Jay soccer players earn ACAC honors

A dozen Jay County High School soccer players were named to the All-Allen County Athletic Conference teams Tuesday.
Senior Lexi Myers, juniors Gabbie Mann and Emma Laux, and sophomore Lilly Rogers earned first-team all-conference for the Patriot girls. For the JCHS boys, Alex Abbott and Zach Chaney were selected to the first team.
South Adams’ Jade Jauregui, Marco Vasquez and Brian O’Donnell were also given first-team honors.
Rogers was selected as a goalkeeper, having helped Jay County to a record of 9-7 (3-1 ACAC) and back-to-back sectional championships, including a pair of saves in the Patriots’ semifinal victory this year against Delta in penalty kicks.
Mann scored 30 goals as a forward, Laux held down the midfield and Myers anchored the back line in front of Rogers.
Seniors Catherine Dunn and Carmen Lopez received second-team all-ACAC honors as forwards, as did junior midfielder Mariah Bailey.
Abbott, a senior, and sophomore Chaney were integral parts of the JCHS boys team that finished 8-9-1 (1-3 ACAC) and won a sectional championship for the first time since 2010. Abbott led the Patriots with 20 goals, and Chaney had one goal and a pair of assists after giving up his goalkeeping duties to roam the midfield.
Jared Schlosser and Jalen Ryder, both seniors, and junior Nathan Heitkamp, were named to the second team.
South Adams also had three players earn second-team honors.
For the Starfire girls (5-13, 1-3 ACAC), senior defender Sharon Balsiger and junior forward Madson Morgan were selected for the second team. Chance Sprunger, a junior midfielder for the SAHS boys (6-7-1, 1-3 ACAC) was also named to the second team.