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Last Updated April 22, 2009 |
| The original article with the All-State Lists can be found online here. |
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2008
Birmingham News Published on July 8th, 2008
2008 All-State Boys Soccer First Team Player – School – Grade - Comment Forwards
Midfielders
Defenders
Goalkeepers
State Player of the Year: Chandler Hoffman, Oak Mountain State Coach of the Year: David DiPiazza, John Carroll
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2008 All-State Boys Soccer Second Team Player – School – Grade - Comment Forwards
Midfielders
Defenders
Goalkeepers
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2008 All-State Boys Soccer Honorable Mention Player – School – Grade - Comment Forwards
Midfielders
Defenders
Goalkeepers
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2008
Birmingham News |
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2008 All-State Girls Soccer First Team Player – School – Grade - Comment Forwards
Midfielders
Defenders
Goal keepers
State Player of the Year : Bonny Lepley Mountain Brook State Coach of the Year : Scott Flowers Mountain Brook
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2008 All-State Girls Soccer Second Team Player – School – Grade - Comment Forwards
Midfielders
Defenders
Goal keepers
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2008 All-State Girls Soccer Honorable Mention Player – School – Grade - Comment Forwards
Midfielders
Defenders
Goal keepers
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Hoffman, Lepley snag top honors on Birmingham News 2008 All-State Soccer Teams
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
by JEFF SENTELL
Birmingham News Staff WriterThe original article is on-line here.
Oak Mountain striker Chandler Hoffman, who got twice as many votes as any other player in the state for the 2008 Birmingham News Soccer Player of the Year Award, made an oral commitment to play soccer at UCLA last week.
Advocates of the rising senior believe he brings his own brand of Earvin Johnson’s "Showtime" to the field.
"The traditional thought is there has been a failing in the American game to develop the player who has a bit of magic around the goal," Indian Springs coach Rik Tozzi said. "Chandler combines very strong skill with the unusual asset of a natural left foot with a bit of magic around the goal."
He chose the Bruins over offers from Maryland and Wake Forest. Hoffman said their offer was approximately 85 percent of a full scholarship. That’s an astounding figure for a soccer player, especially one from Alabama.
"I wanted to go somewhere with big-time athletics all around," he said. "That’s what the schools I considered had. The UCLA campus is incredible. Their Hall of Fame has like 103 national championship trophies across all sports. That and talking to their players made UCLA seem like the place I wanted to be."
His UCLA status is an underdog story. Or at least one of progress.
"Coming from Alabama is in some way hindering," said Hoffman, who was one of three all-state selections from Oak Mountain. "These three programs I was looking at were schools where nobody from Alabama has ever gone there to play."
Hoffman scored 34 goals and chipped in 11 assists to lead his team to a repeat state title.
"The night before a game I’m getting rest and eating what I need to," he said. "I follow my own preparation routine. I watch videos of my favorite athletes to get into the right mind-set to compete. For me, it’s more of a daily walk with soccer. I don’t just show up and play."
The 6-foot forward weighs 145 pounds. He hopes to bulk up to 160 pounds next year.
"I’ve put the work in," he said. "This didn’t happen overnight and I wasn’t born with it. People think good things just happen to people. What I’ve done in soccer is not because of luck, it’s because I’ve worked."
Mountain Brook’s Bonny Lepley took The News’ Alabama Girls Player of the Year Award. The graduated senior is taking her skilled feet to South Carolina.
Her strong all-around season included 34 goals, 12 assists and an incredible turn guarding the Mountain Brook goal. Lepley put on the keeper’s jersey and stopped two penalty kicks in a tie-break semifinal win against a stout Spain Park team.
"I love this for Bonny because she carried our team in so many ways and devotes her life to soccer," said Mountain Brook girls coach Scott Flowers, who was voted Alabama Girls Coach of the Year. "She coaches youth soccer. She is a great artist and an overall fantastic person."
John Carroll Catholic coach David DiPiazza took The News’ boys state coaching honor after his team finished with a 26-2-2 mark. Although it was the school’s eighth state soccer championship, his club won the first title at the school since 2000.
His team placed a state-high four players on The News’ all-state squad, which was selected by The News’ prep staff based on observations by the prep staff and nominations from state coaches. Briarwood Christian and Vestavia Hills also placed four players on the team. Grissom, Spain Park, Indian Springs and Prattville were each represented by three team members.
Vestavia Hills led all schools by placing five of its girls on the team. Decatur, Grissom, Mountain Brook and Spain Park had four players each named to the squad.
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