Coal Ridge soccer earns player, coach of year honors in Class 3A league acknowledgements
3A, 4A All-League picks announced
Ray K. Erku/Post Independent
The 3A Western Slope League champion Coal Ridge High School boys soccer team led the list of all-conference player selections announced this week, including player and coach of the year in senior captain Ezra Williams and longtime Titans coach Michael Mikalakis.
Coal Ridge this season finished at 15-2-2 overall and had a 7-0-1 run through the 3A/2A WSL, winning the league title before going 3-1 in the 3A state playoffs, falling to Peak to Peak in the semifinals, 2-1, last week. During the regular season, the Titans also battled the eventual 2A state champion Vail Mountain Gore Rangers to a double-overtime 1-1 tie.
Along the way, Williams led the team with 1.4 goals per game and averaged 0.5 assists, for a total of 26 goals and 12 assists on the season. The senior striker also had a whopping 105 shots on goal, according to statistics reported to Maxpreps Colorado.
It was a repeat honor for Mikalakis, who has been at the helm of the Titans squad since 2010, amassing an impressive career record of 86 wins, 20 losses and three ties.
Besides Williams, All-Conference picks for the Titans this season, as determined by voting among league coaches, included juniors Derrick Centeno and Alexis Serna. Honorable mention went to Titans juniors Josh Chamorro, Zion Williams and goalkeeper Jorge Kestler, who averaged 6.4 saves per game.
The 2021 3A state champion Roaring Fork Rams of Carbondale, who finished second in league this year at 15-3 overall and 7-1 in league, falling in the quarterfinals of the playoffs to Liberty Common, had a trio of All-Conference selections in seniors Emiliano Magana and Max Brooke and junior Foster Hayes. Also making first team were Eduardo Espino of Rifle and Aryn Mellin of Basalt.
Chelsea Self/Post Independent
Other area players earning honorable mention were Roaring Fork’s Daniel Vega and Jacob Barlow, Rifle’s Yahir Marquez and Adrian Valencia, and Basalt’s Eric Vasquez and Matt Nelson.
4A soccer picks
In the 4A WSL acknowledgements, Glenwood Springs (4-8-3, 4-4-2) junior Christopher Portillo was the only Demon to make first team All Conference. Junior goalkeeper Juan Carlos Arreola earned honorable mention.
Player of the year for the 4A division was Summit County’s Owen Gallo, and coach of the year was Summit’s Jotwan Daniels.
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