Six area players earn All-District honors

Six area soccer players have earned All-District honors after the spring season with two Sweetwater Wildcats picking up specialty awards.

Sweetwater’s Campbell Hicks was named Defensive Player of the Year while freshman Bryce Teutimez was named the Co-Offensive Player of the Year.

District 3-A Soccer: Hicks and Teutimez led Sweetwater’s line while seniors Cristian Contreras and Abram Torres were also named to the All-District team. Tellico’s Christopher Barbosa joins the squad.

“These players were always consistent throughout the season and gave 100% all the time. Our defensive line was very solid and very consistent,” Sweetwater coach Ricardo Torres said.

As a midfielder, Teutimez led Sweetwater in goals and assists.

“This kid is amazing. His level is higher than the average in the area. He was a midfielder that scored more goals than our strikers and has the most assists, it tells that he is a great player,” Torres added.

Abram Torres appeared and excelled in multiple positions for the Wildcats, who finished second in District 3-A and reached the Region 2-A semifinals.

“Abram did not score as many goals as we were expecting, but he is a wire. I had to move him to a couple of different positions, but he always responded well,” Ricardo Torres added. “He was very aggressive, tried hard and was very dedicated to his positions.”

Barbosa also received praise from one of his coaches.

“He was a great, respectful kid. encourageable and a team player,” Tellico Plains assistant coach Martin Calvillo said of Barbosa. “I let them know that whatever they did opened the doors for the future. We pretty much had to start a brand new program with the soccer team.”

This is the second season where the Offensive Player of the Year award works its way to Sweetwater. Brennan Teutimez, the older brother of Bryce, won the honor last season.

His senior season ended early into 2024 with an injury.

“It is something we do not get very often in this area. It is very rare that we have two brothers receive that recognition,” Torres said. “The level of competition in California is higher and I think it helped them to come over here. It is a privilege to have those types of players in a small town and especially for me to coach them.”

District 5-AA Soccer: Sequoyah senior Brandon Herrera found himself on the all-district team playing in a highly competitive league.

Herrera is the lone Chief on the first team while District 5-AA features eventual state champion South-Doyle, state tournament qualifier Alcoa, traditional power Loudon and Lenoir City.

“Brandon has been an essential part of my team since I took over last year. He has helped me run practices and communicate with the team, and even given me pep talks when I needed one,” Sweetwater coach Lindsay Liszeski said. “He is the kind of player that gives his all every time. He doesn’t just take the pitch for his own glory though. He has the mindset that he will do what he needs to for the team to win. I love that kid.”

Danilo Camacho was named to the second team.

South-Doyle’s Anestis Tiriakidis and Alcoa’s Bacon Lauderback were named the Co-Players of the Year. Alcoa’s Diego Ojeda won Offensive Player of the Year with Alcoa’s Aiden Radosevich and Lenoir City’s Jose Paredes Munoz winning the Co-Defensive Player of the Year awards.

South-Doyle’s Jonah Mitchell was named Goalkeeper of the Year.

South-Doyle’s Cameron Harp, Roger Oseguera, Jude Straussfogel, Landon Walker and Turner Williams were named to the team along with Alcoa’s Marcos German, Luis Gonzalez, Andrew Knight and Jacob Knight.

Lenoir City’s Jesus Orozco and Azariel Alonzo Revilla were named to the team as were Loudon’s Ronaldo Guillen and Christian Medina.