Valley Sports ReportATHENS — First-year coach Travis Reynard was named the NTL "Coach of the Year," and seven of his players — four first-team and three second-team — earned all-star honors recently in a vote by the league's coaches.
Senior Alex Thompson, juniors Zach Fisher and Brycen Wood, and freshman Chase Gombocz were named first-team all-stars, while senior Eli Vogell, junior Kamdyn Wheeler, and sophomore Patrick Umber were named to the second team.
Reynard led Athens to a 10-5-2 regular-season mark, which a 9-1-2 NTL record, which was good enough for the Wildcats to claim its first league title since 2021.
The Wildcats also beat Shikellamy in the District 4, Class 3A semifinals in penalty kicks, before dropping a 1-0 decision to Selinsgrove in the finals to finish 11-6-2 on the season.
Northeast Bradford's Tyler Kuhn was named the league's "Player of the Year," while Williamson's William Kiss was voted "Offensive Player of the Year," and NEB's Eli Stanton was tabbed the "Defensive Player of the Year."
FIRST TEAM
Alex Thompson, senior, Athens: The heart of the Wildcat defensive back line that allowed nine goals in 19 games. He scored 1 goal on the season.
Zach Fisher, junior, Athens: Athletic with good instincts, Fisher allowed just nine goals in 19 games, and recorded 102 saves. He registered 12 shutouts, including the first seven games of the season.
Brycen Wood, junior, Athens: A physical defender, Wood was a key cog in the Wildcat defense.
Chase Gombocz, freshman, Athens: Fast and a heady player, Gombocz made an immediate impact on the Wildcats. He had four goals and a team-high four assists.
SECOND TEAM
Eli Vogell, senior, Athens: Good speed and a nose for the ball, Vogell had four goals and one assist on the season.
Kamdyn Wheeler, junior, Athens: An unselfish player with a good head for the game, Wheeler scored three goals and had one assist.
Patrick Umber, sophomore, Athens: Fast, with a strong led, Umber led the Wildcats with six goals and had two assists.
