The best that Division III women’s soccer has to offer resides in Cuyahoga County.

Teams from the Morning Journal’s coverage area took home the biggest awards as Bay’s Tessa Knapp was named D-III player of the year and Rocky River coach Patrick Hopkins was named D-III coach of the year on November 11.

Knapp scored 64 goals and made 14 assists this year to guide the Rockets to the state championship. The Notre Dame commit also set the state record for most career goals.

Bay had two All-Ohioans in Knapp and Emery Aschenbrener. The latter committed to Dayton and scored 19 goals and 27 assists for 65 points.

To earn those accolades, Bay had to defeat a strong Rocky River team in a state semifinal. The Pirates were rewarded at the state level with two full-fledged All-Ohioans, forward Sophia Sindelar and defender Lexi Hammermeister. Hopkins also takes home some Coach of the Year award hardware.

“I really wouldn’t be able to receive this award without the players I work with,” Hopkins said. “It’s really special to have players like Sophia and Lexi. They have done so much for this program as a whole.

Committed to Florida, Sindelar also had a season that made history with 63 goals and 27 assists for 153 points. Hammermeister has played a major role in the Pirates’ success on defense and has five assists this year.

Rocky River finished 2024 with a 21-1-1 record. It has lost just one regular season game in the last three years and was eliminated by the eventual state champion in each of the last two seasons.

“I’m lucky here because I spend the most time with them,” Hopkins said. “I always tell them every year that even if we won the state championship, I’d probably be depressed the next day because it’s over. It’s not easy (to do) when you have this group of players.

The following student-athletes from the Morning Journal’s coverage area were also honored, with their statistics in parentheses:

Girls

Division II — MF Kamille Coleman, Sr., Amherst (20 goals, 11 assists), F Alyssa Gimmel, Sr., North Ridgeville (20-3), F Gianna Scott, Sr., Avon (19-3)

Division III – F Ella Henton, Sr., Westlake (19-8)

Division V — GK Kaitlyn Miller, Sr., Columbia, F Natalie Miller, Fr., Columbia

Boys

Division II — F Eli Braun, Sr., North Ridgeville (13-6), D Colten Fitch, Sr., Avon (2-2), GK Jonathon Janosik, Sr., Amherst (1.78 GAA), F Gabe Kitchen , Sr., Avon (14-3)

Division III — MF Stephen Cain, Sr., Rocky River (6-5), D Jake Laux, Sr., Westlake, F Brendan Sheehan, Sr., Avon Lake (27-15)

Division IV — F Hezekiah Garcia, Sr., Elyria Catholic (21-5), F Wesley Penton, Sr., Vermilion (16-12), F Jesse Yakunovich, Sr., Firelands (17-13)

Division V – Jack Washburn, Sr., Columbia (38-13)