CHARLESTON, W.Va. — There wasn’t much George Washington couldn’t count on Zak Abdul-Jalil for in 2019.
The senior defender bounced between the front and back of the Patriots’ attack, scoring both goals in a 2-0 Class AAA state championship win over Cabell Midland and leading a defensive unit that didn’t yield a goal in the entire postseason.
For his efforts on both sides, Abdul-Jalil was named captain of the Class AAA all-state team as selected by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association. It marked Abdul-Jalil’s third straight first-team selection.
Abdul-Jalil is part of a large senior class that won back-to-back state championships for the first time in school history. Two of his fellow seniors — midfielder Solomon Clark (13 goals, 10 assists) and E.J. Davis (20 goals) at utility — also made the first team.
Joining GW with three representatives was Wheeling Park, which landed junior Coleman Meredith (18 goals, nine assists), senior midfielder Chris Romanek (10 goals, five assists) and senior defender Clay Meredith all on the first team.
A trio of schools — University, Hurricane and Cabell Midland — landed two players apiece on the big-school top squad.
Junior forward Riley Nett (28 goals, five assists) and senior defender Pierce Spain (one goal, three assists) garnered first-team accolades for the Hawks.
FIRST TEAM
F - Ryan Hurst, Buckhannon-Upshur, senior
F – Riley Nett, University, junior
F Drake Lester, Hurricane, senior
F Omar Baryun, Cabell Midland, senior
M Coleman Meredith, Wheeling Park, junior
M – Chris Romanek, Wheeling Park, senior
M Solomon Clark, George Washington, senior
M Simon Anton, Cabell Midland, senior
D Zak Abdul-Jalil, George Washington, senior (capt)
D Trace Adams, Spring Mills, senior
D Pierce Spain, University, senior
D Clay Meredith, Wheeling Park, senior
G Nick Eskins, Hurricane, senior
G Sean Monro, Hedgesville, senior
Utility EJ Davis, George Washington, senior
Utility Chris Catlett, Martinsburg, senior
SECOND TEAM
F Josh Ferguson, Brooke, senior (captain)
F – Max Tretheway, George Washington, junior
F Ashton Farnsworth, Parkersburg, senior
F Owen Stoll, Huntington, senior
M Carlos Cardoza, Hedgesville, senior
M – Nick Inhat, Capital, sophomore
M Andrew Strawn, Hampshire, junior
M Matthew Vaughn, George Washington, senior
D Aaron Molina, Martinsburg, senior
D Sal Saulle, Huntington, senior
D Donavin Hylton, Princeton, senior
G Cameron Grobe, Cabell-Midland, senior
G Logan Kelley, Buckhannon-Upshur, senior
G Zach Calvert, Wheeling Park, senior
Utility Jack Walker, Washington, sophomore
Utility Emerson Beall, South Charleston, junior
HONORABLE MENTION
Bryan Acosta, Washington; Mikky Ahmed, Morgantown; Louis Aulick, Wheeling Park; Luke Barger, Musselman; Timmy Bailey, University; Quinin Blair, Brooke; Jake Bock, Hurricane; Xavier Bohn, George Washington; Broedy Boyce, Ripley; Landon Bray, Hedgesville; Peyton Brown, Princeton; Chris Burton, Hedgesville; Caden Carpenter, Morgantown; Dawson Carpenter, Buckhannon-Upshur; Kadyn Cox, Hedgesville; Ethan Cronin, Riverside; Liam Cronin, Brooke; Reese Cunningham, Spring Valley; Sam Duffy, Martinsburg; Wesley Eskridge, John Marshall; Sully Groom, South Charleston; Cody Hall, Princeton; Bader Helwani, Cabell Midland; Ryan Holmes, Cabell Midland; Christian Johnson, Hurricane; Foster Jones, Huntington; Brennan King, Jefferson; Matt Lowe, Jefferson; Charlie Lynch, Jefferson; JT McCay, Parbersburg; Mason Macher, Hedgesville; Mason Marnell, Spring Mills; Henry Moore, Capital; Luis Morales, Washington; Ylann Mundy, Hedgesville; Anele Nnachi, Hurricane; Justin Parsons, University; Jason Pennybacker, Wheeling Park; John Riordan, Washington; Gabe Rudge, St. Albans; Garrett Shields, Cabell Midland; Joseph Sheils, Cabell Midland; Jon Stinchcomb, Martinsburg; Sam Squires, Buckhannon-Upshur; Lane Tenney, Buckhannon-Upshur; Brendan Whitlatch, Parkersburg; Kevin Whitner, Spring Mills; Ethan Williams, Washington
