PLAYER OF THE YEAR
CHRIS AGORSOR
McDonogh, forward
Agorsor entered the season viewed by many as the top high school soccer player in the nation, and he did not disappoint.
Despite appearing in only 15 of McDonogh's 24 games because of a hip injury,Agorsor still scored 24 goals and had eight assists. He also scored a goal in McDonogh's 3-0 victory over Archbishop Curley in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference championship game.
Set to graduate a year early, he totaled 50 goals and 19 assists in a career that spanned two and a half seasons.Agorsor,who has a 3.9 grade point average, was routinely double-teamed by his opponents' best defenders, but he still managed to be the most potent player on the field. He was also a first-team All-Metro pick last season.
Agorsor decided to finish high school in three years because he has the opportunity to pursue a professional career overseas.He has received professional offers from Newcastle United,Queens Park Rangers and Tottenham Hotspur from England; Ajax and PSV Eindhoven from Holland; Sevilla from Spain; Partizan Belgrade from Serbia; and Juventus from Italy, according to McDonogh coach Steve Nichols.
Agorsor has earned time with both the United States Under-18 and Under-20 National Teams this year. He had an assist for the Under-18 men in a 3-1 loss to Turkey in October.
COACH OF THE YEAR
MATT SHAGOGUE
River Hill
After taking over one of the most successful high school programs in the state two years ago, Shagogue has helped to continue the winning tradition.
This season, Shagogue led the Hawks to a 16-4 record and the Howard County, regional and Class 2A state championships. River Hill finished the season on a 14-game winning streak that ended with the program's eighth state championship.
The Hawks started slowly this season, dropping three of their first four games. However, Shagogue urged his team to focus on winning each of their games on a week-by-week basis. The strategy worked, as the Hawks went on to shut out seven opponents and finish 9-1 in the county.
"The team worked extremely hard to continue the tradition of River Hill," Shagogue said. "The team has a great deal of pride in the history of the school, and the boys wanted to send the seniors off in the right way. I am so proud of the effort that the team put in all season. The season was the most rewarding experience in my coaching career. This was one of the closest teams I have ever been a part of. Everyone worked together, and everyone got along so well. Every player played a significant role in our success all year."
River Hill captured the county title by beating Oakland Mills, 1-0, before rolling through the state playoffs. In the state championship game against Loch Raven, Jake Pace headed in the game-winner off a corner kick by Tom Riso with 4:38 left in the first overtime for the 3-2 victory.
The Hawks, who surrendered a league-low six goals in Howard County and scored a league-high 23 goals, finished ninth in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America's final poll.