LOCKPORT —
Lockport High School senior Alexander Reid has been named as one of just 77 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) boys soccer All-Americans.
Reid, who capped off his brilliant career this fall with head coach Jeff Hulshoff's state-ranked Lions, finished with 60 career goals and 30 assists. This past season, Reid netted 21 goals and added 13 assists as the Lions claimed the Niagara Frontier League championship in undefeated fashion.
“Alex is the consummate team player. As a co-captain, he led by example as he was constantly hustling and moving while on the field. He's a motor that keeps on going,” Hulshoff said. “
“One of the best things about him is that besides all that, he never tried to fight and never complained to the refs when he got knocked down hard. He never tried to be a hot dog. He just got up and played.”
Reid finished as the 18-1 Lions' second-leading goal scorer in 2012, including five game-winning tallies, but as Hulshoff noted, “he would always help out on defense and at midfield when necessary.
“One of the fastest players on the field and strong as well, he's very hard to knock off the ball. He ended up No. 6 all-time in goals scored in Lockport varsity soccer history with 60 goals. And he's also in the top 25 in his class academically, so he's well-rounded,” Hulshoff said.
“He's just a great all-around player who'll definitely be missed moving forward. I've had since he was a freshman. It will be hard to replace him.”
Besides his national honor, Reid has also been named NSCAA First Team All-New York State, First Team All-Western New York for a third straight year, First Team All-NFL for a third straight year and was named to the NSCAA All-Region Team, comprised of the top high school soccer players in New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey.
This past year, Reid was named the NFL's Player of the Year for a second consecutive time.
A freshman starter, Reid netted eight goals and added three assists in 2009. A year later, he recorded 15 goals with six assists and last season tallied 16 goals and added eight assists.
Meanwhile, Reid's senior teammates Mike Ford and Jerry West have been named Second Team All-Western New York by the NSCAA.
Ford led the Lions with 23 goals — including four game-winning goals — and added eight assists, earning a spot on the First Team All-NFL Team.
“Michael is an intense player. He has the tendency to be at the right place at the right time and able to finish when presented the opportunity,” Hulshoff said.
“He also plays midfield when needed. Mike is constantly moving to open areas, expecting passes and scoring opportunities from his teammates. Several of his goals have been headers and others have come off of rebounds.”
West, a center midfielder, scored one goal and had six assists in 2012, spending most of the season controlling midfield and setting up his teammates. West was also named First Team All-NFL.
“Jerry's one of smartest players on the field. He has the knack of spotting an open teammate and sending the ball to him right at his foot,” Hulshoff said.
“Jerry took pride in distributing the ball often to his teammates and is an extremely unselfish player. As a midfielder, he played hard and consistent all year long. He also came back to help out on defense as the team also let in the fewest goals this season. Jerry is a co-captain who never stopped, yet encouraged his teammates all the time he was on the field. He's a consummate team leader.”
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