Granite Hills High School’s soccer program scored a prestigious double as the Eagles recorded two all-league player of the year honors to conclude the 2019-20 season.
Granite Hills senior Robert Webb earned recognition as the Grossmont Valley League boys player of the year while Lady Eagles senior Naomi Ellis received recognition as the Grossmont Hills League girls player of the year.
Ellis, a defender, played in 24 games during the recently concluded season with four goals and eight assists as Granite Hills captured the league championship and advanced as far as the San Diego Section Division I championship game.
The Lady Eagles came up short in their CIF title quest after a 1-0 loss to the league rival Grossmont Foothillers.
Besides the league player of the year award, Ellis earned honors as a Second Team All-CIF selection.
Granite Hills finished the season with a 14-6-4 overall record, 7-0-3 in league.
Ellis will continue her soccer career locally at Point Loma Nazarene after signing a national letter of intent in February.
Ellis was among the first eight signings by the Sea Lions during the 2020-21 signing period.
Point Loma head coach Kristi Kiely is highly complimentary of the team’s new addition.
“Naomi is a competitor in every sense of the word,” Kiely said. “She is the kind of player that as the game gets tougher, she gets better. She has the ability to play all over the field, and she will bring a competitive fire to the program. Naomi has all the qualities to be a very successful player here at PLNU.”
Ellis comes to the Sea Lions though the Albion Soccer Club.
Albion SC coach Loren Mahoney also reserved high marks for Ellis.
“Naomi is a quiet overachiever on and off the field,” Mahoney said. “Her versatility is a huge asset on offense and her tenacity is her biggest weapon on defense. She has worked so hard to get to this point and I can’t wait to see how much more she grows as a player and a person at Point Loma.”
Ellis said the school’s local imprint and coaching staff were among the main reasons she chose to sign with PLNU.
“Point Loma is a great school, in my own backyard,” Ellis said. “However, being offered the opportunity to be part of something special by a great coaching staff, made my decision easy. I look forward to playing for championships while earning my degree.”
All eight PLNU recruits will join the Sea Lions as freshmen this fall.
Point Loma Nazarene captured the PacWest Conference for the second consecutive season in 2020 and reached the championship match in the NCAA West Regional.
Ellis is among three Granite Hills players named to the 2019- 20 Grossmont Hills League all-league first team, joining senior classmates Faith Allen and Emma Raymond.
The Lady Eagles had three players named to the second team: seniors Haylie Snyder and Emmie Kealaluhi and junior Bridget Cooley.
Kealaluhi collected 14 goals and five assists in 24 game appearances while Allen collected 11 goals and seven assists. Snyder collected three goals and six assists.
El Capitan senior Rylee Helmholtz earned recognition as the 2019-20 Grossmont Valley League girls soccer player of the year, joining teammates Kelsea Torres and Elly Schram, both seniors, and sophomore Hialee Rust on the first team.
The Lady Vaqueros (13-5-1 overall, 7-0-1 in league) had four players named to the second team: junior Abigail Grondin, sophomores Kailee Rust and Ally Chase and freshman Samantha Mauzy.
Helmholtz played four varsity seasons at El Capitan, collecting 49 goals and 23 assists in 77 career games. She ended her season year with a team best 23 goals and eight assists in 16 games.
The Lady Vaqs earned the No. 3 seed in the Division III playoffs and advanced to the quarterfinal round, dropping a 5-4 overtime decision to sixth-seeded La Jolla County Day to end an otherwise highly successful season.