Williams, Pagano garner All-IEL MVP honors
SANDPOINT — Sandpoint senior Tanner Williams and sophomore Meghan Pagano, each of whom led their team in goals, were named the Most Valuable Players as the All-Inland Empire League 4A soccer teams were announced on Monday, as voted on by the league’s coaches.
Williams had a monster year, tallying 24 goals and nine assists while proving to be nearly unstoppable leading the Bulldog boys attack. Not only was he the top player in the IEL, but arguably the entire state.
Senior Kanyen Bauer and junior Ryan Schwartz also won special honors, with Bauer’s five shutouts earning him Keeper of the Year and Schwartz’s ball-hawking play earning him Defensive Player of the Year. Jansen Rinck (four goals, four assists), Shane Stanley (10 goals, five assists) and Jeff Rokstad (one goal, two assists) also landed a spot on the all-league team.
Pagano was a dangerous striker up top all season, notching 14 goals to go with seven assists. Joining Pagano on the all-league team from Sandpoint are senior Melinda Van Dyk (seven goals, eight assists), Nichole Pagano (11 goals, one assist), defender Brooke Obaitek and sweeper Kendall Stratton, who managed three goals while playing most of the season in the back third.
Sandpoint head coach Adam Tajan on what each player did to earn a spot on the team:
n Tanner Williams — “Tremendous athleticism and technical ability. Hands down one of the top players in our region. Tanner really turned it on his senior year. His work rate and attitude at practice were excellent all season long.”
n Ryan Schwartz — “Ryan reads the game extremely well. He plays with good angles of support, anticipates and is very difficult to beat in the 1v1 situation.”
n Kanyen Bauer — “Kanyen came up huge time and time again all season long. Very good in the air. Once he settled in and got his confidence rolling he was unbeatable.”
n Jansen Rinck — “Jansen is fiercely competitive. He tackles hard and provided us with stability in the midfield. Jansen has a lethal shot from outside the 18 and can be deadly in the air on set pieces.”
n Shane Stanley — “Shane is an excellent 1v1 defender. He reads the game well and provided us with a strong physical presence both in the midfield and on our back line. As a midfielder he scored goals and as a defender he earned shutouts.”
n Jeff Rokstad — “Jeff was our disruptor in the midfield this year. His energy level is unmatched, he works extremely hard from 18 to 18 throughout the entire match. His work rate and tenacity are very frustrating to play against.”
Sandpoint head coach Julie Pitre on what each of her players did to earn a spot on the team:
n Meghan Pagano — “It was unanimous that she win the MVP award. All of the coaches agreed that she was the biggest threat out of all the teams in our league.”
n Melinda Van Dyk — “Her speed and ability to create a solid cross into the box created problems for every defense that we played. She is contemplating playing at the college level.”
n Nichole Pagano — “She completes the triple threat of our offense. Having speed, a strong left foot and the ability to connect passes to her sister was a great asset to our team.”
n Kendall Stratton — “The other coaches noticed that Kendall moved from midfield to defense midway through the season. She was a solid anchor for us in the back.”
n Brooke Obaitek — “She was one of our most important players this year. Anytime that we played a team with a strong offensive player, she man-marked to shut them down.”
4A All-Inland Empire League
Boys
MVP — Tanner Williams, Sandpoint, sr.
Newcomer of the Year — AJ Gayler, Moscow, jr.
Coach of the Year — Abilio Monteiro, Moscow.
Goalkeeper of the Year — Kanyen Bauer, Sandpoint, sr.
Offensive Player of the Year — Andrew Bender, Moscow, sr.
Defensive Player of the Year — Ryan Schwartz, Sandpoint, jr.
MOSCOW — Jack Fehrenbacher, sr., Sebastian Mortimer, jr., Kyle Peterson, soph. SANDPOINT — Janson Rinck, sr., Jeffrey Rokstad, soph., Shane Stanley, soph. LAKELAND — Brian Hann, sr., Alex Opland, soph.
Girls
MVP — Meghan Pagano, Sandpoint, soph.
Newcomer of the Year — Kylie Gorton, Moscow, soph.
Coach of the Year — James Reid, Moscow.
SANDPOINT — Brooke Obaitek, soph., Nichole Pagano, jr., Kendall Stratton, jr., Melinda Van Dyk, sr. MOSCOW — Sarah Blum, sr., Maddy Criner, soph., Veronica Ewers, jr., Brooke Mosman, sr. LAKELAND — Keelani Duffey, jr., Darby Murray, sr., Angelique Wetherelt, fr.