PREP SOCCER: White, Stevens earn All-IML Honors
Priest River sophomore Baylor White takes a goal kick in a game earlier this year at Priest River Lamanna High School. White received 3A All-IML (Intermountain League) Honors for his efforts between the posts this season.
Photo by Jason Duchow Photography
Priest River senior Connor Stevens (left) celebrates with a teammate after scoring a goal against St. Maries earlier this year. Stevens received 3A All-IML Honors for his attacking efforts this season.
IML First Team: Senior, Connor Stevens
Connor was one of the Spartans' main goal-scorers this season.
"Connor was the real heartbeat of our team this fall," head coach Ryan Carruth said. "His brand of other-centered leadership was paramount in us building a team-family culture and helped to quickly acclimate our younger players. He scored some fantastic goals, including an absolute screamer full volley on senior night against Timberlake to put us up 1-0 at halftime in front of a packed house at Spartan Stadium. It is a night he and I surely will not forget. In addition to his skills on the soccer field, he is a skilled carpenter, tradesman, hunter and a young man who cares deeply for the people around him. He has a clear vision for the kind of man he aims to be and the kind of life he wants to lead. It was a pleasure coaching Connor and I'm proud of this well deserved honor of making the All-League team this fall."
Priest River senior Connor Stevens (left) celebrates with a teammate after scoring a goal against St. Maries earlier this year. Stevens received 3A All-IML Honors for his attacking efforts this season.IML First Team: Sophomore, Baylor White
"At 6 foot 5 inches, and with agility and explosive athleticism, Baylor showed this fall that he has the tools to go very far in the sport if he decides to pour himself into it," Carruth said. "You should have seen some of the saves he pulled off — top shelf stuff, time and time again — and he's only a sophomore. The raw ability that he possesses is very hard to find and I can't wait to see how he progresses with the right kind of training.
Carruth also mentioned that White reminded him of one of his teammates, who was a D3 All-American at St. Lawrence University.
"One of my college teammates was a guy named Greg Sutton. Greg was a college All-American and went on to play 10 years in the MLS and had 30-plus caps for the Canadian National Team. When he was in high school, he was a very raw, spitting image of Baylor. People saw something in him, and he poured his life into the thing, and boom — he just took off. I could see the same trajectory for Baylor if he so chooses to chase the dream — and I don't say that lightly. It is no surprise that the coaches in our league saw him as the top goalkeeper this season."