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AMERICUS – On Thursday, April 27, the Sumter County High School boys’ soccer team gathered at the fellowship hall of Central Baptist Church for a banquet to celebrate the success of this year’s season and to give honor to those to whom honor is due.

It was a time of food, fun and fellowship, but it was also a time for some of the players to be formally honored for their performances on the pitch.

The Panthers finished third in the Region 1-AA standings with an overall record of 10-9 and advanced into the GHSA Class AA State Playoffs, where they lost in the first round to Spencer in overtime by the score of 2-1.

For his efforts and accomplishments throughout the season, SCHS senior forward Creighton Meyers was named the All-Region Offensive Player of the Year, as he tallied 24 goals and seven assists on the season.

On defense, the Panthers also had a stalwart who got the job done, as senior fullback Kevaughn Hart was the named the Region 1-AA Defensive Player of the Year.

Senior midfielder Ary Flores earned First Team All-Region Honorable Mention honors and was named Second Team All-Region (18 goals, 10 assists), but in addition to the aforementioned Panthers, others earned accolades as well, including defender Jose Diaz (All-Region Honorable Mention), freshman forward Leo Diaz (All-Region Honorable Mention) and senior goalkeeper Evan Garcia (All-Region Honorable Mention), who came up with 52 saves in six matches.

The Lady Panthers did not have quite the success that the boys’ team had (2-14), but individually, they had some players who stood out. Forward Vicky Aguirre ended up earning Second Team All-Region honors for her 22 goals and three assists on the season.

Both Vanessa Aguirre and Ebelyn Chavez earned All-Region Honorable Mention honors as well. Vanessa Aguirre had five goals and four assists and Chavez had four goals on the season.