Sigler grabs top OCC soccer honor WHS volleyball players also recognized
When the Wooster High girls soccer team looks to defend its Ohio Cardinal Conference championship next season, Wooster High senior Cherakee Sigler will be hard for the Generals to replace.That was the consensus of OCC coaches, at least, as Sigler was named the conference's Defensive Player of the Year in recent voting. The Generals took another top award as fourth-year coach Les Wudarzewski was named the OCC's Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season.
"I knew she was going to be a very big, important player for us when I saw her as a freshman," said Wudarzewski. "She didn't disappoint. She was what I expected her to be. She is a fighter, a determined player with a really good nose for the ball and great instinct as a defensive player.
"She made our defense one of the best in the OCC."
Wooster, which completed a 10-6-1 campaign for its first double-digit winning season since 1999, was 7-2 overall in the OCC to share the title with Lexington. Wooster defeated Lady Lex 5-3 in a PK shootout after a scoreless 80-minute regulation and 10-minute sudden-death overtime to earn the first league title in the program's 21-year history.
Sophomore Jen Philippon, who was the OCC's leading scorer with 17 goals and six assists, was named to the first team along with senior Kristin Elliott. Sophomore goalkeeper Staci Hackett, who stepped into a starting position in the middle of the season, was recognized for her play by being named to the second team along with senior Katelyn Elliott.
Junior Jen Fox and sophomore Beth Courson were named honorable mention.
The General soccer boys closed the year in the OCC with a strong finish, placing third in the tournament behind league champion Clear Fork and runner-up Lexington.
Matheus DeNardo, a senior, fought through a season of injuries to finish as an OCC first-teamer, and he was joined by junior Westin Welker on the first unit. Senior Eddie Kurzenberger was selected as honorable mention, while David O'Donnell, a sophomore, was also named to that squad.
The Generals' volleyball team was paced by senior Jade Craycraft, who signed with Div. I Liberty University in Virginia to pursue both her academic and athletic careers. Junior Cameron DalPra was named to the second team, while senior Hannah Peters and junior Leesha Price were HM selections.