Freedom High soccer coach David Fletcher had nearly done it all, winning conference Coach of the Year awards 11 times and region Coach of the Year honors 12 times in his tenure with the Patriot boys and girls.
But he’d never been named state Coach of the Year until recently, when the North Carolina Soccer Coaches Association (NCSCA) chose “Fletch” to share the 2011 honor with Hibriten’s Jim Blanton as the best coach in the state for 3A public schools.
“It’s nice to be recognized by your peers,” said Fletcher, now in his 17th season on the sidelines, “but I really think it’s an acknowledgement that our program is alive and kicking. When the schools split a few years ago and we lost about half our student body, the program went through a little down phase. But we’ve gotten better each year.
“The kids worked hard this fall. And coaches don’t earn this type of thing unless the kids are winning on the field.”
Fletcher guided the Pats to the second round of the 3A state playoffs for the second straight season, the first time the Freedom boys program had accomplished that feat in nearly 15 years. Freedom has now improved from fourth place to third place to second place in the three year existence of the South Mountain 2A/3A Athletic Conference (SMAC).
He said his first-year assistant coaches Nate Schafer and Arael Regino “both did a great job” and credited them in part for the team’s success. And he thinks the team’s winning ways will be sustainable over the long-term.
“The JVs were undefeated conference champions,” Fletcher said, “and we have lots of good, young talent in the freshman and sophomore classes in particular.”
The NCSCA also chose three Burke County players — Freedom’s K.J. Nadeau and Sinson Lee and Patton’s Thomas Singley — as All-Region 10 selections.
Lee, a senior center midfielder who scored his team’s tying goal versus perennial power Hickory at the Patton tournament in August, was “one of the leading scorers and assist guys,” Fletcher said.
“He was an emotional leader for us, and we’ll certainly miss him,” Fletcher added.
Nadeau, who’s only a sophomore, ranked second on the team with six assists in 2011. The Pats’ sweeper earned most of his helpers as a free kick/corner kick specialist, Fletcher said.
Singley, another sophomore, had three assists and was named his Panthers' team defensive MVP.
“He’s an extremely hard worker, just as much in practice as in games,” Patton coach Keith Scott said. “That’s what sets him apart. He likes to play defense and can stop the other team’s best scorer, but he can also win the ball out of the air and lead the offense up the field.”
In addition to the three players’ all-region bids, they each also earned All-SMAC honors. Joining them on the All-SMAC squad were Freedom’s Maurtice Francis, Derek Roether, Justin Hang and Christian Patton, as well as Patton’s Vince Thao, Julio Flores, Jevon Morris and Jacob Rooks.
On the opposite side of the county, Draughn leading scorer Thomas Russell was joined by teammate Aaron Yang and East Burke’s John Orders on the All-Catawba Valley 2A Conference (CVAC) list.
Newton-Conover swept the CVAC individual awards, as Chandler Johnson was named Player of the Year and Angelo Palozzi Coach of the Year.
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