When AHSAA soccer coaches put together their all-state teams, 41 athletes from Baldwin County were recognized between 25 on boys' teams and 16 from girls' teams.
Six male athletes and five …
This item is available in full to subscribers.
Please log in to continue |
When AHSAA soccer coaches put together their all-state teams, 41 athletes from Baldwin County were recognized between 25 on boys' teams and 16 from girls' teams.
Six male athletes and five female athletes made Super All-State teams as Alabama's top players regardless of classification. Those student-athletes were also honored on their respective classification's level following postseason runs.
Additionally, both Gulf Shores head coaches were named the Small School Coach of the Year for Classes 1A-5A following consecutive trips to the Final Four. Danny Norton and the boys' squad collected the program's first-ever Blue Map trophy as state champs and Chad Harrelson, also Gulf Shores City School's Director of Soccer, and the girls' team earned a second consecutive Red Map trophy as state runners-up.
Baldwin’s Super All-State representatives
The local representatives named to Super All-State regardless of classification have the makings of an imposing lineup.
Gulf Shores senior Ansley Warner would help lead the charge at forward for the girls’ squad. The Southern Union signee, who scored 37 goals in 16 regular-season matches, was the lone first-team selection with support from a pair of St. Michael Cardinals and Daphne Trojans.
St. Michael junior Francheska Arellano, an AHSAA All-Star, and Daphne sophomore Lacey Daffin, a Seacrest Furniture Athlete of the Week, would help bridge the gap at midfield. Cardinal senior Elisa Christensen would be on the last line of safety at defense in front of the Trojans’ junior goalkeeper Ella Byrd.
The boys’ team has one forward, three midfielders and two defensemen between four first-teamers and two second-teamers. A pair of Gulf Shores Dolphins and Daphne Trojans, as well as one each from the Bayside Academy Admirals and Fairhope Pirates, were featured.
Similarly, a Gulf Shores senior forward would help lead the charge for the boys’ team in Talan Galvan, the program’s all-time leading scorer and a Southern Union signee. With five postseason goals en route to State Championship MVP honors, Galvan pushed his season total to 42 goals. He now owns 107 career goals for the Dolphins and moved into No. 19 all-time in the AHSAA record book.
A pair of state champions from the Super All-State first team would help lock things down on defense between Gulf Shores senior Jasper Calvert and Bayside Academy junior Luke Ferguson. Now a four-time defending champion, Ferguson also took home State Championship MVP recognition with two of his team’s three goals in the Class 4A finals.
The midfield would be taken care of three Eastern Shore standouts, including Daphne juniors Kipper Miller (first team) and Alex Potier (first team) and Fairhope sophomore Max Reger (second team). The pair of Trojans will also play alongside each other at the AHSAA North-South All-Star match and Reger helped the Pirates make their first Final Four appearance since 2015.
Individual classification highlights
There were 11 Baldwin County athletes represented on girls’ all-state teams on each classification, including 3 in Class 6A, 4 in Class 5A, 3 in Class 4A and 1 from Class 1A-3A.
Seniors Emily Smith (midfield) and Kyleigh Kitchens (defense) from Robertsdale were joined by junior Basia Czarkowska (midfield) from Spanish Fort in being named to the Class 6A all-state team. Both of the Golden Bears signed with the Southern Union Bison and Czarkowska helped the Toros to a third straight area title with 36 assists (fifth-most in a single season according to the AHSAA record book) and 12 goals.
Senior Madison Marshall (midfielder) and junior Peyton Planalp (defense) from the state runner-up Gulf Shores Dolphins were named to the Class 5A all-state team. Sophomore Fionna Stephens (forward) and Diamond Murphy (midfield) from the Elberta Warriors were also recognized on the squad.
Orange Beach senior Siddah Weihing (midfield) and junior Libby Tierce (defense) represented the Makos on the Class 4A all-state team. Senior Maddie Key (midfield) from St. Michael’s state runner-up squad was also recognized.
Sophomore Allie McTaggart (defense) represented the Bayshore Christian Eagles on the Class 1A-3A all-state team. McTaggrt became the school's first-ever all-state representative.
School-by-school breakdown
St. Michael led the way on the girls’ side with 2 Super All-State representatives and 1 honored on the Class 4A level. Similarly, Gulf Shores had 1 Super All-Stater and 2 on the Class 5A team.
Daphne had 2 on the Super All-State team and Robertsdale (6A), Elberta (5A) and Orange Beach (4A) all had 2 recognized in their respective classifications. Spanish Fort (6A) and Bayshore Christian (1A-3A) each had an individual representative recognized.
On the boys’ side, 3 schools earned 6 all-state nods where both Bayside Academy (4A) and Fairhope (7A) earned 1 on the Super All-State team and 5 in their respective classifications. St. Michael logged 6 all-state honors on the Class 4A stage.
Gulf Shores earned four total all-state recognitions with 2 Super All-Staters and 2 on the Class 5A teams. Daphne held 2 spots on the Super All-State team and Robertsdale had 1 recognized on the Class 6A stage.
Below are all-state representatives from Baldwin County as voted on by AHSAA soccer coaches.
GIRLS SUPER ALL-STATE (also recognized on individual class level)
First team
Ansley Warner – senior forward, 5A Gulf Shores
Second team
Francheska Arellano – junior midfield, 4A St. Michael
Lacey Daffin – sophomore midfield, 7A Daphne
Elisa Christensen – senior defense, 4A St. Michael
Ella Byrd – junior goalkeeper, 7A Daphne
Individual Classes
Class 6A
Emily Smith – senior midfield, Robertsdale; Kyleigh Kitchens – senior defense, Robertsdale; Basia Czarkowska – junior midfield, Spanish Fort
Class 5A
Madison Marshall – senior midfield, Gulf Shores; Peyton Planalp – junior defense, Gulf Shores; Fionna Stephens – sophomore forward, Elberta; Diamond Murphy – senior midfield, Elberta
Class 4A
Siddah Weihing – senior midfield, Orange Beach; Libby Tierce – junior defense, Orange Beach; Maddie Key – senior midfield, St. Michael
Class 1A/3A
Allie McTaggart – sophomore defense, Bayshore Christian
BOYS SUPER ALL-STATE (also recognized on individual class level)
First team
Talan Galvan – senior forward, 5A Gulf Shores
Kipper Miller – junior midfield, 7A Daphne
Jasper Calvert – senior defense, 5A Gulf Shores
Luke Ferguson – junior defense, 4A Bayside Academy
Second team
Alex Potier – junior midfield, 7A Daphne
Max Reger – sophomore midfield, 7A Fairhope
Individual Classes
Class 7A second team
Camden Camer – senior defense, Fairhope; Davis Williams – senior defense, Fairhope
Class 7A honorable mention
Patrick Burns – junior midfield, Fairhope; Darwin Hickey – sophomore midfield, Fairhope; Sam Hochhauser – senior forward, Fairhope
Class 6A second team
Hayden Harville – senior forward, Robertsdale
Class 5A first team
Noah Guthrie – senior midfield, Gulf Shores
Class 5A honorable mention
Bryan Nunez – senior midfield, Gulf Shores
Class 4A first team
Hillel Bill – junior forward, St. Michael; Matthew Drago – senior midfield, St. Michael; Etienne Duchesne – senior midfield, St. Michael; Smith Knapstein – senior goalkeeper, St. Michael; Aldo Bryant – senior goalkeeper, Bayside Academy
Class 4A second team
Nicholas Coumanis – senior defense, St. Michael; Downing Sweat – senior forward, Bayside Academy
Class 4A honorable mention
Sam Edmiston – senior defense, St. Michael; Sam Cunningham – sophomore midfield, Bayside Academy; Jack Hicks – senior defense, Bayside Academy; Hayden Travis – senior midfield, Bayside Academy