Player of the year
M/F Shaddy Douidar, Sr., Tampa Prep
Why we picked him: An inconspicuous midfield distributor as an underclassman, Douidar enjoyed one of the most astounding breakthrough seasons of any local player in recent memory. A setup guy for 2012 Class A Player of the Year Jordan Hayes, Douidar slid to the center-midfield spot this past winter and evolved from feeder to finisher, tallying a team-high 31 goals along with eight assists. “(Hayes) was our main goal scorer and put a goal in whenever we needed it,” said Douidar, who totaled four goals and 15 assists as a junior. “This year with him gone I felt I had to score more, and playing center-mid and forward helped a lot because … I was involved in the attack a lot.” His final goal — a long second-half free kick on wet FieldTurf that drew out the keeper (with some decoy help from defender Macsen Pritchard) and slipped into the left side of the net. It was all the Terrapins would need for a 1-0 win against North Miami Beach’s Scheck Hillel Community in the Class A final. Two weeks later, he was named Tampa Prep’s first recipient of the state’s Mr. Soccer award.
Proudest accomplishment: Douidar points to his decisive overtime goal in a 2-1 state semifinal victory against Orangewood Christian on the Terps’ campus. Three minutes into the extra time, teammate Michael Spezza sent a long pass to Douidar that nicked off a defender’s head right into Douidar’s path. “I was at like, the corner of the (penalty box),” he recalled. “I just dribbled basically in a straight line, did a little move and cut to the left. I guess a little outside the corner of the 6-yard box, I hit it with my left and it went in the near post.” To this day, Terps coach Doug Smith doesn’t know how Douidar got the angle for the shot.
Future plans: An honor student with a 3.7 unweighted GPA, Douidar is exploring the chances of walking on at a prominent Division I program. Reigning national champ Indiana is a possibility, as are Michigan and North Carolina. The son of a pediatrician and USF civil engineering professor, he says he’d like to study business or engineering in college.
Did you know? Shaddy is his real name. The son of Egyptian-born parents, his full name is Shaddy Samir Douidar. … He earned a 1420 on the SAT and never has received less than a B on a report card. … Though he acknowledges it “kind of sounds nerdy,” math is by far his favorite subject. “I’ve always been ahead in math, I guess, in my grade,” he said. “Everything else is just, get work done with. But when I do math I actually enjoy it.”
First team
F Jason Collister, Sr., Steinbrenner: State’s Class 4A player of the year scored school-record 28 goals
F Eric Mubang, Jr., Jesuit: Scored five of his team-best 22 goals in district tournament
F Ajay Sequeira, Sr., Newsome: Scored 27 goals for playoff team despite missing seven games with injury
F Luis Zapata, Sr., Plant: His 16 goals included hat trick in a 5A region quarterfinals win
M Daniel Felman, Jr., Berkeley Prep: Top scorer (22 goals, 14 assists) for 2A state semifinalist
M Ethan Saleh, Sr., Jesuit: QB of Tigers’ attack had three goals, two assists in district tourney
M Michael Spezza, Jr., Tampa Prep: Center-mid stalwart had 15 goals, nine assists
M Enrique Barboto, Sr., Steinbrenner: Warriors’ veteran center-mid had 15 goals, nine assists
D Macsen Pritchard, Sr., Tampa Prep: UNC-Wilmington signee had nine goals, nine assists from back
D Jack Schlandt, Sr, Newsome: Wolves’ team MVP managed 10 goals from stopper position
D Justin Santos, Sr., Gaither: Cowboys veteran was two-time first-team all-Western Conference
GK Christian Knight, Jr., Steinbrenner: Posted 0.86 GAA over 14 games for Class 4A runnerup
Second team
F Mazeed Aro-Lambo, Sr., Strawberry Crest
F Austin Labban, Jr., Steinbrenner
F Mauricio Delgado, Sr., Sickles
F Kris Ospina, Jr., Lennard
M Andrew Samuels, So., Tampa Prep
M Luis Amaya, Sr., Leto
M Tyler Sacone, Sr., Berkeley Prep
M Thiago Silveira, Sr., Sickles
D Ian Gutierrez, Jr., Jesuit
D Oscar Skjaerpe, Jr., Tampa Prep
D Connor Castro, Sr., Berkeley Prep
GK Keenan Kushner, Sr., Wharton
Honorable mention
Alonso: Zac Cinko; Armwood: Miguel Tolentino; Berkeley Prep: Quinton Kauchick; Brandon: Patrick Feehan; Cambridge Christian: Luke Castellucci, Levi Gilcrease, Taylor Mitchell; Carrollwood Day: John Frost; East Bay: Kyle Morgan; Freedom: Jett Wright; Gaither: Tyler Helm; Hillsborough: Andrew Miller, Mah Szabo; Jefferson: Felipe Herrera; Jesuit: Anthony Bellini, Andy Mahoney, Jacob Starnes, Jacob Vila; King: Micah Friedman, Joshua Kartheiser, John Kyle Smith, Lucmakson Zamor; Lennard: Daniel Garron, Emmanuel Zamudio; Leto: Alfredo Aparicio, Juan Mejia; Middleton: Arnold Mungia; Newsome: Wes Gusman, Riley McChesney, Jacob Vanderluit; Plant: Andrew Berecz, Tyler Rorrer, Zach Thompson; Plant City: Gerson Herrera, Edgar Morales; Riverview: Tunde Balogun, Marc Lozada; Sickles: Ryan Cooper, Carlos Sifontes; Spoto: Alex Eismann, Julio Salcedo; Steinbrenner: Derek Gebhard, Noah Keene; Strawberry Crest: Nicholas Kubecka, Aldair Moralez-Sanchez, Noah Shaffer; Tampa Catholic: Mac Armatas, Bryson Boylan, Shane McCarron, Corey Smolarick; Tampa Prep: Nick Brabant, Harrison Horton; Wharton: Philippe Patino
Coach of the Year
Doug Smith, Tampa Prep. Smith, who just may retire this award, led the Terrapins to their third state title in four seasons, and sixth in nine years. His decision to move Douidar to the center — where he evolved from distributor to scoring dynamo — seems brilliant in hindsight, as do his backfield adjustments when defensive star Oscar Skjaerpe was lost to a foot injury in early February.
Girls Player of the Year
Caroline Bado, Sr., Plant
Why we picked her: Though she’s no longer a high-scoring forward, Bado left her imprint all over the pitch for Plant this winter. Bado was the virtual heart and soul of the Panthers, leading them to 17 wins in 20 games and controlling games from a number of positions. She started her high school career as Plant’s leading scorer (14 goals as a freshman) and later evolved into a player capable of handling the dirty — and much-less glamorous — work of defender and midfielder. Bado’s efforts were pivotal in a district flush with talented scorers, and she even managed to supply a little offense with five goals and eight assists. When coach Pam Smith moved her up top for Senior Night against Freedom, Bado responded with three goals in a little fewer than 10 minutes. “Bado is the complete package,” Smith said.
Proudest accomplishment: With no hesitation, Bado pointed to winning the district title in January after the Panthers failed to advance to the region tournament the previous two seasons. In the semifinal against Bloomingdale, Bado scored the winning goal in overtime to clinch a playoff spot. Plant went on to defeat Newsome 2-0 in the district final. “In the past two years we should have made it (to the region tournament),” she said. “So this year my mind-set was, no matter what, I was going to do everything in my power to make sure we got through districts.”
Future plans: After living in the same city — even the same house — the past 18 years, Bado is eager to move about an hour and a half away to the University of Central Florida. She has been committed to the Knights for about a year now. “Out of all the schools recruiting me, UCF had probably the highest caliber of play,” Bado said. “I just wanted the chance to actually play and compete at a high level.” Bado is also interested in studying international relations, a career path that could lead to an almost endless variety of jobs around the globe. “I’m not going to sit in a cubicle,” she said. “I’m just ready to go out and ready to explore.”
Did you know? A self-described “tomboy,” Bado said her mother nonetheless tried to steer her toward activities other than sports. When she was 4, Bado begrudgingly attended dance classes for almost a year before refusing to dress up in a tutu for a recital. “I pitched a fit,” Bado said. Her mother ended the standoff by agreeing to buy little Caroline a baseball bat and ball if she agreed to slip on the tutu. Caroline got her gift once the recital was over. From that point forward, Bado said, her mother relented and signed her up for a number of sports, including T-ball, basketball, flag football and, of course, soccer. Later, Bado said sports gave her an escape as she tried to overcome a learning disability, diagnosed as an auditory processing disorder. Essentially, those affected by the disorder are unable to process information they hear in the way others do, which creates difficulty in recognizing and interpreting sounds. Bado has learned to manage the disorder, including receiving more time to complete exams and taking honors courses instead of AP classes. “School was never my forte,” she said. “Sports is the escape for me to enjoy myself. It’d have been kind of hard for me to go to school without sports.”
First team
F Alexis Bredeau, Sr., Steinbrenner: The North Florida signee led the county with 34 goals in addition to 19 assists. She leaves Steinbrenner as the all-time leading scorer in program history.
F Ericka Lott, Jr., Plant City: Led the Raiders with 24 goals and added seven assists. Her efforts pushed Plant City to its first region final appearance.
F Abby Sanchez, Jr., Plant: Top scorer for the county’s best team, notching 14 goals and nine assists.
F Alexandra Daley, Jr., Tampa Prep: Replaced some of the offense lost with the graduation of last year’s Player of the Year Colby Maffei, leading the Terrapins with 20 goals.
M Elysie Fontecchio, Sr., Bloomingdale: A North Florida signee, Fontecchio scored 19 goals while moving seamlessly between midfielder and forward.
M Danielle Eule, Jr., Steinbrenner: East Carolina recruit had 14 goals and 10 assists for the District 4A-8 runnerup.
M Emily Jones, Sr., Newsome: Played all over the field for the Wolves, scoring 19 goals and adding 14 assists. She’ll be going to the University of Tampa in the fall.
M Kaylnne Heyer, Sr., East Bay: Was a versatile force for the Indians, tallying 19 goals and 14 assists.
D Karli Gutsche, So., Newsome: The UCF commit is one of the state’s top prospects and gave the Wolves an imposing and physical presence all over the field.
D Ruth Seleznick, Sr., Robinson: The Rice signee led the Knights to their second straight district championship, fortifying the defense and even scoring eight goals and five assists.
D Amber Coca, Sr., Bloomingdale: Anchored the Bulls’ smothering defense with twin sister Brittany and also pitched in on offense. She’s going to Wagner College in New York.
GK Kara Looby, Sr., Plant: A Georgia signee, Looby notched 12 shutouts against one of the area’s toughest schedules, which included Newsome, Wharton and Bloomingdale.
Coach of the Year
Pam Smith, Plant. In her second year at Plant, Smith seems on the verge of creating the sort of powerhouse she did at Tampa Prep. The Panthers rebounded strongly this winter after missing the previous two region tournaments. Plant proved itself to be the county’s best team, winning the championship of the most-competitive district — 5A-7 — and going undefeated against a lineup of Hillsborough opponents that included Newsome, Wharton, Bloomingdale and Class 4A region finalist Plant City.
Second team
F Lindsey Eaton, Fr., Newsome
F Leah Chisolm, Sr., Wharton
F Darla Harrison, So., Tampa Prep
F Ashni Deschenes, Sr., Wharton
M Christina Gutierrez, Jr., Plant City
M Nastasia Asgedom, Jr., Plant
D Kellee Brown, Sr., Plant City
D Brittany Coca, Sr., Bloomingdale
D Taylor McNeff, Fr., Newsome
D Miranda Gonzalez, Jr., Steinbrenner
GK Taylor Michael, So., Plant City
Honorable mention
Academy of the Holy Names: Julia Lester; Alonso: Erin Brezinski, Lauren Mullen, Julia McKnight; Berkeley Prep: Lexi Ludy; Bloomingdale: Annie Barrett, Sydney Ross; Carrollwood Day: Alex Schweitzer; Durant: Jessica McClernan; East Bay: Erika Brown, Michelle Rodriguez, Tiffany Thompson; Freedom: Carly Curry, Ali Diioia, Dana Jones, Hanna Seybold; Gaither: Amanda High, Hayley Knowles, Samantha Knowles; Hillsborough: Ashton Davis, Cafie Elko, Jessi Shelton; King: Jamie Craig, Maria-Ines Van Olphen; Lennard: Sandra Rico; Leto: Trinh Doan, Gabriella Rivera; Middleton: Cassie Madden, Christine Perrella, Gabi Treio; Newsome: Shayna Zajac; Plant: Charlsey Greiwe, Jayne Hagan; Riverview: Maleika Brown, Halie Goodall; Robinson: Caroline King, Hayden Jennewein, Sam Ishee; Sickles: Brianna Hanson, Jada Humphries; Steinbrenner: Miranda Gonzalez, Megan Haraschak, Marley Opila; Strawberry Crest: Sarah Bergkvist, Mariah Echevarria, Stephanie Guerra; Tampa Bay Tech: Mellisa Darquea, Whidney Desormo, Hannah Snyder; Tampa Catholic: Gracie Zas; Tampa Prep: Abby Bravo, Hailie Lower, Bishop Weaver; Wharton: Casey Ferguson, Sam Lawrence
Joey Knight and Joel Anderson, Times staff writers