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NATCHEZ — Cathedral Head Coach Dennis Hogue and senior Maddie Verruchi earn top honors in the The Natchez Democrat All-Metro Girls Soccer for leading the Green Wave back into the playoffs. Hogue is the 2022-23 coach of the year and Verruchi is the player of the year. 

A senior, Maddie Verruchi scored a hat-trick against Brookhaven Academy and Adams County Christian School to get much needed wins to help her team to the playoffs. She also shared the ball well and created scoring opportunities for teammates. 

One of her biggest assists came against Oak Forest when she set up her cousin Lillie Bertlesen to score the deciding goal. Weather would call the game short in the second half but it was enough for a win and helped them get into the postseason. 

Verruchi was the most experienced player on the Green Wave and contributed as a leader of a young team. She was somehow passed over in the selection for the MAIS All-Star team for the second year in a row. 

Hogue made the most of what could have been a challenging year. Cathedral lost 10 seniors from the 2021 squad and going into the playoffs had just 14 players on the squad due to injuries. 

Despite the challenges and youth, Cathedral made it to the playoffs for the first time since 2020. Hogue is a tactical mastermind and always comes up with new tricks to beat opponents. The best example of managing his team to a win came against Brookhaven Academy when the squad parked the bus and scored on counter attacks. 

Here is the full list of players selected to The Natchez Democrat 2022-23 All-Metro Girls Soccer team. 

 

Delta Charter

Jaci McFarland — Jaci was a first team all-district midfielder who is very versatile and gives everything she has. Her presence is well known on the field. She demonstrates all the core values such as enjoyment, discipline, teamwork and sportsmanship as a junior. Head Coach Crystal McGlothin said the opponents always asked about McFarland. 

 

Sydney Sharp — Sydney was a second team all-district forward for Delta Charter. All season she battled through a knee injury and managed to score 10 goals. She stayed after many practices through her time with the Storm to perfect her shot. Head Coach Crystal McGlothin said Sharp’s presence will be missed next season as the senior graduates.

 

Rachel Brown — A first team all-district defender, Brown is a second year player and started both seasons for the Storm. A phenomenal center back, Brown can also play the ball forward and is a future force to be reckoned with, head coach Crystal McGlothin said. 

 

Natchez

Ari McDonald — She played goalkeeper and made a ton of saves merely off of instinct and fearlessness. When she was on it was inspiring, head coach Josh West said. 

 

Kiersten Givens — The MVP of the girls team. She played multiple positions, showed constant improvement and was always dependable, head coach Josh West said. 

 

JaCambre Williams – A small girl with a warrior’s heart. Head Coach Josh West said he watched her jostle with girls three times her size. She never backed down and gave Natchez some quality touches this season. 

 

ACCS 

Paige Switzer — A junior goalkeeper, Switzer stepped up into the position after senior Sara Gordon graduated last year. She saved two penalties to defeat cross town rival Cathedral and grew in goal as the season went on. She will be a senior in the 2023 season. 

 

Jadyn Biglane — The senior played a key role in the defensive backline of ACCS this season. She distributed the ball well at sweeper and helped her side to a thrilling 8-6 win over Cathedral and led a five goal comeback against Copiah Academy. 

 

Ella Wilson — She represented ACCS on the MAIS all-star team along with Mallory Mcilwain and scored several crucial goals throughout the season. She and ACCS’s other graduating seniors will be hard to replace in the 2023 season. 

 

Cathedral 

Maddie Verruchi — A prolific goal scorer, it is a shame Verruchi was passed over by the MAIS in the All-Star Team selection for a second straight year. She scored a hat-trick to beat ACCS on senior night, scored two goals in the first round of the playoffs and was a senior leader. 

 

Molly Foster — Family tradition continues with Foster. Her older sister Gracie Foster was a hardworking competitor and Molly brought the same attitude to goal. She replaced Meredith Lessley and did it well. Foster once took a boot to the face in a game against Brookhaven Academy but kept on playing. 

 

Lillie Bertelsen — A cousin of Maddie Verruchi, the family connection helped on the pitch as she knocked in a couple of goals for the Green Wave to win games against Brookhaven Academy and Oak Forest. She will likely be the leader of the team next season.