grace; Kenneth Schneider, Homer; Brandon Banks, Palmer; Robby Sanders, Grace; Josh Houston, Palmer; Kristian Palaniuk, Wasilla; Brett Hintz, Colony; Caleb Wood, Grace; Dawson Roberts, Homer; Daniel Omar Torres Beltran, Kodiak; Artur Kavaliov, Palmer; Dylan Kuntz, Soldotna; Drew Brown, Homer; Jose Cortez, Kodiak; Johnie Burton, Palmer.