ROCKINGHAM — Another first-round exit may have left a bitter taste in the mouth of the Richmond Senior boys soccer team, but seeing seven of its players and its coach receive conference honors may have helped the Raiders cope.
Carlos Alcacor, Alex Alvarado, Victor Lucero, Zane Ritter, Carter Roberson, Corey Smith and Johnathan Tadlock were all named to the All-SEC team, while coach Bennie Howard was named SEC Coach of the Year.
“It’s a credit to them for working hard in the offseason, transferring that over to our season and just playing consistently throughout the year,” Howard said. “And the good thing is, out of those seven, two of them are seniors and the other five are underclassmen. So, the future is looking bright for next year.”
Howard led the Raiders to two wins over Pinecrest, a 15-3-1 overall record and a conference championship. He was also named Region 4 Coach of the Year
He refused to accept all the praise, however.
“You can’t win coach of the year unless you have players that win games for you,” he explained. “And it’s a credit to Abel Alvarado and John Roberson, who does our travel teams in the offseason…As I said two years ago when I won it, that award needs to be divided into three parts and they get a little bit of it.”
To go along with his All-SEC selection, Carlos Alcacor was selected Conference Player of the Year for his performance throughout the season. The sophomore finished the year with a team-high 22 goals and 44 points.
“It feels great. I feel like one of the best,” Alcacor said. “I’m looking to get better, score more goals and become a better player.”
Alvarado, Lucero, Ritter, Roberson and Tadlock combined for 31 goals and 25 assists. Alvarado was second on the team with 13 goals and Roberson registered the most assists (9) for Richmond.
“It’s really cool to be named all-conference, because we’ve got a really good conference and a lot of great players,” Roberson said. “And it’s just cool to think that I’m one of those good players.”
Ritter copied that sentiment.
“It feels special knowing that you’re one of the top seven on your team and one of the best in the conference,” he said.
Reach sports editor Leon Hargrove Jr. at 910-817-2673 and follow the sports section on Twitter @RCDailySports.