Taylor, Walston receive NCSCA honor

By Gabe Whisnant
Published in Sports on December 15, 2004 1:56 PM

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Two area soccer coaches, Wayne Country Day's Michael Taylor and North Johnston's Brent Walston, recently received the North Carolina Soccer Coaches Association award for Coach of the Year in their respective classifications.

Taylor coached a Charger team that tallied 13 wins after posting just two wins the year before. Wayne Country Day finished 13-7-1 overall and finished 6-4 in the intense, Coastal Plains Independent 1-A/2-A Confernece. Wayne Country Day earned a program-best No. 2 seed and a home game for the NCISAA playoffs.

The Chargers were a team riddled with key injuries late in the season. Taylor praises his team for being able to play through the adversity.

"We had some great games early, but we had injury after injury," Taylor said. "It was a great turnaround and the guys were energetic. The award has to go to the team. I have to give them all the credit."

Taylor should return 14 players next season from this year's squad.

In his second year in Kenly, Walston guided the Panthers to a 19-4-2 record, including a 10-1-1 Class 1-A Carolna/Super-Six Conference slate. During the middle of the season, North Johnston went 16 straight games without a loss.

"It speaks volumes of the success we had this year ... with the committment the boys had and the kids we had returning," Walston said. "A coach is only as good as the players he has on the field. That's indicative of what we had going this year."

Walson will return the core of his midfield next season, but loses seven seniors that accounted for 70 goals this fall.