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Two players from the UAVSL-South Division champion Lady Raiders were honored in senior center midfielder Jordan Mason and junior outside midfielder Alyssa Byerly.
The Raiders and Lions each had an underclassmen recognized on the boys' side as sophomore Seth Connor made it for the Raiders and junior Eric Hesdon got the nod for the Lions.
Some more on the all-conference players:
GIRLS
Jordan Mason, Sr.
Mason, a two-time UAVSL All-Star, was a key cog in the middle of the field for the Lady Raiders, leading the team with 14 assists and ranking third on the team with 12 goals. She also played parts of three games as the goalkeeper, which included a shutout of DuBois, and allowed just one goal in 150 minutes.
"She was a solid midfielder and had a lot of help from Kaitlyn Hill, Krista Edwards and Alyssa Byerly in the midfield," Lady Raiders head coach Chip Mason said. "She's a very physical player, which had her drawing and causing fouls regularly."
Mason was the primary player used on corner kicks and scored four goals unassisted off corners.
"She's a versatile player who possess the soccer smarts," Mason said.
Mason finished with 27 career goals.
Alyssa Byerly, Jr.
As her older sister Jessica did a year ago, Alyssa Byerly led the Lady Raiders in scoring with 23 goals and 10 assists as an outside midfielder. Her booming leg came up with several big goals, and many came from very difficult angles.
"She has great speed with an unbelievable amount of durability," said Mason of Byerly, who also qualified for states in cross country. "Her strong left leg has been a true asset to the team, not only scoring from anywhere on the field, but also crossing from long range.
"She also seems to find herself in the right spot through hustle and hard work."
Byerly, another two-time UAVSL All-Star, also moved back to defense as a sweeper when the team was fighting some illness and was short-handed on the back line and helped the Lady Raiders win a tough game on the road at Clearfield, 2-0.
Going into her senior year, Byerly has 46 career goals.
BOYS
Seth Connor, Brookville, Soph.
Connor was the only freshman to earn UAVSL-South All-Star status a year ago and this year he's the only sophomore as the midfielder recorded 10 goals and dished out a team-high 11 assists.
Considering the loss of his father and the team's assistant coach, Rob, Connor's performance was explemary.
"For certain, he deserved it by the way he played, certainly through the hardship," Raiders coach Dan Smith said. "He never lost focus, didn't miss a game and played hard."
Connor's goal and assist in a 5-4 loss on the artificial turf at Brockway, the team's first game after his father's death, was a memorable display of talent in a difficult setting.
"That was the showcase of that kid's talent and any time you can get on a nice, true surface, you're going to see the skilled players play," Smith said.
Eric Hesdon,
Clarion-Limestone, Jr.
The Lions finished 6-9-1 and scored just 20 goals, but Hesdon's play in goal kept them in many games. The team gave up just 29 goals, or less than two per game.
"Eric did a great job in goal for us this year," C-L head coach Ryan Smith said. "There are many more deserving boys from our team, but we were able to get one. Eric made a lot of saves this year that kept us in games and helped us to win."
Last year, Hesdon's older brother C.J. was also a UAVSL-South All-Star pick.
OTHER ODDS AND ENDS - For a team that dominated the regular season in the UAVSL-South, only two Lady Raiders being named to the All-Star team appeared to be slighting head coach Chip Mason's squad. Senior Amanda Ruffner scored 17 goals and made eight assists as a striker while sophomore Krista Edwards turned in a solid season as a midfielder playing next to Mason with eight goals and seven assists. Senior defender Megan Crissman and junior goalkeeper Renee Hines turned in solid seasons. Hines sported a 0.88 goals against average in her first year as a starter. "There were a lot more than two all-stars," Coach Mason said. ... The Lady Raiders outscored their opponents, 79-16, in 20 games compared to 101-16 in 21 games last year. ... Ruffner finished with 56 career goals. ... One of the two Raiders seniors, Josh Bockus, distinguished himself with a fine season in his last year in a Brookville uniform. He led the team with 12 goals and finished with nine assists.
UAVSL All-Stars
BOYS
South Division
MVP: Eric McCue, Sr., Karns City
Joe McNally, Sr., DuBois Central Catholic
Ethan McGarvey, Jr., Karns City
Seth Connor, Soph., Brookville
Derek Brothers, Sr., Curwensville
Dan Buzzard, Sr., Redbank Valley
Justin Radaker, Sr., Redbank Valley
Dylan Ziegler, Jr., Keystone
A.J. McCrea, Sr., Redbank Valley
Nick LoPresti, Sr., Karns City
Eric Hesdon, Jr., Clarion-Limestone
GIRLS
South Division
MVP: Millie McKain, Sr., Karns City
Jordan Mason, Sr., Brookville
Alyssa Byerly, Jr., Brookville
Geena Sneeringer, Sr., Forest Area
Skyler Ganoe, Sr., Clarion
Emily Potchak, Sr., Karns City
Erica Long, Soph., Forest Area
Abby Bowser, Sr., Redbank Valley
Brittany Caulfield, Sr., Keystone
Brianna Nellis, Soph., Clarion
Amber Reichard, Sr., Keystone
