OMAHA WORLD-HERALD 8C SUNDAY, MAY 29, 2011 SUNDAY, MAY 29, 2011 9C ALL NEBRASKA FIRST TEAM P Player School Yr. GK David Watson Elkhorn Sr. F Logan Mendez Grand Island Sr. F Matt Pritchard Omaha Creighton Prep Jr. F Mike Reckmeyer Lincoln East Sr. F Tyree Kinning Columbus Sr. F Alex Stillinger Omaha South Sr. MF Jony Lara Schuyler Sr. MF Kyle Nowka Lincoln East Sr. MF Jake Linden Omaha Creighton Prep Sr. MF Joe Marinkovich Omaha Creighton Prep Sr. MF Hector Gutierrez Grand Island Sr. Honorary captain: Mendez SECOND TEAM GK Mike Rilett Lincoln East So. F Spencer Lindsay Kearney Jr. F Tyler Ortlieb Gretna Sr. F Logan Henning Gretna Sr. F Victor Cruz Schuyler Sr. MF Shane Davidson Lincoln Southwest Sr. MF David Torres Grand Island Sr. MF Ryan Lynch Omaha Skutt Jr. D Jacob Quandt Lincoln Southwest Sr. D Jose Castro Omaha South Sr. D Taylor Valderaz Grand Island Jr. CLASS A FIRST TEAM GK Mike Rilett Lincoln East So. F Logan Mendez Grand Island Sr. F Matt Pritchard Omaha Creighton Prep Jr. F Mike Reckmeyer Lincoln East Sr. F Tyree Kinning Columbus Sr. F Alex Stillinger Omaha South Sr. MF Shane Davidson Lincoln Southwest Sr. MF Kyle Nowka Lincoln East Sr. MF Jake Linden Omaha Creighton Prep Sr. MF Joe Marinkovich Omaha Creighton Prep Sr. MF Hector Gutierrez Grand Island Sr. SECOND TEAM Sr. F Spencer Lindsay Kearney Jr. MF David Torres Grand Island Sr. MF Aaron Carman Millard South Sr. MF Guillermo Ventura Omaha South Sr. MF J.P . Pulverenti Millard North Sr. MF Gustavo Olvera Columbus Sr. D Paul Floersch Omaha Creighton Prep Sr. D Jacob Quandt Lincoln Southwest Sr. D Jose Castro Omaha South Sr. D Taylor Valderaz Grand Island Jr. CLASS B FIRST TEAM GK David Watson Elkhorn Sr. F Tyler Ortlieb Gretna Sr. F Logan Henning Gretna Sr. F Victor Cruz Schuyler Sr. MF Vince Van Haute Elkhorn Mount Michael Sr. MF Jony Lara Schuyler Sr. MF Ryan Lynch Omaha Skutt Jr. MF Rwendy Armendariz Hastings Sr. D Gavin Sass Elkhorn Sr. D Kade Hollendieck Gretna Jr. D Humberto Tapia South Sioux City Jr. Honorary captain: Watson SECOND TEAM GK Brian O’Neill Lincoln Pius X Sr. F Jake Wise Elkhorn Sr. F LaRoy Cobb Norris Sr. F Easton Nelson Schuyler Jr. F Kevin Soenksen Lincoln Lutheran Sr. F Eduardo Gamboa South Sioux City So. F Omar Abdullahi Lexington Jr. MF Brock Fitzgerald Lincoln Pius X So. MF Edwin Contreras Lexington Jr. D Greg Shanahan Ralston Sr. ALL NEBRASKA FIRST TEAM P Player School Yr. GK Jordan Cassalia Millard West So. F Rachel Brennan Millard North So. F Paige Nielsen Lincoln Southeast Jr. F Mayme Conroy Omaha Skutt Sr. F Addison Nokels Omaha Burke Sr. F Ava Ambrose Omaha Marian Jr. MF Elizabeth Bartels Omaha Skutt So. MF Alyssa Flannery Millard North Jr. MF Marquette Pick Millard North Jr. D Jackie Tondl Omaha Marian Jr. D Jaylyn Odermann Millard North Jr. Honorary captain: Brennan SECOND TEAM GK Kylynn Moyer Millard North So. F Hannah Wampler Lincoln Southeast Jr. F Yari Estrada Omaha South Sr. F Sara Cushing Papillion-La Vista South Jr. F Sarah Woelfel Millard North Fr. F Liz Sundberg Lincoln Southwest Sr. MF Jourden Casey Omaha Westside Sr. MF Caitlin Wills Millard West Sr. MF Alissa Kohmetscher Lincoln Southeast Jr. MF Rachael Bakey Omaha Burke, Sr. D Jordan Chohon Columbus Scotus Jr. CLASS A FIRST TEAM GK Jordan Cassalia Millard West So. F Rachel Brennan Millard North So. F Paige Nielsen Lincoln Southeast Jr. F Addison Nokels Omaha Burke Sr. F Ava Ambrose Omaha Marian Jr. F Hannah Wampler Lincoln Southeast Jr. MF Alissa Kohmetscher Lincoln Southeast Jr. MF Alyssa Flannery Millard North Jr. MF Marquette Pick Millard North Jr. D Jackie Tondl Omaha Marian Jr. D Jaylyn Odermann Millard North Jr. Honorary Captain: Brennan SECOND TEAM GK Kylynn Moyer Millard North So. F Yari Estrada Omaha South Sr. F Sara Cushing Papillion-La Vista South Jr. F Liz Sundberg Lincoln Southwest Sr. F Sarah Woelfel Millard North Fr. F Jourden Casey Omaha Westside Sr. MF Emily Nulty Omaha Marian Jr. MF Caitlin Wills Millard West Sr. MF Rachael Bakey Omaha Burke Sr. MF Anna Sibson Millard West Sr. D Caitlin Lewis Papillion-La Vista South So. CLASS B FIRST TEAM GK Jordan Thiem Elkhorn South Fr. F Melissa Stine Platteview Sr. F Mayme Conroy Omaha Skutt Sr. F Elizabeth Bartels Omaha Skutt So. F Brooke Martin Gretna Sr. F Jordyn Wollenburg Gretna Jr. F Kirsten Larson Holdrege Sr. F Sam Areman Norris Sr. MF Chloe Nabity Elkhorn Sr. D Jordan Chohon Columbus Scotus Jr. D Emily Roll Gretna So. Honorary captain: Conroy SECOND TEAM G Sarah Warren Gretna Sr. F Cierra Cjaden Waverly Sr. F Danielle Anderson Elkhorn Jr. F Kelsey Doerr Elkhorn South So. F Kelsey Nealon Lincoln Pius X Sr. F Ashtin Pawloski Hastings Sr. MF Megan Kruse Gretna So. MF Rachel Granville Platteview Sr. MF Ali Graham Omaha Skutt Jr. D Tessa Delaney Elkhorn Sr. D Elle Banghart Elkhorn South So. Jordan Cassalia Millard West The keeper was a major reason that West’s first 11 wins were shutouts. She finished third in Class A in goals per match average. Cassalia is garnering Divi- sion I attention already as a sophomore. Matt Pritchard Omaha Creighton Prep The junior finished with 24 goals and 58 points, both good for second in Class A. An attacking threat, Pritchard gave the state champion Junior Jays’ talented midfield a finisher up front. Mike Reckmeyer Lincoln East An Oregon State walk-on, Reckmeyer was the lead- ing scorer for a Lincoln East team that lost to only one team all season (Grand Island). The senior scored a pair of goals in the first round of the state tournament to finish with 21 on the season. Tyree Kinning Columbus His physical presence was the difference for a Colum- bus team that reached the state tournament. Kinning netted 22 goals and six assists, good for third in the state in scoring. He will play at Midland next season. Jake Linden Omaha Creighton Prep Linden followed up a solid junior season with a 14-goal, 13-assist senior campaign. The state’s Gatorade player of the year will play at Xavier next season. Joe Marinkovich Omaha Creighton Prep While Pritchard and Linden did the scoring, Marin- kovich did the little things that helped the Junior Jays win the Class A crown. He’ll be a part of UNO’s first men’s soccer recruit- ing class next season. David Watson Elkhorn An active and athletic keeper, Watson was a major eraser in the back for Elkhorn. He registered nine shutouts in the Antlers’ final 13 regular-season and district matches. The senior stopped three shots and watched another miss in a shootout win in the district semifinals to help Elkhorn reach state. Alex Stillinger Omaha South After he led the state in scoring as a junior, Stillinger’s goal numbers were slightly down, but in the first round at state his miracle score with five sec- onds left forced overtime and helped South reach the semifinals. He finished with 14 goals and six assists and is South’s all- time leading goal scorer. Jony Lara Schuyler Lara switched to midfielder from forward, where he had set Schuyler’s scoring record last year. And the results were evident. Lara ran the middle of the field for the Warriors, who reached the state finals. He still scored 12 goals and dished out 11 assists and helped teammate Victor Cruz lead the state in scoring. Kyle Nowka Lincoln East The Creighton recruit was again a standout despite not playing at 100 percent after an ACL injury in the fall. Nowka capped the Spartans’ 24-0 state championship season in 2010 with an overtime goal. He was a serious candidate for All-Nebraska captain honors. Hector Gutierrez Grand Island The spark behind Grand Island’s historic season, the senior led the state in assists with 18. His 11th and final goal of the season wasn’t bad, either. Gutierrez found the back of the net on a free kick in the last 10 seconds in the state semifinals as the Islanders beat Lincoln East and advanced to the championship match. Paige Nielsen Lincoln Southeast The North Carolina recruit finished a close second for All-Nebraska captain honors. Nielsen, a junior, led Class A in scoring with 23 goals and 17 assists as Southeast reached the state finals for the first time in school history. Mayme Conroy Omaha Skutt Last year’s All-Nebraska captain missed the first month of the season while recovering from an ACL injury. The Nebraska recruit came back strong, though, finishing with 16 goals and leading Skutt to its third straight Class B state title. Addison Nokels Omaha Burke The Iowa State recruit fol- lowed up a breakout junior season with 17 goals and nine assists as the Bulldogs reached the No. 1 ranking in the state dur- ing parts of the season. Nokels’ energy up front was a major reason. Elizabeth Bartels Omaha Skutt The next in a line of star scorers at Skutt, Bartels is attracting recruiting atten- tion from some of the top programs in the country. She scored 14 goals (in- cluding the match-winner in the state final) and added 14 assists during her sophomore season for the SkyHawks. Alyssa Flannery Millard North The junior was perhaps the top midfielder in the state, fueling a Millard North attack that featured two of the top 10 scorers in Class A. Flannery is a Nebraska recruit. Marquette Pick Millard North Pick and teammate Alyssa Flannery were the state’s top 1-2 combo in the mid- dle, a duo Millard North coach John Walsh called the “behind the scenes” heroes of the Mustangs’ state title run. The junior scored 10 goals. Jackie Tondl Omaha Marian A Texas A&M recruit, Tondl was widely regarded as the top defender in the state. Her offense wasn’t too bad, either. The junior was third on Marian’s team with 11 goals and also a major reason the Crusaders registered 15 shutouts. Jaylyn Odermann Millard North The junior led a Millard North defense that al- lowed just nine goals in 22 matches. A Nebraska recruit, Odermann helped the Mustangs notch 15 shutouts on the season. Ava Ambrose Omaha Marian The top scorer for the Crusaders finished with 27 goals and seven assists to tie for second in Class A as a junior. A Miami (Fla.) recruit, Ambrose will be one of the top returning threats in the state next season. TEAM CAPTAIN Logan Mendez Grand Island TEAM CAPTAIN Rachel Brennan Millard North BOYS GIRLS ALL-NEBRASKA SOCCER 2011 BY NICK RUBEK WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER Rachel Brennan and Logan Mendez have the same advice for defenders trying to slow them down. Get to work. “Don’t stop,” said Brennan, a sophomore star for Class A girls state champion Millard North. “If you stop, I’m going by you.” Mendez, the heart and soul of a Grand Island boys team that finished as the Class A runner-up, had a similar response. “I’ll outwork you,” the senior said. “If you go 100 yards, I’ll go 120. If you jump in the air, you can bet I’ll be waiting for you when you get down.” It’s that drive that helped them become two of the state’s elite. Today they are recognized as the honorary captains of the All-Nebraska soccer teams. Selections of teams and captains are based on observations by World-Herald staff writers and nominations from coaches. Brennan is the latest in a long line of stand- out forwards from a history-rich program. Already a Nebraska recruit, she provided a major scoring threat for the Class A champion Mustangs. She netted both of Millard North’s goals in the state title match, including the winner in overtime, to finish with 26 goals on the season. “She has a physical presence,” Millard North coach John Walsh said. “She’s a very athletic girl. Her speed, her ability to use her body to shield defenders off the ball, her abil- ity to create space for herself ... it’s all there.” She edged out Lincoln Southeast’s Paige Nielsen, a North Carolina recruit, for captain after her overtime heroics toppled Nielsen’s Knights in the state final. Brennan follows in the footsteps of Molly Thomas, another former Mustang. Thomas was the All-Nebraska captain as a senior on the 2008 Millard North state championship team. She now plays at Nebraska, Brennan’s future home. “When I was younger, I looked up to her,” Brennan said. “She was definitely a role model.” After Thomas graduated, it was Brittney Neumann who did much of the scoring. Neu- mann was the Missouri Valley Conference freshman of the year at Creighton. Now Brennan’s the lead Mustang. “We’ve sent quite a few girls on to the next level,” Walsh said, “but every once in awhile you get a kid that goes above and beyond. Goal scorers are born, not made. (Brennan) was born to score goals.” Mendez is just as much a natural. He played his best in big games. Against defending champion Lincoln East in the season opener, Mendez scored a goal seven seconds in, added another later in the half and was fouled to set up a penalty kick before halftime. “We walked into the locker room,” Grand Is- land coach Jeremy Jensen said, “I put my arm around him and I just kissed him on the head.” Mendez recently became the first player to sign with the University of Nebraska at Oma- ha’s new Division I men’s soccer team. Jensen said it’s a combination of skill and natural gifts that makes Mendez so tough. “I think it has to do with his explosive abil- ity,” Jensen said. “If I’m coaching against us, he would just scare me to death.” He scored both Islander goals in their win over Millard West in the first round of the state tournament — Grand Island’s first state tournament win in history. Mendez also gave Grand Island a first-half lead in the champi- onship match before Omaha Creighton Prep came back for the win. He fueled 19 straight victories before that loss, finishing with the most goals (28) in the state and most points (67) in Class A. “I felt like this was it,” Mendez said. “This was the year we were a family. This was the year we were G.I.” Jensen said the best may still be ahead for Mendez. If effort has anything to do with it, he has no doubt. “I just don’t know how anyone can work harder than Logan did,” Jensen said. “He’s just so dedicated to be the best. He is so driven to that goal. I don’t see how anyone can stand in his way.” Contact the writer: 402-850-0781, [email protected] twitter.com/nickrubek SWEAT, THEN NOTHING BUT NET MUSTANGS’ BRENNAN, ISLANDERS’ MENDEZ ARE HONORARY CAPTAINS MATT MILLER/THE WORLD-HERALD Grand Island senior Logan Mendez and Millard North sophomore Rachel Brennan, the honorary captains of the All-Nebraska soccer teams, are pictured at Creighton’s Morrison Stadium. Both players will play in college — Brennan has already committed to Nebraska and Mendez will play on the first team at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. ALL-METRO TEAM, PAGE 10C See who made the Omaha-World Herald’s All-Metro team. MORE SOCCER, PAGE 10C A complete list of the All-Nebraska honorable mention selections.
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OMAHA WOR LD - H E RA LD8C SU NDAY, MAY 2 9, 2 0 1 1 SU NDAY, MAY 2 9, 2 0 1 1 9C
ALL NEBRASKA FIRST TEAM
P Player School Yr.
GK David Watson Elkhorn Sr.
F Logan Mendez Grand Island Sr.
F Matt Pritchard Omaha Creighton Prep Jr.
F Mike Reckmeyer Lincoln East Sr.
F Tyree Kinning Columbus Sr.
F Alex Stillinger Omaha South Sr.
MF Jony Lara Schuyler Sr.
MF Kyle Nowka Lincoln East Sr.
MF Jake Linden Omaha Creighton Prep Sr.
MF Joe Marinkovich Omaha Creighton Prep Sr.
MF Hector Gutierrez Grand Island Sr.
Honorary captain: Mendez
SECOND TEAM
GK Mike Rilett Lincoln East So.
F Spencer Lindsay Kearney Jr.
F Tyler Ortlieb Gretna Sr.
F Logan Henning Gretna Sr.
F Victor Cruz Schuyler Sr.
MF Shane Davidson Lincoln Southwest Sr.
MF David Torres Grand Island Sr.
MF Ryan Lynch Omaha Skutt Jr.
D Jacob Quandt Lincoln Southwest Sr.
D Jose Castro Omaha South Sr.
D Taylor Valderaz Grand Island Jr.
CLASS A FIRST TEAM
GK Mike Rilett Lincoln East So.
F Logan Mendez Grand Island Sr.
F Matt Pritchard Omaha Creighton Prep Jr.
F Mike Reckmeyer Lincoln East Sr.
F Tyree Kinning Columbus Sr.
F Alex Stillinger Omaha South Sr.
MF Shane Davidson Lincoln Southwest Sr.
MF Kyle Nowka Lincoln East Sr.
MF Jake Linden Omaha Creighton Prep Sr.
MF Joe Marinkovich Omaha Creighton Prep Sr.
MF Hector Gutierrez Grand Island Sr.
SECOND TEAM Sr.
F Spencer Lindsay Kearney Jr.
MF David Torres Grand Island Sr.
MF Aaron Carman Millard South Sr.
MF Guillermo Ventura Omaha South Sr.
MF J.P. Pulverenti Millard North Sr.
MF Gustavo Olvera Columbus Sr.
D Paul Floersch Omaha Creighton Prep Sr.
D Jacob Quandt Lincoln Southwest Sr.
D Jose Castro Omaha South Sr.
D Taylor Valderaz Grand Island Jr.
CLASS B FIRST TEAM
GK David Watson Elkhorn Sr.
F Tyler Ortlieb Gretna Sr.
F Logan Henning Gretna Sr.
F Victor Cruz Schuyler Sr.
MF Vince Van Haute Elkhorn Mount Michael Sr.
MF Jony Lara Schuyler Sr.
MF Ryan Lynch Omaha Skutt Jr.
MF Rwendy Armendariz Hastings Sr.
D Gavin Sass Elkhorn Sr.
D Kade Hollendieck Gretna Jr.
D Humberto Tapia South Sioux City Jr.
Honorary captain: Watson
SECOND TEAM
GK Brian O’Neill Lincoln Pius X Sr.
F Jake Wise Elkhorn Sr.
F LaRoy Cobb Norris Sr.
F Easton Nelson Schuyler Jr.
F Kevin Soenksen Lincoln Lutheran Sr.
F Eduardo Gamboa South Sioux City So.
F Omar Abdullahi Lexington Jr.
MF Brock Fitzgerald Lincoln Pius X So.
MF Edwin Contreras Lexington Jr.
D Greg Shanahan Ralston Sr.
ALL NEBRASKA FIRST TEAM
P Player School Yr.
GK Jordan Cassalia Millard West So.
F Rachel Brennan Millard North So.
F Paige Nielsen Lincoln Southeast Jr.
F Mayme Conroy Omaha Skutt Sr.
F Addison Nokels Omaha Burke Sr.
F Ava Ambrose Omaha Marian Jr.
MF Elizabeth Bartels Omaha Skutt So.
MF Alyssa Flannery Millard North Jr.
MF Marquette Pick Millard North Jr.
D Jackie Tondl Omaha Marian Jr.
D Jaylyn Odermann Millard North Jr.
Honorary captain: Brennan
SECOND TEAM
GK Kylynn Moyer Millard North So.
F Hannah Wampler Lincoln Southeast Jr.
F Yari Estrada Omaha South Sr.
F Sara Cushing Papillion-La Vista South Jr.
F Sarah Woelfel Millard North Fr.
F Liz Sundberg Lincoln Southwest Sr.
MF Jourden Casey Omaha Westside Sr.
MF Caitlin Wills Millard West Sr.
MF Alissa Kohmetscher Lincoln Southeast Jr.
MF Rachael Bakey Omaha Burke, Sr.
D Jordan Chohon Columbus Scotus Jr.
CLASS A FIRST TEAM
GK Jordan Cassalia Millard West So.
F Rachel Brennan Millard North So.
F Paige Nielsen Lincoln Southeast Jr.
F Addison Nokels Omaha Burke Sr.
F Ava Ambrose Omaha Marian Jr.
F Hannah Wampler Lincoln Southeast Jr.
MF Alissa Kohmetscher Lincoln Southeast Jr.
MF Alyssa Flannery Millard North Jr.
MF Marquette Pick Millard North Jr.
D Jackie Tondl Omaha Marian Jr.
D Jaylyn Odermann Millard North Jr.
Honorary Captain: Brennan
SECOND TEAM
GK Kylynn Moyer Millard North So.
F Yari Estrada Omaha South Sr.
F Sara Cushing Papillion-La Vista South Jr.
F Liz Sundberg Lincoln Southwest Sr.
F Sarah Woelfel Millard North Fr.
F Jourden Casey Omaha Westside Sr.
MF Emily Nulty Omaha Marian Jr.
MF Caitlin Wills Millard West Sr.
MF Rachael Bakey Omaha Burke Sr.
MF Anna Sibson Millard West Sr.
D Caitlin Lewis Papillion-La Vista South So.
CLASS B FIRST TEAM
GK Jordan Thiem Elkhorn South Fr.
F Melissa Stine Platteview Sr.
F Mayme Conroy Omaha Skutt Sr.
F Elizabeth Bartels Omaha Skutt So.
F Brooke Martin Gretna Sr.
F Jordyn Wollenburg Gretna Jr.
F Kirsten Larson Holdrege Sr.
F Sam Areman Norris Sr.
MF Chloe Nabity Elkhorn Sr.
D Jordan Chohon Columbus Scotus Jr.
D Emily Roll Gretna So.
Honorary captain: Conroy
SECOND TEAM
G Sarah Warren Gretna Sr.
F Cierra Cjaden Waverly Sr.
F Danielle Anderson Elkhorn Jr.
F Kelsey Doerr Elkhorn South So.
F Kelsey Nealon Lincoln Pius X Sr.
F Ashtin Pawloski Hastings Sr.
MF Megan Kruse Gretna So.
MF Rachel Granville Platteview Sr.
MF Ali Graham Omaha Skutt Jr.
D Tessa Delaney Elkhorn Sr.
D Elle Banghart Elkhorn South So.
Jordan CassaliaMillard West
The keeper was a majorreason that West’s first 11wins were shutouts. Shefinished third in Class A ingoals per match average.Cassalia is garnering Divi-sion I attention already asa sophomore.
Matt PritchardOmaha Creighton Prep
The junior finished with 24goals and 58 points, bothgood for second in ClassA. An attacking threat,Pritchard gave the statechampion Junior Jays’talented midfield a finisherup front.
Mike ReckmeyerLincoln East
An Oregon State walk-on,Reckmeyer was the lead-ing scorer for a LincolnEast team that lost toonly one team all season(Grand Island). The seniorscored a pair of goals inthe first round of the statetournament to finish with21 on the season.
Tyree KinningColumbus
His physical presence wasthe difference for a Colum-bus team that reached thestate tournament. Kinningnetted 22 goals and sixassists, good for third inthe state in scoring. Hewill play at Midland nextseason.
Jake LindenOmaha Creighton Prep
Linden followed up asolid junior season with a14-goal, 13-assist seniorcampaign. The state’sGatorade player of theyear will play at Xavier nextseason.
Joe MarinkovichOmaha Creighton Prep
While Pritchard and Lindendid the scoring, Marin-kovich did the little thingsthat helped the Junior Jayswin the Class A crown.He’ll be a part of UNO’sfirst men’s soccer recruit-ing class next season.
David WatsonElkhorn
An active and athletickeeper, Watson was amajor eraser in theback for Elkhorn. Heregistered nine shutoutsin the Antlers’ final 13regular-season and districtmatches. The seniorstopped three shots andwatched another miss in ashootout win in the districtsemifinals to help Elkhornreach state.
Alex StillingerOmaha South
After he led the statein scoring as a junior,Stillinger’s goal numberswere slightly down, but inthe first round at state hismiracle score with five sec-onds left forced overtimeand helped South reachthe semifinals. He finishedwith 14 goals and sixassists and is South’s all-time leading goal scorer.
Jony LaraSchuyler
Lara switched to midfielderfrom forward, where hehad set Schuyler’s scoringrecord last year. And theresults were evident. Lararan the middle of thefield for the Warriors, whoreached the state finals.He still scored 12 goalsand dished out 11 assistsand helped teammateVictor Cruz lead the statein scoring.
Kyle NowkaLincoln East
The Creighton recruit wasagain a standout despitenot playing at 100 percentafter an ACL injury in thefall. Nowka capped theSpartans’ 24-0 statechampionship season in2010 with an overtimegoal. He was a seriouscandidate for All-Nebraskacaptain honors.
Hector GutierrezGrand Island
The spark behind GrandIsland’s historic season,the senior led the statein assists with 18. His11th and final goal of theseason wasn’t bad, either.Gutierrez found the backof the net on a free kickin the last 10 seconds inthe state semifinals asthe Islanders beat LincolnEast and advanced to thechampionship match.
Paige NielsenLincoln Southeast
The North Carolina recruitfinished a close secondfor All-Nebraska captainhonors. Nielsen, a junior,led Class A in scoring with23 goals and 17 assistsas Southeast reached thestate finals for the firsttime in school history.
Mayme ConroyOmaha Skutt
Last year’s All-Nebraskacaptain missed the firstmonth of the seasonwhile recovering from anACL injury. The Nebraskarecruit came back strong,though, finishing with 16goals and leading Skutt toits third straight Class Bstate title.
Addison NokelsOmaha Burke
The Iowa State recruit fol-lowed up a breakout juniorseason with 17 goalsand nine assists as theBulldogs reached the No.1 ranking in the state dur-ing parts of the season.Nokels’ energy up frontwas a major reason.
Elizabeth BartelsOmaha Skutt
The next in a line of starscorers at Skutt, Bartels isattracting recruiting atten-tion from some of the topprograms in the country.She scored 14 goals (in-cluding the match-winnerin the state final) andadded 14 assists duringher sophomore season forthe SkyHawks.
Alyssa FlanneryMillard North
The junior was perhapsthe top midfielder in thestate, fueling a MillardNorth attack that featuredtwo of the top 10 scorersin Class A. Flannery is aNebraska recruit.
Marquette PickMillard North
Pick and teammate AlyssaFlannery were the state’stop 1-2 combo in the mid-dle, a duo Millard Northcoach John Walsh calledthe “behind the scenes”heroes of the Mustangs’state title run. The juniorscored 10 goals.
Jackie TondlOmaha Marian
A Texas A&M recruit, Tondlwas widely regarded asthe top defender in thestate. Her offense wasn’ttoo bad, either. The juniorwas third on Marian’steam with 11 goals andalso a major reason theCrusaders registered 15shutouts.
Jaylyn OdermannMillard North
The junior led a MillardNorth defense that al-lowed just nine goals in22 matches. A Nebraskarecruit, Odermann helpedthe Mustangs notch 15shutouts on the season.
Ava AmbroseOmaha Marian
The top scorer for theCrusaders finished with 27goals and seven assists totie for second in Class Aas a junior. A Miami (Fla.)recruit, Ambrose will beone of the top returningthreats in the state nextseason.
TEAM CAPTAIN
Logan MendezGrand Island
TEAM CAPTAIN
Rachel BrennanMillard North
BOYS GIRLS
ALL-NEBRASKA SOCCER 2011
BY NICK RUBEK
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
Rachel Brennan and Logan Mendez have thesame advice for defenders trying to slow themdown.
Get to work.“Don’t stop,” said Brennan, a sophomore
star for Class A girls state champion MillardNorth. “If you stop, I’m going by you.”
Mendez, the heart and soul of a GrandIsland boys team that finished as the Class Arunner-up, had a similar response.
“I’ll outwork you,” the senior said. “If yougo 100 yards, I’ll go 120. If you jump in the air,you can bet I’ll be waiting for you when youget down.”
It’s that drive that helped them become twoof the state’s elite. Today they are recognizedas the honorary captains of the All-Nebraskasoccer teams. Selections of teams and captainsare based on observations by World-Heraldstaff writers and nominations from coaches.
Brennan is the latest in a long line of stand-out forwards from a history-rich program.Already a Nebraska recruit, she provided amajor scoring threat for the Class A championMustangs. She netted both of Millard North’sgoals in the state title match, including thewinner in overtime, to finish with 26 goals onthe season.
“She has a physical presence,” MillardNorth coach John Walsh said. “She’s a very
athletic girl. Her speed, her ability to use herbody to shield defenders off the ball, her abil-ity to create space for herself ... it’s all there.”
She edged out Lincoln Southeast’s PaigeNielsen, a North Carolina recruit, for captainafter her overtime heroics toppled Nielsen’sKnights in the state final.
Brennan follows in the footsteps of MollyThomas, another former Mustang. Thomaswas the All-Nebraska captain as a senior onthe 2008 Millard North state championshipteam. She now plays at Nebraska, Brennan’sfuture home.
“When I was younger, I looked up to her,”Brennan said. “She was definitely a rolemodel.”
After Thomas graduated, it was BrittneyNeumann who did much of the scoring. Neu-mann was the Missouri Valley Conferencefreshman of the year at Creighton.
Now Brennan’s the lead Mustang.“We’ve sent quite a few girls on to the next
level,” Walsh said, “but every once in awhileyou get a kid that goes above and beyond. Goalscorers are born, not made. (Brennan) wasborn to score goals.”
Mendez is just as much a natural. He playedhis best in big games. Against defendingchampion Lincoln East in the season opener,Mendez scored a goal seven seconds in, addedanother later in the half and was fouled to setup a penalty kick before halftime.
“We walked into the locker room,” Grand Is-
land coach Jeremy Jensen said, “I put my armaround him and I just kissed him on the head.”
Mendez recently became the first player tosign with the University of Nebraska at Oma-ha’s new Division I men’s soccer team. Jensensaid it’s a combination of skill and natural giftsthat makes Mendez so tough.
“I think it has to do with his explosive abil-ity,” Jensen said. “If I’m coaching against us,he would just scare me to death.”
He scored both Islander goals in their winover Millard West in the first round of thestate tournament — Grand Island’s first statetournament win in history. Mendez also gaveGrand Island a first-half lead in the champi-onship match before Omaha Creighton Prepcame back for the win.
He fueled 19 straight victories before thatloss, finishing with the most goals (28) in thestate and most points (67) in Class A.
“I felt like this was it,” Mendez said. “Thiswas the year we were a family. This was theyear we were G.I.”
Jensen said the best may still be ahead forMendez. If effort has anything to do with it, hehas no doubt.
“I just don’t know how anyone can workharder than Logan did,” Jensen said. “He’s justso dedicated to be the best. He is so driven tothat goal. I don’t see how anyone can stand inhis way.”Contact the writer:402-850-0781, [email protected]/nickrubek
SWEAT,THEN NOTHING
BUTNETMUSTANGS’ BRENNAN, ISLANDERS’MENDEZ ARE HONORARY CAPTAINS
MATT M I L LER / THE WORLD -HERA LD
Grand Island senior Logan Mendez and Millard North sophomore Rachel Brennan, the honorary captains of the All-Nebraska soccer teams, are pictured at Creighton’s Morrison Stadium. Both players will play in college — Brennan has already committed to Nebraska and Mendez will play on the first team at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
ALL-METRO TEAM, PAGE 10C
See who made the Omaha-World Herald’sAll-Metro team.
MORE SOCCER, PAGE 10C
A complete list of the All-Nebraska honorablemention selections.
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