After the first trip to the Section 1 finals in its history, the boys soccer team continued to break records after the season with many players selected for All-League, All-Section and All-State teams. Alex Leahy, captain, had a productive year which garnered him the Section 1 Small School Player of the Year.

“I’m really proud of Alex and all he’s accomplished,” said benchwarmer Will Zimmerman. “There’s nothing better than watching him from the sidelines.”

Leahy’s night of awards didn’t stop there, though. In addition to Section 1 Small School Player of the Year, Leahy received League III-A Player of the Year and All-Section and All-State selections. Despite all of these awards, he continues to stay humble and put team success before anything else.

“I owe all my success to my teammates and the support of the fans,” Leahy said. “Without them, we wouldn’t have accomplished all that we did and made it as far as we did. These awards should have their names on them too.”

Fellow captain John Gross called Leahy “The little engine that could,” referencing how Leahy never gave up on a play or during a mid-season rough patch.

The Lohud preseason prediction was a second-place finish in the league and had no talk of contending for a Section title. After winning the league and securing the number two seed, the doubts didn’t wash away. Lohud predicted a semi nal exit for the Briarcliff squad, but Leahy kept the trains running on time and led the team to its first ever Section Championship game.

A great player is only as good as his supporting cast, though, and the Bears didn’t lack for talent depth this year. Junior Alex Cabeca, who scored 10 goals, was one of only six players selected from the league to receive an All-Section honor. Additionally, captain Camron Fash was awarded All-Section honorable mention, which completed a big showing for Briarcliff at the award ceremony. Cabeca and others will next year look to fill the large shoes of Leahy, Fash, and Gross as Briarcliff waits for next fall to see what coach Brandon Beck, assistant coach Paul Bordonaro and the boys have in store as a follow-up act.