Kate Morgan

Soccer is unique to other sports in that the most important parts of the game can’t be quantified on a statistics sheet. It’s not always the one that scores the most goals that is most important to the team.

Some of the most important numbers in soccer aren’t calculated, at least at the high school level. For instance, if “distance traveled” were measured, one Athens senior would most likely lead by a large margin.

Kate Morgan ran up and down the field for the Golden Eagles this season and is the News Courier’s Girls Soccer Player of the Year for 2015.

“She was a really big part of the offense,” said Athens head coach Amy Barnes. “She has a very powerful leg and she’s left-footed on top of that. She is just built for soccer, a tremendous athlete.”

Morgan scored nine goals and had five assists for Athens. More importantly, she helped the team reach the state semifinals for the eighth consecutive season.

“She gave that effort we needed on the wing,” said Barnes. “There was no problem for her to sprint all the way back on defense. She didn’t necessarily have to get back that far, but she ran up and down the sidelines.”

Morgan headlines an impressive senior class at Athens High School that includes Ashley Ward, Kaitlyn Wise, Emily Pool, Breanna Minyard and Tiffani Dunaway.

Wise led Athens with 16 goals while Ward added 10 goals and another five assists.

Many of those seniors are three or four-year starters, playing in four consecutive state tournaments for three different head coaches.

After J.B. Hutchison led Athens to its first state championship in 2013, Stace Tedford took over last season and Athens returned to the state finals. In her first season coaching the Golden Eagles, Amy Barnes continued Athens streak of state tournament appearances.

“It’s a big honor to be a part of this program with all the success it’s had,” said Barnes. “It’s been a great experience, especially going up to 6A, making it at that level. They are classy girls. Win or lose, they wear the Athens jersey well and represent our school very well.”

One and one

Barnes recently stepped down from the varsity girls soccer coach position. The wife of Athens softball coach Travis Barnes, she will serve as an assistant basketball coach for the girls basketball team in 2015-16.

“It wasn’t a matter of not wanting to do it,” said Barnes, who is the News Courier’s Girls Soccer Coach of the Year. “With my husband being the softball coach, our spring was pretty tough. It was more the timing of soccer, than soccer itself. Usually when your spouse coaches a sport, you coach a sport.”