Messenger file photo by Chris McCarthy
By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor
It’s been quite a successful run over the past two seasons for the Westbrook Christian girls soccer team.
The 2022 Lady Warriors went 19-4 on the way to a berth in the Final Four, while this year’s team made it back to the state semifinals in Huntsville.
Two constants during that span were forward Ella Keene (pictured above) and her dad Jody, who happens to be the team’s head coach.
Ella, who signed a soccer scholarship with Johnson University earlier this year, is the Player of the Year for the 2023 All-Greater Gadsden area girls soccer team.
Jody took Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Lady Warriors to a 16-5-1 record, an area championship and the designation of finishing as the third-best team in Class 4A.
First team
Ella Keene, Westbrook, senior forward
Holly Swafford, Gadsden City, senior striker
Madison Ashley, Southside, sophomore defender
Ellie Ginn, Glencoe, senior forward
Maggie Rebarchik, Etowah, senior defender/midfielder
Anna Klaire Ashley, Gadsden City, junior defender
Aislyn Godfrey, Westbrook, senior defender
Kinsey Carter, Southside, sophomore center midfielder
Kaitlyn Ponder, Glencoe, senior midfielder
Sarah Guffey, Westbrook, senior midfielder
Anna Kate Welch, Southside, senior goalkeeper
Second team
Brooke Jackson, Gadsden City, junior defender
Maddy Sprinkle, Southside, sophomore defender
Allie Blevins, Westbrook, senior defender
Merari Velasquez, Etowah, junior forward
Kinlee Montgomery, Glencoe, eighth grade defender
Anna Kilgo, Westbrook, senior defender
Leah Lewis, Southside, freshman center midfielder
Mikenlee Brooks, Gadsden City, senior midfielder
Caylee Gonzalez, Ashville, freshman forward
Kali Kueny, Glencoe, sophomore
Third team
Margaret Stacy, Gadsden City, junior defender
Mikiyah Underwood, Westbrook, senior midfielder
Ava Hardman, Southside, freshman defender
Viviana Cantellano, Etowah, sophomore forward
Miriam Rasool, Gadsden City, freshman defender
Sarah Ponder, Glencoe, eighth grader
Sadie Brannon, Etowah, freshman forward
Aida Massenburg, Glencoe, senior