North Warren's Swartz awarded MVP of Adk. League boys soccer

CHESTERTOWN | One of the region's most prominent boys soccer players this season, North Warren striker Coleman Swartz, has been granted the Adirondack League's 2025 Most Valuable Player award. The league's top scorer in boys soccer this year, with 23 goals, Swartz is renowned for his speed, agility, field vision, and ball-handling skills, as well as his expertise at out-maneuvering defenders to score. North Warren soccer coach Jim Conway said that Swartz has been a key player on the school's varsity soccer team since he joined the squad as an eighth-grader. "To have this kind of recognition for Coleman's achievements is a great honor for him, and a proud moment for the team and the North Warren school and community," Conway said. Swartz is known as a versatile and unselfish soccer athlete. His accurate, timely passes have helped his teammates score when they have prime opportunities. Depending on the game's circumstances, Swartz has shifted into nearly any field position, including on defense, to stymie opponents' shots-on-goal. "He was always concerned about protecting our defense, as much as he was about scoring goals," Conway said. The son of Walt and Maria Swartz of Brant Lake, Coleman has also excelled at basketball. He was known as a tenacious defender on the court and a skilled distance shooter. This past March, he sank four three-pointers in a Section II Class C semifinal basketball playoff game. Also, he was a key member of the 2023-24 North Warren team that won the 2024 New York State Class D Basketball championship, the school's first-ever. Coach Conway said Swartz had a highly developed work ethic. Offseason, Swartz sharpened his soccer skills as a member of the Empire City Soccer Academy U-19 team. "One of the things I admire about Coleman is how hard he works at every practice, including pushing his teammates to challenge themselves," coach Conway said. FIRST-TEAM ALL-STARS Athletes from northern Warren County named to the Adirondack League boys soccer All-Star first team, in addition to Swartz, were North Warren senior forward Nick Heckman and junior midfielder Connor Hill; Lake George junior goalie Marty Farrell, senior midfielder Thomas Kohls, and junior midfielder Owen Rajeski; and Bolton-Warrensburg senior forward Will Hens. Coach Conway said Nick Heckman, the second-highest scorer this season in the Adirondack League with 18 goals, "had the tremendous ability to find the ball and put it in the goal," and that Connor Hill is "one of the strongest soccer players in the league skill-wise" and will be among the best athletes in the league next year. Bolton-Warrensburg coach Rob Thomas said that Will Hens is "very athletic and absolutely tenacious." Observers of Lake George athletics have said that Marty Farrell is an excellent shot-stopper, particularly in one-on-one situations, and that Owen Rajeski makes timely, accurate passes while keeping the ball away from opponents. Lakers coach Quincy Devlin said Rajeski "provides the team with a lot of energy and has the knack of positioning himself where he needs to be" and that Kohls is a highly skilled technical player with "outstanding field vision" who has been delivering a lot of "through balls" to forwards and executed most of the Lakers' corner and penalty kicks. Also, Kohls kicked the sole goal in the double-overtime Adirondack League Championship game. SECOND TEAM ALL-STARS Named to the league's All-Star second team were North Warren senior defender Connor Clench-Matteo, and Bolton-Warrensburg's senior midfielder Andrew Morehouse, senior defender Colton Stannard, and freshman midfielder Ben Birkholz. Coach Conway said that Clench-Matteo was a key member of the North Warren team. "Without him, our team couldn't have gone as far as we did," he said. B-W coach Rob Thomas said Andrew Morehouse was "everywhere you need him to be," and Colton Stannard was "tough as nails," and both of them were calm, exemplary leaders. Thomas added that Hens, Morehouse and Stannard each had "a tremendous work ethic" and were "very dedicated" to the soccer program. Coach Thomas said that Birkholz, a ninth-grader, has "a high soccer IQ" and exemplifies "the promise of things to come" for the Bolton-Warrensburg soccer team.

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North Warren's Swartz awarded MVP of Adk. League boys soccer

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