NATCHEZ — The Cathedral High School boys and girls soccer teams both had strong seasons, highlighted by playoff berths and, in the girls’ case, a regional title.

But the accolades for the Green Wave and Lady Green Wave didn’t end there. A number of Cathedral boys and girls were named to the All-Region team in the MHSAA Classes 1/2/3A Region 7, and several players were named most valuable at their positions.

For the boys’ squad, Nolan Vaughan, Jake McKinney, Dakota Vaughan and Dale Matheney were named to the All-Region team. Kyle Bradley was named most valuable forward, Dylan Sandidge most valuable midfielder and Blake Martin most valuable keeper in the region.

Green Wave head coach Dennis Hogue said having so many players honored was a big deal, since it wasn’t just Hogue that recognized their collective talent.

“We have a meeting where all the coaches in the region get together and talk about the players we have,” Hogue said.

“I knew who our standouts were, and I had some comments on some of their players as well, but to hear other coaches echo the opinion (of my players) that I was giving, that’s special. I think all of these guys should be very proud of themselves.”

Nolan Vaughan, a senior who played stopper for the Green Wave, said making All-Region was a big deal.

“I was really excited when I heard I made it, because it’s not easy,” Nolan said. “There’s a lot of work (that goes into it).”

As a stopper, Nolan said he was positioned mostly at midfield, and his job was to make sure the middle of the field was protected.

“The easiest way to get to the goal is the middle of the field, so if you stop them, it makes the other team’s job a whole lot harder,” Nolan said.

“Our team always tried to take away the middle of the field. I makes the keeper’s job a lot easier.”

Nolan said he had support with two defenders behind him covering the sides of the field, and his responsibility was about 40 yards of space.

“There’s a lot of read and react (that goes into playing stopper),” Nolan said. “If you go up too far, there’s only three people left on defense, and the middle of the field is wide open. It’s the same thing if you go too wide.”

There’s also the need to be mentally aware, especially when it comes to the position of your teammates, Nolan said.

“If you’re being attacked, can you stop them and take the ball?” Nolan said. “If not, can you slow them down? It’s a lot to process. You not only have to worry about where the ball is, but where everyone else is on the field.”

The Cathedral boys finished 6-12 on the season, but a late-season push allowed them to finish second in their region.

“We started out struggling because our football team did so well (going deep into the playoffs),” Nolan said. “We had a lot of young guys starting, which was good for them, but when I was in seventh or eighth grade, I had no chance of starting.”

When the football players were finally able to play soccer, Nolan said there were still a few kinks to work out during the season. Eventually Hogue had to adjust the team’s defensive alignment, which helped a lot, Nolan said.

“We were last in our region, and during the last week before the playoffs, we came together and won back-to-back region games and ended up in second,” Nolan said.

St. Patrick Catholic eliminated Cathedral in the first round of the playoffs.

Cathedral girls

The Lady Green Wave finished 11-5 overall, 5-2 in their region, and secured the program’s first regional title.

Led by first-year coach Kate Ellard, who was named coach of the year in Region 7, Cathedral had several players named to the All-Region team: Caitlin Lofton, Mary Ellard, Zoe Flattmann, Pepper Taylor and Abby Brown. In addition Maddy Christian was named most valuable offensive player and Taylor White was selected most valuable midfielder.

Christian, a sophomore attacking midfielder, said she was grateful for the honors but stressed that she owed a lot of her success to her teammates.

“It feels good, but I can’t say I did it all by myself,” Christian said. “The whole team helped out.”

As a major scoring threat for the Lady Green Wave, Christian said the type of shot she would take depended on whether she was inside the box or outside.

“If I’m outside the box, generally I’m going to use my laces to generate more power,” Christian said. “If I’m inside the box, I usually use the inside of my foot, so I have more control.”

Christian said she and her teammates were close this season, and a lot of that came from each player knowing what her role was, Christian said.

“If we learn our position, it helps everyone else at their position,” Christian said. “We helped each other out if we needed it, and that just helps us as far as being one (as a unit).”

Christian also gave a lot of credit to Ellard and her dedication to the team as a coach.

“A lot of people don’t know this, but we would have practice during our breaks (Thanksgiving and Christmas), and even if people couldn’t make it, they would stay later or come earlier, and she would stay to help them out,” Christian said. “Her goal was to help us win (the region).”

Pass Christian defeated Cathedral in the first round of the playoffs.