Five members of the 2024 Evanston High School soccer team were recognized recently by the Wyoming Coaches Association for their outstanding contributions on the soccer field.

Red Devils junior Jordan Mendez was named to the 4A West All-Conference First Team; Mendez also received votes for 4A All-State, landing on the second team.

“Jordan was our leading scorer this season,” Richins said. “He was 100% from the penalty spot on the season, and he was just really good at finding the back of the net. Jackson only gave up four goals all year, and Jordan scored one of them. He’s just always a threat to find the back of the net, and other teams recognized that. I think Brooks Searle is not far off that, so hopefully next year, we’ll have a dual threat.”

Mendez led the Red Devils with six goals and 13 overall points; he also led in shots taken (33), and shots on goal (16).

“You look at the crew that Jordan is with on the first team — that’s some pretty elite company,” Richins said. “I mean, Teddy Opler [Jackson] is probably the leading goal-scorer in Wyoming history — Ethan Leslie [Kelly Walsh] was one of the top scorers all year. You just look at the numbers that Kelly Walsh and Jackson put up — the fact that we could get a forward in that mix is pretty impressive.”

Fellow Red Devils Victor Lozano (defense) and Nicola Dal Ri (midfield) were named to the 4A West Second Team; Drew Barker (midfield) and Saul Renova (midfield) were named 4A West Honorable Mention.

Exchange student Nicola Dal Ri was a force in the midfield for the Red Devils this season, until nagging injuries slowed his progress.

“Nicola’s knowledge of the game — his experience, growing up in Italy — he has an innate sense of how the game is supposed to be played,” Richins said. “Plus, he knows where he needs to be on the pitch to make that happen. And his ability to integrate into the team so quickly — he said it at our last team dinner, when he got up to speak. He said, ‘I started the season with a group of strangers, and I’m leaving this season with a group of friends.’ That to me says as much about him as anything, even his play on the field. On the field, he was a calming force — good control of the ball, and a very physical presence that I didn’t expect. He was definitely a physical force on the soccer field.”

“If he stays 100% healthy, I think he makes it on the first team,” Richins added. “His calves just really slowed him down. He was obviously a force in the midfield — he stays healthy, he gets the votes.”

A fast, physical defender, Lozano was a presence on the back line for the Red Devils, according to Richins. With two seasons left in his high school career, Richins is excited to have an anchor on the defense for the foreseeable future.

“Victor’s speed and physicality is a big portion of his game — he could keep up with some of the great forwards in this conference,” Richins explained. “We gave up too many goals, but we would have given up a lot more, had we not had him back there. As a sophomore, his maturity and positioning throughout the year was really good. And he is a really good athlete.”

Senior and team captain Drew Barker was the ultimate teammate, according to Richins, a player who would play anywhere needed without complaint, and go out of his way to help the younger kids on the team reach their potential.

“Drew was a leader who embraced the guys,” Richins said. “It’s easy as a senior when you’re playing with a bunch of young kids to just distance yourself from them. Drew did just the opposite. Everyone on the team knew that if they needed someone in their corner, Drew was there.”

Rounding out the midfielders was Renova, another senior whose consistency will be missed next season. Always a threat to put the ball in the net, Richins called Renova a hard worker, whose numbers didn’t reflect his talent.

“Saul grew up a lot between his junior and senior year — physically, and in his mentality,” Richins explained. “He just became so consistent for us at the end of the year. I wish he could have found a few more goals — the strike he had against Star Valley was more indicative of what he could do. We just didn’t find him as often as we needed to. He’s a great kid, and worked hard — if you were going to be his partner during drills, you better be down to business, because he was going to work hard.”

The Red Devils will host their annual soccer camp on June 24-27; contact coach Brian Richins at brichins@uinta1.com.