1996 All-Carroll County soccer teams

All-Carroll County boys soccer team

Player of the Year: Tony Reightler, North Carroll

Coach of the Year: Ed DeVincent, Liberty

FIRST TEAM

Name ............. School ............. Year ...... Position

Tim Chairs ....... Liberty ............ Junior .... Midfield

Jamison Combs .... Liberty ............ Senior .... Midfield

Jason Diehl ...... Francis Scott Key .. Senior .... Defense

Mark Ensor ....... South Carroll ...... Senior .... Midfield

Eric Ford ........ North Carroll ...... Junior .... Forward

Brian Gehle ...... South Carroll ...... Junior .... Midfield

Doug Johnson ..... Francis Scott Key .. Senior .... Forward

Justin Malbrough.. North Carroll ...... Senior .... Goalkeeper

Tony Reightler ... North Carroll ...... Senior .... Forward

John Silva ....... Liberty ............ Senior .... Goalkeeper

Adam Straskulic .. Westminster ........ Senior .... Defense

Craig Wentz ...... Liberty ............ Senior .... Defense

SECOND TEAM

Mike Amoss ....... South Carroll ...... Senior ..... Goalkeeper

Jamey Ayers ...... North Carroll ...... Sophomore .. Midfield

Clint Brownley ... Francis Scott Key .. Senior ..... Defense

Zack Cox ......... Liberty ............ Senior ..... Defense

Billy Kemp ....... Francis Scott Key .. Senior ..... Forward

Rob Lee .......... Liberty ............ Senior ..... Forward

Tom Long ......... Francis Scott Key .. Senior ..... Midfield

Cory O'Hara ...... Westminster ........ Senior ..... Defense

Ben Stoltenberg .. Liberty ............ Senior ..... Forward

Keith Sullivan ... Liberty ............ Senior ..... Midfield

Chris Wineke ..... North Carroll ...... Sophomore .. Defense

Matt Yinger ...... Francis Scott Key .. Junior ..... Midfield

Honorable mention: Andy Hummel, Francis Scott Key; Mike Ore, South Carroll; Mike Merker, Westminster.

Player of the Year

Tony Reightler, North Carroll, senior, forward: It has been quite some time since Carroll County has seen such an explosive scorer as Reightler, who finished with 20 goals and seven assists despite receiving constant attention from opposing defenses.

With six sophomores starting, coach Denny Snyder counted on Reightler's senior leadership as much as his scoring prowess. Reightler provided both, and the Panthers finished the season 9-4-2.

Everything the Panthers tried to do offensively centered around Reightler. His hard work without the ball got it started, and when he did collect the ball, he was able to recognize double teams and distribute or, more times than not, turn and finish.

"Soccer is a creative sport, and anyone who understands the game can appreciate his skills -- he's truly amazing," Snyder said earlier in the season.

Reightler was at his best in his last high-school game, scoring both Panthers goals in a 4-2 loss to Montgomery County power Walter Johnson in the region semifinals.

Coach of the Year

Ed DeVincent, Liberty: After spending the previous five seasons coaching the Lions JV team, DeVincent made a smooth adjustment to the varsity, and it showed with the team's performance.

He recognized the talent returning and didn't feel the need to change much from what former coach Lee Kestler had instilled in the group. "On Day 1, I talked to my players, and all I asked of them was to try to become a little better with every practice and become better as a team with every game," DeVincent said.

They did. The Lions went 10-2-2 overall, winning the county (4-0-1) and finishing second (4-1-1) in the Central Maryland Conference to Linganore.

A solid region playoff run ended with a disappointing 4-3 shootout loss at Linganore.

With a veteran group led by seniors midfielder Jamison Combs, sweeper Craig Wentz, goalkeeper John Silva and junior midfielder Tim Chairs, DeVincent felt that if his squad could keep games close in the last 15 minutes, that experience would take over. The Lions won six one-goal games.

The first team

Tim Chairs, Liberty, junior, midfield: The repeat first-teamer turned it up a notch in the season's second half to help lead the Lions to a county championship and into the region final game. He was at his best in the big games. With the county title up for grabs against North Carroll, Chairs scored three times -- including the game-winner in overtime to give the Lions a 4-3 win.

Jamison Combs, Liberty, senior, midfield: One of the county's most complete players, Combs did a lot of everything to control the Lions midfield. His ball touch was most recognizable, but he also was a standout defensively and a field leader. He scored two goals and added four assists. The Lions, 9-1-2 in the regular season, were 2-1-1 when he missed four games. Combs was an All-County selection the past three years.