High School All-America Game: Boys Best XI

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. — It was a record-setting day while the West dominance continued in the annual High School Boys All-America Game on Dec. 14 at Wando High School.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The West handled the star-studded East team 7-4, setting records for most goals scored by a team and most combined goals in the 14-year history of the event. The West has won four straight meetings, going 5-0-1 in the past six, and holds a 9-3-2 lead in the series.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Naperville North (Ill.) standout Noah Radeke had two goals and one assist for the West. Xander Sevian of Boulder (Colo.), [player_tooltip player_id='55602' first='Justis' last='Olorunto'] of St. Ignatius (Ohio), Kayden Hudson of Peoria Notre Dame (Ill.), and [player_tooltip player_id='104456' first='Alex' last='Rosin'] of Rochester Adams (Mich.) scored for the West. The West also received an own goal as it built a 7-2 lead at one point. Preston Alessio of Taft School (Conn.) scored twice and Josh Partal of Milton Academy 9Mass.) and Dan Klink of Loyola Blakefield (Md.) scored for the East.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The contest featured standout players from fall-playing high school programs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The following are the Best XI from the match as determined by observations and coaches recommendations:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>GK: Crew Hartlage, Louisville Collegiate (Ky.), The Kentucky Goalkeeper of the Year was the standout at this event. His distribution was exceptional.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>D: Alex Dorko, Anderson (Ohio), Dayton: A center-back who was great at reading the play. He was exceptional on headers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>D: Cedric Lemaire, Northwood School (N.Y.), Rutgers: An exceptional defender with a strong work ethic. He made it hard on the West when he was on the field.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>D: [player_tooltip player_id='55602' first='Justis' last='Olorunto'], St. Ignatius (Ohio), Ohio State: Olorunto might have been the best player on the field. That honor came down to Olorunto and Preston Alessio. In any case, Olorunto, a West Co-MVP, is a humble center back with great athleticism. He exhibits excellent speed of play and has been coached well to keep the ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>D: [player_tooltip player_id='284931' first='Gabe' last='Raphael'], Berkshire School (Mass.), Holy Cross: A very strong right back. He was under control and composed, and he was hard to break down.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>D: [player_tooltip player_id='104456' first='Alex' last='Rosin'], Rochester Adams (Mich.), Notre Dame: A standout at left-back, Rosin also got into the offensive mix with a second-half goal. He's a great 1v1 defender.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>M: Dan Klink, Loyola Blakefield (Md.), West Virginia: Klink is a big, physical presence on the field. He delivered an absolute blast on a free kick for the final goal of the match. As far as the rest of the play, he holds the ball well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>M: Josh Partal, Milton Academy (Mass.), Stanford: Partal scored a great goal. He is confident on the ball and always seems to have good positioning. He's a smart player and the type of player you can build a team around.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>M: Xander Sevian, Boulder (Colo.), Clemson: Sevian was a Co-MVP for the West. He's extremely confident and has a captain-like personality. He was great in the midfield and really liked to play on the wing. He scored the first goal of the match to set the tone for the West's victory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>F: Preston Alessio, Taft School (Conn.), UConn: Alessio scored twice and was involved in the set-up of a third goal. He was the East MVP. He's an aggressive attacking player who puts defenders on their back foot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>F: Noah Radeke, Naperville North (Ill.), undecided: Radeke's two-goal, one-assist performance had his name tossed around for MVP honors. One coach called him “the fox in the box.” His hold-up play was great, and he was patient in setting up scoring chances.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Others who impressed:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>F: Francis Bonsu, Millbrook School (N.Y.), UCLA: The native of Ghana is quick and crafty on the ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>F: Cooper Hineline, Ralston Valley (Colo.), Clemson: He had good combination play up top.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>M: Jared Pena, Western Reserve Academy (Ohio), undecided: He was a crafty midfielder who impressed the coaches.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>F: Sammie Walker, Loyola Blakefield (Md.), West Virginia: A good-sized attacking player, Walker caused problems for the West.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->