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Members of the 2024 The Daily Independent Girls Soccer All-Area Team are pictured: First row (from left): Aubree Moore, Faith Burnside, Sophie Stevens, Lexi Boyd, Kaylee Hollingsworth, and Boyd County coach Olivia Pennington. Second row: Emma Stamper, Addison Tiller, Mary Beth Bolen, Braylee Murphy, Calista Williams and Lauren Arrowood. Third row: Kiersten Sagraves, Kenleigh Woods, Deana Osborne, Mia Frasier, Hadlee Hazelrigg, Ellie Thomas and Macy Perkins. Not photographed are Jolie Greenwood, Abby Maynard and Miley Stull.
Boyd County’s Faith Burnside tracks down a ball during a match against Ashland on Sept. 12.
Boyd County coach Olivia Pennington instructs her team during a state quarterfinal match at Boyd County on Oct. 24.
wunty celebrates a first-half goal by Faith Burnside, third from right, against Estill County during the opening round of the state tournament on Oct. 22.
Members of the 2024 The Daily Independent Girls Soccer All-Area Team are pictured: First row (from left): Aubree Moore, Faith Burnside, Sophie Stevens, Lexi Boyd, Kaylee Hollingsworth, and Boyd County coach Olivia Pennington. Second row: Emma Stamper, Addison Tiller, Mary Beth Bolen, Braylee Murphy, Calista Williams and Lauren Arrowood. Third row: Kiersten Sagraves, Kenleigh Woods, Deana Osborne, Mia Frasier, Hadlee Hazelrigg, Ellie Thomas and Macy Perkins. Not photographed are Jolie Greenwood, Abby Maynard and Miley Stull.
Boyd County’s Faith Burnside tracks down a ball during a match against Ashland on Sept. 12.
Boyd County coach Olivia Pennington instructs her team during a state quarterfinal match at Boyd County on Oct. 24.
wunty celebrates a first-half goal by Faith Burnside, third from right, against Estill County during the opening round of the state tournament on Oct. 22.
CANNONSBURG Every athlete wants to leave a lasting impact on the program they are part of and help build a winning culture.
Taking your team to its first-ever state appearance seems like a great way to do just that. and winning at State is even better.
Faith Burnside helped accomplish that feat for Boyd County this season as the Lions not only won their first region title but also picked up the program’s first state tournament win.
“Those were amazing moments,” Burnside said. “We had never accomplished that ever so I was super proud of our team. It really showed me how much having a team like this really means to me. It was special.”
A couple of months after the conclusion of the season, Boyd County coach Olivia Pennington is still in awe of the season her crew had.
“There’s no real words for it,” Pennington said. “It was just incredible. In the moment, when we lost in the Elite Eight when we were so close. It hurt for the rest of that week. We were upset, but now that we’ve had time to reflect on it, that was an absolutely amazing season.”
An amazing year that landed both Burnside and Pennington The Daily Independent awards for both Player and Coach of the Year, respectively.
“It feels great,” Burnside said of the honor. “Obviously it’s a team effort. I wouldn’t be here without my teammates.”
And while Burnside understands the importance of having such a stellar group around her. The Lions are just as grateful to have Burnside on the pitch with them.
Burnside was far and away the offensive juggernaut for the Lions. She scored 44 of Boyd County’s 70 goals this year, with 94 points total, including six assists on the season.
The stat line puts Burnside at the top of the state leaderboards in both goals and points. She’s tied for ninth for most goals netted this year and is 15th in total points tallied.
For Burnside, her path to this outstanding junior season started with offseason dedication.
“I worked a lot with my assistant coach Dex (Chapman) over the summer and offseason,” Burnside said. “I still did travel ball too. It all helped a lot. and just being with my friends helped me. It helped me have fun, which helped my confidence, and that’s what created this whole season for me.”
The work paid off this season. Pennington said that Burnside came into her own as a Lion.
“Her season was amazing,” Pennington said. “If you look back to her freshman year, she’d just moved here and had practiced three days before the season opened. She was brand new and caught everyone off guard with her talent. Last year, she had the obstacle of everyone knowing who she was and trying to play around that. Then, this past offseason, after the work she did with Dex, she came back and just flourished.”
Burnside said the biggest obstacle of this season came from within, but that she just needed to block out any outside noise and move ahead.
“Confidence is a huge thing that I always have to overcome,” Burnside said. “You always have people yelling at you or whatever, but I just realized I needed to focus on myself and have fun. I didn’t focus on everyone else. I just did what I needed to do.”
The strategy worked wonders not just for Burnside but for the Boyd County soccer program. Burnside isn’t satisfied and she wants her senior season next year to be even better.
“I’m hoping for a great season next year,” Burnside said. “I’ll play how I need to play and I’m going to play for my team. I’m hoping to get more goals, and I feel like that will happen if it needs to. I’m just excited for next season.”
Pennington remains encouraged about the future of the program, especially after this season showed how long-term hard work pays off.
“The seniors this year were my first group of freshmen back when I started,” Pennington said. “We felt like the work that myself and my assistants put in for the past four years really just came out this season.
“We’re returning all of our top scorers and our top assists,” she added. “We really just have to build the defense and anybody who knows how I coach soccer knows I always start from the back forward. Defense is always a Boyd County mentality.”
Everything really started to click for the Lions after a tough loss to Estill County on Sept. 3 that went to penalty kicks, according to Pennington. The next day at practice, she said the team sat and talked about not only what could’ve been changed in the loss but also what couldn’t be changed.
“It was really a matter of them trusting themselves,” Pennington said. “We gave them everything we could, but they were the ones who did it. They’re the ones who got these accomplishments this season. We got to sit back and enjoy the ride.”
Boyd County had four players in total on the All-Area list. In addition to Burnside, the Lions sent Lexi Boyd (two goals, defensive leader), Aubree Moore (14 goals, 20 assists), and Sophie Stevens (88 saves, 16 shutouts).
Johnson Central matched the Boyd County representation. The Golden Eagles’ contributions are Lauren Arrowood (13 goals, 33 points), Braylee Murphy (25 goals, 13 assists), Deana Osborne (three goals, five assists), and Keirsten Sagraves (21 goals, nine assists).
Ashland and East Carter had the second-most members with three apiece.
The Tomcats put Mary Beth Bolen (five goals, 12 points), Kenleigh Woods (17 goals, 40 points), and Calista Williams on this year’s team.
The Raiders’ additions are Mia Frasier (14 goals, 12 assists), Ellie Thomas (41 goals, 17 assists), and Addison Tiller (one goal, three points).
Fleming County had two players on the list: Hadlee Hazelrigg (186 saves, 11 shutouts) and Macy Perkins (19 goals, 15 assists).
The rest of the team was made up of a player each from five schools. Lawrence County’s Abby Maynard (189 saves, three shutouts, one goal), Menifee County’s Miley Stull (30 goals, 64 points), Rowan County’s Jolie Greenwood (15 goals, 34 points), Russell’s Emma Stamper (19 goals, 45 points), and West Carter’s Kaylee Hollingsworth (14 goals, 32 points) close out the roster.
Coach’s vote completed the team. The Daily Independent sports staff decided the Player and Coach of the Year.
(606) 326-2658
wadams@dailyindependent.com
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