Walsh Jesuit senior midfielder Sandra Yu has been named the Gatorade Ohio Girls Soccer Player of the Year for the second season in a row.
Yu is now a finalist for the national award, which will be announced in May.
Yu, a 5-foot-8 University of Notre Dame recruit, led Walsh to a 22-0-2 record and the Division II state championship in 2012. She scored 16 goals and had 20 assists as a senior, including a goal and an assist in a 5-0 victory over Columbus St. Francis DeSales in the state final.
The award recognizes excellence in athletics, academics and character.
Yu has a 4.19 grade-point average and has volunteered at assisted living facilities, with the Salvation Army and as a youth soccer mentor and coach.
“Sandra has all the tools,” Canfield coach Phil Simone said. “Her first touch, knowing what she is going to do with the ball before she receives it, speed of play, vision, skill level and pure athleticism put her far and above any player I saw this year.”
Yu was also named the 2012 Ohio Soccer Coaches Association Miss Soccer. She is a member of the U.S. Soccer Under-18 Women’s National Team pool, and concluded her Walsh career with 52 goals and 50 assists for coach Dino McIntyre.
Hoover skates to title
The North Canton Hoover hockey team won the Baron Cup III championship this season with a 4-3 overtime win against Mayfield on Sunday in Brooklyn.
This is the first time Hoover (25-7) has won the title in the Greater Cleveland High School Hockey League and the first time the school has reached the title game.
“We are a team,” Hoover coach Geoff Bishop said. “We don’t just rely on one player. We rely on every player. We go out of our way to not celebrate the individual. We are all about the team. I have talked to them for three years about playing as a team.”
Hoover also was the Blue West Division regular-season co-champions with Midview with a 13-2 league record. The Vikings outscored their league opponents 103-45.
Vikings senior center Brad Harcourt finished as the scoring champ for the Blue Division with 38 goals and 21 assists.
“Brad is the No. 1 point generator in all of the Blue Division,” Bishop said.
Harcourt earned first-team all-league honors. Senior defenseman John Desrosiers was a second-team all-star selection.
Sophomore right wing Dylan Oney (17 goals and 25 assists) and sophomore left wing Zach Lawson (14 goals and 24 assists) are also key to the Vikings offense.
Junior defender Spencer Mackert also starts consistently. Bishop said seniors Kirk Greenho and Korey Davis share the goaltender duties.
Michael Beaven can be reached at 330-996-3829 or mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the high school blog at http://www.ohio.com/preps. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MBeavenABJ and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/sports.abj.
