After a successful run to the quarterfinal round of the Class AAA state playoffs, the Morgan County boys’ soccer team had several players earn All-Region honors for their performances on the field.
Shining brightly among the Dogs’ postseason honors were the exceptional talents of sophomore goalkeeper Blake Downs and junior midfielder Teddy Young. Their unwavering dedication and skill earned them the Region 4-AAA Co-Players of the Year title, voted on by the league’s coaches.
“I am very proud of Blake and Teddy and how hard they worked for our team during the season and off-season,” Morgan County head coach Aaron Paul said. “Blake has been a solid goalkeeper and continues to improve daily. He has undoubtedly bailed us out a few times.
“And Teddy was our offensive stat leader, but you wouldn’t know it because we played him as a defender quite a bit. He was always willing to do whatever it took to put the team in the best position to win.”
Downs and Young were also All-Region First Team selections, along with Carson Keener, Korbin Hegwood, and Luke McClain. The five Bulldogs helped lead the team in different ways during the season.
All-Region Second Team selections included Julian Tenorio, Kentucky Outlaw, Santi Ramirez, Rocco Biscoglia, and Cooper Franklin. Brandon Lopez, Larson Detienne, and Chase Link were also recognized as honorable mentions.
“I am extremely proud of their hard work and dedication to our team and program. And all but one of these All-Region players are returning next season,” Paul said. “We are very lucky to have depth and guys ready to be plugged right in. We always try to focus on building our depth through JV and subbing guys into varsity games to prepare them and help build chemistry within our players.”
Morgan County went 10-7-1 overall and 7-1 in region play. The Dogs won the Region 4-AAA title over the Academy of Richmond County and made it to the quarterfinals before losing to Oconee County.
Morgan County defeated Dougherty in the first round before knocking off Peach County in an act of revenge during the second round. The Trojans won last year’s second-round matchup, although the Bulldogs came out on top this season to make their first trip to the quarterfinals after several tries.
It was the season's highlight for Paul, who had only kind words to say about his team.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a calendar year. It’s sweet to get this one,” Paul said following the Peach County game. “Last year, we lost, and it was close. We had a hard time scoring against them last year. We had chance after chance after chance but couldn’t finish. We flipped the script tonight, so this a really, really good feeling.”
Next season, Paul and his squad hope to compete for another region championship – and perhaps a state title as well.