Girls’ soccer: JW’s Newcome earns C4 NWD PoY

James Wood sophomore midfielder McKenna Newcome was selected as the Class 4 Northwestern District Player of the Year in selections released Friday.

Handley’s Haleigh Echard was picked as the Coach of the Year. She has led the Judges to a 16-2-1 record and two wins in three meetings over district regular-season champion James Wood (16-2), including a 1-0 victory in Wednesday’s district tournament championship game.

Newcome is joined on the First Team by teammates Sidney Rathel (senior forward), Jolie Jenkins (freshman forward), Olivia Walker (senior midfielder), Brooke Geary (junior defender) and Lydia Watson (junior defender). Other First Team selections are Handley senior forward Julia Nerangis, senior midfielder Taylor Roark, senior midfielder Mikayla Balio, junior defender Lauren Mason and junior goalkeeper Emma Westfall; and Sherando sophomore forward Ella Sampsell.

Second Team selections are James Wood freshman midfielder Sloane Ferrebee and freshman defender Madison Shirley; Handley freshman midfielder Emeryce Worrell and junior defender Ainsley Justice; Millbrook freshman forward Kaitlyn Arthur, senior midfielder Amy Huggett and senior defender Riley Donelan; and Sherando senior midfielder Kelsey Johnson.

Honorable mention selections are Millbrook freshman Molly Ludwig, junior Abigail Rodriguez and sophomore Skylar Decker; and Sherando freshman Sophia Straightiff.

James Wood will host Dulles regular-season champion Tuscarora at 7 p.m. in the Region 4C semifinals. (In sports like soccer where the Dulles District did not play a double round-robin schedule this year, their district tournament champion gets the district’s No. 1 seed for the Region 4C tournament.) Handley will travel to Dulles tournament champion Broad Run at 6 p.m. in Tuesday’s semifinals. Semifinal winners advance to Thursday’s championship and earn state tournament berths.