Pagosa Springs soccer, which went 17-1 this season, won top honors in All Southwest League honors announced recently.
At the other end of the circuit's spectrum, Bayfield had certainly seen better times than an 0-11-1 SWL mark and 0-14-1 overall record. But several matches actually were far closer than the final score showed. The Wolverines had some bright spots as well - with two recognized assets able to return in Fall 2016.
Junior midfielder Finlay Marshall served as one of Dave Foster's captains in '15 and was awarded Honorable Mention All-Southwestern, while sophomore defender Shea Marx was one of the league's emerging surprises and was named First Team All-SWL.
Pagosa finished a perfect 12-0 in the 3A Southwestern League and advanced to the Class 3A state soccer tournament's "Great Eight" via postseason home wins over Dawson School and Broomfield Jefferson Academy before then falling 1-nil at Vail Mountain. Pagosa Springs certainly was deserving of five First Team All-SWL slots.
And to nobody's surprise, longtime head coach Lindsey Kurt-Mason was chosen as Coach-of-the-Year after leading the Pirates-including senior forward/midfielder James Berndt, named Player-of-the-Year-to possibly the finest single year in league history.
Seniors Gavin Ross (MF/D), Mathew Breman (F/MF), Connor Bjork (D) and Blake Irons (D) joined Berndt as the league champs' First Team honorees, with junior defender Hunter Thompson and junior midfielder Maverick Miller named Honorable Mention.
Led by First Team seniors Miles Galbo, Zak Hild and Chandler Bennett, as well as junior Fernando Campos Aguilera, SWL runners-up Telluride (9-2-1, 11-4-1 overall) also did the league proud by not only making the State Tournament, but booking a Round-of-32 overtime upset (4 to 3) over DSST-Stapleton before losing 2-1-also in OT-in the 'Sweet 16' to eventual State Runners-up Colorado Springs Fountain Valley.
Miner senior Will Borup and junior goalie Warren Fulton both received Honorable Mention status.
Also making it into the season's tell-all bracket from the Southwestern was Crested Butte Community School, but the Titans (7-5-0, 7-7-0 overall) were vanquished 3-nil by and at VMS-who'd finally fall in the 'Final Four' to eventual State Champions Englewood Kent Denver-in the Round-of-32.
Titan seniors Thomas Taaca and Nate Hoskin joined junior Patrick Seifert as First Team All-SWL picks, with juniors Noah Dumas and Alden Watkins both receiving Honorable Mention notice.
SWL Goalkeeper-of-the-Year Octavio Villasenor, a junior, was one of Alamosa's two (junior forward Moises Juarez the other) First Team recipients, while junior defender Jovany Garcia and junior midfielder Maclen Dominguez received Honorable Mention after helping the Mean Moose go 5-6-1 in league and 6-7-1 overall.
Ridgway (5-6-1, 5-8-1 overall) had senior Josh Zaugg, senior Trevor Darcy and junior Gannon Rikkers named First Team All-League, with sophomores Ian Yocum and Colin Kraft awarded Honorable Mention.
Finally, junior MF/F Manuel Martinez and senior F/MF Andrew Laymon represented Montezuma-Cortez (2-10-0, 2-13-0 overall) as First Team All-SWL selections, with junior midfielders Skylar Yarbrough and Jesus Ruiz the Panthers' Honorable Mention recipients.
