HCPSSHCPSS Students Receive 2023 Spirit of Soccer Awards
February 26th, 2024
Congratulations to the six HCPSS students who recently were honored with 2023 Spirit of Soccer Awards by the Maryland Association of Coaches of Soccer. The awards are given to individuals who play soccer for the Baltimore and Howard County Allied Programs and who exhibit positive sportsmanship behaviors and leadership abilities while participating in the programs. The HCPSS winners include:
- Zachary Agnant, River Hill High School
- Ramsey Jenkins, Wilde Lake High School
- Andrew Kim, Atholton High School
- Jack Pippenger, Atholton High School
- Phillip Swenson, River Hill High School
- Ross Yarrish, Wilde Lake High School
Kelly Broyles coaches allied soccer at Wilde Lake High School and nominated Jenkins and Yarrish for this year’s Spirit of Soccer award. She says both students exhibit a positive attitude during practice and at games, consistently put forth their best effort, and help their peers.
Broyles describes Ramsey as “a very hard-working soccer player [who] lights up the field on both offense and defense and always has a positive attitude.”
Broyles touts Yarrish’s speed and notes that he “dominates on offense on the soccer field with his feet of fury to score goals.” She adds that Yarrish is always very helpful to his teammates and is a great cheerleader.
Mona Weinberg is Kim and Pippenger’s allied soccer coach. Weinberg says she nominated Kim for the Spirit of Soccer award because of his determination and his efforts to lead his team in competitions. Kim also leads the RHHS team in goals and assists.
Weinberg describes Pippenger as “the team motivator.”
“He is always encouraging our team to do their best,” she says. “He leads our team cheers and always shows great sportsmanship during games.”
Stephanie Stoutenborough coaches Agnant and Swenson for the River Hill High School team. “Phillip and Zach were the heart and soul of our team this season,” she says. “Between the two of them, they had the majority of our goals and assists this fall. Zach played with speed and confidence and always tried to get his teammates involved. Phillip used his strength and played with heart, getting just as excited for his teammates as he did for himself.”
Stoutenborough adds that for Agnant and Swenson, allied soccer is not just all about scoring goals or winning. “They just love being out on the field playing games and being a part of a team,” she says. “They love having their peers come out to our games and cheering them on. The best part about coaching them was their positive attitudes, the excitement they showed on the field and their huge smiles after each game.”