Three area players earn all-state honors
By DEREK DUNNING, The Leader-HeraldThe New York State Sportswriters Association recently released its 2009 girls' soccer All-State selections and three local players were honored for their fall season success.
Fort Plain's Kelsey Logan headed the local selections garnering second-team Class C honors. Logan led the Hilltoppers with 22 goals and 14 assists to a 10-10 record and Section II Class C crown.
"I don't know if I would call it a big surprise that Kelsey was selected," Fort Plain coach Kim Lathers said. "She certainly is well deserved of the honor. Kelsey is a solid player and was a very integral part of our success throughout the season and in the sectionals."
Lathers said the junior midfielder was not only a scorer for the team but also a complete player on both sides of the ball, whether it be offense or defense.
"Kelsey sees the whole field when she out there," Lathers said. "She doesn't stay forward all the time. She will come back into the midfield and even further back to get a ball if she has to."
Logan's statistics are impressive enough but Lathers said he felt some other factors were a big part of her selection.
"She is a fierce competitor, hard worker and a solid performer," Lathers said. "She is a team player and has been very coachable while playing on the varsity team for me."
Along with the second team All-State selection, Logan was also honored as a Section II Class C all-star and Section II Class C co-Player of the Year.
Lathers said that he hopes the recent team success and individual success of players like Logan and Jenna Stever, who earned third team All-State last season as a Hilltopper, will help build a tradition for Fort Plain girls' soccer.
"I couldn't be prouder of them," Lathers said. "We've never had anyone achieve honors this high like Logan and Stever have the past two seasons. Everything has to work right; you have to have that basic talent to work with. The team we had this year was a pretty talented group of girls that gelled at the right time. I think it's going to make us more confident in ourselves and create more of a desire for more girls to come out for the program and build off our success these past two years."
Northville's Madalyn Ryan was rewarded for her break-out sophomore season with Third Team Class D All-State honors. The midfielder tallied four goals and seven assists to lead the Falcons to the Section II Class D title and an 8-11-0 overall record.
"Madalyn has a lot of skills," Northville coach Shelley Murphy said. "She sees the field and knows the game really well. She is a huge asset to our team. She's in control of the middle of the field and where the ball goes, and does a great job every game of getting the ball up to our offense and preventing the ball from getting back to our defense. She's definitely deserving of the honor."
Murphy said that Ryan's presence on the field made a lot of the teammates around her better and the team could feed off her for motivation.
"There was a time in the final game when she was injured and it was questionable whether she was going to go back in," Murphy said. "We all started getting a little nervous because if she wasn't going able to go back in, we didn't know if we'd be able to win the game without her on the field."
Murphy said one of the most important aspects that Ryan brings to the table for the Falcons is her relentless work ethic.
"She has a great work ethic at practice," Murphy said. "She's a great kid to have on the team and is always working her hardest whether it is in practice or in a game."
Amsterdam's Hillary Rouse rounded out the local selections by being named to the sixth team Class AA All-State team.
The senior midfielder led the Lady Rams to a 9-6-2 record and second place finish in the Big 10 Conference.
Rouse netted 14 goals and tallied six assists on her way to being named to the Big 10 Conference first team.






