PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Noel Pimentel
Pimentel manned the back of the Southeast Whitfield defense, but it was his versatility and ability to handle the ball offensively that made him a terror for opposing defenses. The aggressive 6-foot senior, who has signed with NAIA I member Lee University, finished the season with eight goals and 10 assists and helped the Raiders advance to the Georgia Class AAA state semifinals, where they fell 3-1 to top-ranked St. Pius X out of Atlanta. "Noel just had an awesome season for us," Southeast coach Jamison Griffin said. "He's a great kid that's fun to be around, and I'm really excited about everything he's been able to accomplish."
COACH OF THE YEAR
Matt Cheaves
With only two starters returning from the season before, the 17th-year Dalton coach knew the 2011 season would include a lot of instructing, strategy shaping and motivating. Three months and 15 wins later, he has no idea what to do with himself. Cheaves directed the Catamounts to a 15-3-2 record, a second-place finish in Region 7-AAA and the Georgia state quarterfinals. They pulled out a penaltykick victory over potent rival Southeast Whitfield in the last game of the regular season. "I thought the guys did a great job
during the season of getting better," Cheaves said. "As a coach, you want to see your team learn, come together and be successful, and that's what happened."
First Team
Miles Christian
BRADLEY CENTRAL
Junior forward
Christian was an All-District 5-AAA honoree and led the Bears with 28 goals.
Junior Cifuentes
MCMINN COUNTY
Senior forward
Cifuentes totaled eight goals and four assists for the Region 3-AAA semifinalists.
J.T. Foreman
MCMINN COUNTY
Senior defender
Foreman was a four-year starter and a two-time District 5-AAA defensive most valuable player.
Sterling Hines
CLEVELAND
Junior defender
Hines solidified the defense of the Blue Raiders and was named All-District 5-AAA.
Ramiro Huitanda
DALTON
Sophomore forward
Huitanda had 24 goals to lead the Catamounts, who advanced to the Georgia AAA state quarterfinals.
Ben Kimball
CLEVELAND
Senior midfielder
Kimball had 14 goals and five assists and was named District 5-AAA midfielder of the year.
Zach Myers
MCMINN COUNTY
Senior midfielder
Myers, a Bryan College signee, was the District 5-AAA offensive most valuable player.
Zeke Nunez
SOUTHEAST WHITFIELD
Senior forward
Nunez, who will play for Oglethorpe University, had 17 goals for the state semifinalists.
Antonio Olvera
DALTON
Senior goalkeeper
Olvera averaged allowing a goal a game for the Catamounts, who reached the state quarterfinals.
Rene Real
DALTON
Senior midfielder
Real, a Point University signee, led the Class AAA state quarterfinalists with 10 assists.
Alejandro Rosillo
SOUTHEAST WHITFIELD
Sophomore forward
Rosillo had 15 goals and 10 assists to help the Raiders reach the Georgia Class AAA state semifinals.
SECOND TEAM
MICKEY GUERRERO SE Whitfield Senior Defender
BRANDON HEATH Rhea County Senior Midfielder
ROSS HOUSTON Sweetwater Senior Forward
BRANDON JUSTICE Walker Valley Senior Forward
CHRISTIAN LOPEZ SE Whitfield Soph. Midfielder
BERNABE RANGEL SE Whitfield Senior Midfielder
CONAR ROBERTS McMinn County Junior Goalkeeper
ELIJAH THOMAS Cleveland Senior Defender
GIOVANNI VILLA NW Whitfield Senior Forward
BRENT WILLIAMS McMinn Central Senior Forward
MARTIN ZARAGOZA Bradley Central Junior Midfielder
TEAMS OF THE YEAR
1-- SOUTHEAST WHITFIELD (20-2)
The Raiders won the Georgia Region 7-AAA championship and advanced to the state final four.
2-- DALTON (15-3-2)
The Catamounts finished second in Georgia Region 7-AAA and advanced to the state final eight.
3-- MCMINN COUNTY (8-4-4)
The Cherokees won the Tennessee District 5-AAA regularseason title and reached the region semifinals.