{"id":33632,"date":"2023-06-03T17:22:29","date_gmt":"2023-06-03T23:22:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/rey-reigns-sophomore-named-leagues-best\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T02:11:46","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T08:11:46","slug":"rey-reigns-sophomore-named-leagues-best","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/rey-reigns-sophomore-named-leagues-best\/","title":{"rendered":"Rey reigns: Sophomore named league\u2019s best"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Bayfield
Bayfield sophomore Sydney Rey, left, and junior McKenna Noonan share a laugh after the Wolverines\u2019 early-season win at Alamosa. Rey was recently named the 3A Southwestern League\u2019s Player-of-the-Year, as well as Second Team All-3A, while Noonan was named league\u2019s Goalkeeper-of-the-Year. (Joel Priest\/Special to the Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Few involved with high school soccer expect to see a first-string goalie be lost for extended time because of injury.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately for the Bayfield girls\u2019 squad, life this spring without McKenna Noonan, a collision casualty during BHS\u2019 April 25 trip to Pagosa Springs, proved most challenging. The Wolverines lost four of their final five matches and were effectively played out of the postseason picture before it was fully framed.<\/p>\n

Noonan, however, made a definite impression on the 3A Southwestern League\u2019s coaches, and the impact of her absence magnified her importance as Bayfield (7-7 overall, 4-2 league) finished behind Montezuma-Cortez (9-5-2, 4-0-2) in the SWL title chase. Noonan, a first-year junior, was recently named the circuit\u2019s Goalkeeper-of-the-Year \u2013 winning the award over Emily Tibbitts of Alamosa, Sofia Haymaker of PSHS and, most importantly, M-CHS\u2019 Aubrey Rutherford.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe just played like an absolute rock star and intimidated other teams to the point where they asked me how long she\u2019s been goalkeeping for us. And I said, \u2018This is her first year,\u2019\u201d said BHS forward Sydney Rey. \u201cWhen she came in, she came in running; from the start I was just so impressed with her ability to act like she\u2019s played, let\u2019s say, club (soccer) her entire life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s so amazing that we get to have another opportunity with her next year; I\u2019m so excited to play with her,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"Bayfield\u2019s
Bayfield\u2019s Sydney Rey, left, secures possession during the Lady Wolverines\u2019 home match versus Pagosa Springs. The junior-to-be was recently named the 3A Southwestern League\u2019s Player-of-the-Year, and even more recently received Second Team All-3A distinction. (Joel Priest\/Special to the Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

And Noonan will in all probability have three of BHS\u2019 four First Team All-League field players returning to help shield her in 2024: seniors-to-be Genesis Barrera and Anna Vasgird plus junior-to-be Rey. Rey was not only voted the league\u2019s Player-of-the-Year but also Second Team All-State in Class 3A.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was so excited when I heard about it this morning; I mean, it\u2019s a great honor to be told I\u2019m \u2026 all-state in general,\u201d Rey said. \u201cI think it\u2019s super cool that since freshman year I\u2019ve went from Honorable Mention to \u2026 Second Team, but I\u2019m hoping junior year I\u2019ll go to First Team, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very grateful for it though,\u201d she said. \u201cI couldn\u2019t have done it without my teammates, my coaches and people in general like my family and my supporters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now-graduated senior Abria Thayer was also a First Team All-SWL pick, joining M-CHS sophomore forward Jordlan \u201cJordi\u201d Mahler (Honorable Mention All-3A), junior midfielder Anna Jenson (Second Team All-3A), senior midfielder\/defender Jayden Thomason and junior defender Grace Darrin. Senior defender\/midfielder Ava Pargin and freshman defender\/midfielder Jeidy Moreno\u2010Echavarria represented Pagosa Springs (3-10-1, 0-5-1), and senior Regan Zook AHS (8-6-1, 2-3-1).<\/p>\n

Montezuma-Cortez\u2019s Reese Smith was named the league\u2019s Coach-of-the-Year after guiding the Panthers to a second consecutive Class 3A State Tournament appearance. Given the No. 27 seed in the opening Round-of-32, M-CHS\u2019 season ended with a 2-1 overtime loss at No. 6 Delta. DHS \u2013 which had prevailed 2-0 at M-CHS early in the season \u2013 then eliminated Brighton-based 11-seed Eagle Ridge Academy 5-0, but then fell 2-0 to No. 3 Manitou Springs in the Great Eight.<\/p>\n

MSHS (19-1 overall) advanced all the way to the grand finale in 2023, but lost 3-0 to top-seeded Broomfield Jefferson Academy (18-2), the 2022 state runner-up.<\/p>\n

M-CHS senior forward Sophia Shepard and sophomore midfielder Emily Howell were named Second Team All-League, while senior Abby Wubben, freshman sister Jayden Wubben and senior Annahi Molina were selected from Alamosa. PSHS senior midfielder\/defender Vida Maes was also chosen, as was Bayfield junior Preslie Wagner \u2013 another weapon the Wolverines will rely on next year in pursuing the SWL title.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we can do it; we were very close my freshman year, and even closer this year,\u201d Rey said. \u201cI\u2019ll bet you (that) next year \u2026 we\u2019re going to show who Bayfield really is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Ignacio
Ignacio goalkeeper Trinity Strohl acknowledges fans after being introduced before the Lady Bobcats\u2019 match at Alamosa. The now-graduated senior was recently named First Team All-League in the 2A Intermountain-South. (Joel Priest\/Special to the Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
Ignacio players praised<\/div>\n

Though unable to wrest a victory away from any opponent in 2023, Ignacio rarely could be counted out. And when the 2A Intermountain-South\u2019s All-League Team was released the Bobcats (0-15 overall, 0-6 league) were justly represented.<\/p>\n

Senior Trinity Strohl was a First Team choice, but lost the Goalkeeper-of-the-Year vote to Crested Butte Community School senior Mara Pennie \u2013 who helped the league-champion Titans (10-7, 5-1) reach the 16-team state tournament\u2019s quarterfinals. IHS senior Trinity Crane and senior-to-be Willow Schulz were both Second Team selections.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they did a great job,\u201d head coach Alisha Gullion said about her All-Leaguers. \u201cI definitely know that the younger players looked up to them a lot; they were strong leaders. I think their hard work is what really inspired the rest of their teammates.\u201d<\/p>\n

CBCS junior midfielder and First Team All-League pick Leigh Harpel was chosen Player-of-the-Year, and skipper Heather Culley received Coach-of-the-Year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

standout also scores CHSAA salute<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33633,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[845],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-33632","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-soccer"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33632","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33632"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33632\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82277,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33632\/revisions\/82277"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33633"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33632"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33632"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33632"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=33632"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}