Bulldog boys dominate 4A All-IEL honors
SANDPOINT — Not surprisingly, considering they were one of the top boys teams in the state, Sandpoint dominated the All-Inland Empire League soccer honors recently, as voted on by the league’s coaches.
Senior Aaron Crossingham was voted Most Valuable Player, a testament to his shutdown defensive play all season, leading eight Bulldog players named to the all-league team.
Senior Jake Rookey, who posted 11 shutouts, was voted Goalkeeper of the Year, senior Joab Logan, who scored nine goals and dished out five assists, was voted Offensive Player of the Year, senior Zach Couch was voted Defensive Player of the Years and head coach Adam Tajan Coach of the Year for the Bulldogs.
Also on the all-league team were senior Jeremiah Gagnon, who posted 11 goals and four assists, senior Matthew Burgstahler, who added five goals and three assists, senior Ashlend Dills, who dished out six assists and senior Nathan Schwartz, who keyed a defense that dominated opponents.
Head coach Adam Tajan on what each player did to earn a spot on the team:
• Aaron Crossingham: “Aaron is our most well-rounder player. He’s got all the tools — athletic, technically sound, confident. Moving him from the midfield to center back was not my preference but it proved to be necessary. His presence in the back made everyone better. No other guy had as big an impact on our success as Cross. MVP hands down.”
• Jake Rookey: “Jake improved with every game. Each week his technique and decision making got better and his confidence grew. Once league play started I wasn’t surprised to see him post shutouts in every league game. No other keeper in the league was even close to Jake’s stats this season.”
• Joab Logan: “Joab is the epitome of Bulldog Soccer. His attitude and work rate are off the charts. He demands excellence of himself and his team. He’s been a handful for opposing defenses since his freshmen year. In 1v1 situations, he’s almost impossible to stop.”
• Zach Couch: “Defenders often get left in the shadow of teams with high power offenses. Zach turned in MVP caliber performances, bringing his “A” game to every game all season long.”
• Ashlend Dills: Ash loves to get forward. He started the season as an outside back but as the season progressed we needed to see more of him in the attack. He can deliver a ball from out wide that’s very difficult to handle.”
• Matthew Burgstahler: “Matthew leads by example. He’s the most vocal player on the field and has developed into an excellent center midfield player. He scored some great goals this year. His attitude and work rate have been exceptional.”
• Nathan Schwartz: “Nathan has developed into an excellent defender. He reads the game well, takes good angles when closing attackers, and has excellent patience in 1v1 situations.”
• Jeremiah Gagnon: Jeremiah has delivered big goals in big games throughout his career. He has excellent vision and he’s great in the air. Jeremiah is a guy you can rely on when the game is on the line.”
4A IEL boys soccer team
MVP — Aaron Crossingham, sr., Sandpoint
Newcomer of the Year — Austin Garitone, fr., Lakeland
Coach of the Year — Adam Tajan, Sandpoint
Goalkeeper of the Year — Jake Rookey, sr., Sandpoint
Offensive MVP — Joab Logan, sr., Sandpoint
Defensive MVP — Zach Couch, sr., Sandpoint
SANDPOINT — Ashlend Dills, sr., Jeremiah Gagnon, sr., Matthew Burgstahler, sr., Nathan Schwartz, sr. MOSCOW — Dru Bogden, jr., Tony Quesnell, sr. LAKELAND — Cade Coffey, jr., Daniel McDevitt, so.