Considering the degree to which he exploded onto the 3A Southwestern League’s boys soccer scene, there was little doubt Bayfield freshman Ayden Casillas would be – and recently was – named its 2022 Player of the Year.
The Wolverines’ knockout punch offensively during a 9-4-2 campaign, which concluded with a bone-chilling, hard-fought loss at Carbondale Roaring Fork in the state tournament’s opening round, Casillas – a clear-cut First Team All-SWL pick – registered a program-historic 24-goal, 6-assist scoring line this fall.
Casillas won the Southwest League’s proverbial Golden Boot as its top goal-scorer, and earned second-team all-state honors in Class 3A.
“In my years, this was one of the first that Player of the Year was uncontested,” said BHS head coach Chris Zoltowski. “All the coaches in the league … said ‘Ayden’ or ‘Number Seven from Bayfield.’ It was across the board; everybody agreed before we even went to a vote.”
“Yeah, he’s a special player,” senior Shaw Foster (5 goals, 6 assists) had said during the season. “He’s incredibly fast; I get the ball at my feet and send him through, and he’s on to goal! Makes my job easy.”
Defenders helping make goalkeeper Kaedon Rademacher’s task easy at times, senior Andrés ‘Andy’ Monger and junior Shae Railsback were also named first-team all-league. Recording four goals and an assist despite being Bayfield’s regular center-back, Railsback also received an all-state honorable mention.
“Defense is our first-line offense … and last-line defense,” Monger (2 goals) had remarked in a post-match interview.
Utilized on defense, in the midfield and even as an attacker in tandem with Casillas and Foster, senior Gavin Larson (6 goals, 3 assists) rounded out BHS’ first-team all-league recipients.
“I’m really proud of all those guys,” Zoltowski said. “They work hard, they show up to training, and they earned it. They’re kind of an example of what we’re really trying to set up as the culture of this program.”
Posting a 6-0 mark in SWL play, bettering Bayfield’s 4-2, Pagosa Springs (10-5-0 overall, after a first-round state loss to Denver Arrupe Jesuit) featured goalie of the year Christopher Young-Martinez, as well as coach of the year Lindsey Kurt-Mason. Seniors Kaylor Christians, Jordan Heaton, Gabriel ‘Gabe’ Gallegos and Jordan Pham were all voted first team All-SWL.
From Montezuma-Cortez (2-10-0, 2-4-0 SWL), senior Evan LaMunyon and junior Raul Soto received first-team honors, as did junior Johnathan Ramirez of Alamosa (0-14-0, 0-6-0).
Often times the best hope the winless Mean Moose had to spark any success, sophomore goalie Marvin Rodas was named second-team all-league, as was classmate Benjamin Tibbitts. Senior Isaak Lewis and sophomore Carter Tanner were so chosen from M-CHS, as was PSHS senior Carson Young-Martinez.
BHS freshman Zach Hufnagel (2 goals, SWL-leading 9 assists) rounded out the second-team picks.
“It just shows that ‘club’ kids from Bayfield are staying loyal to Bayfield, and this team’s just going to blow up; there’s already kids from clubs, upcoming freshmen, talking about coming to Bayfield next year,” said Zoltowski. “The growth of … and strength of this program is going to significantly change. I just see us advancing more and more, year after year.”
