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PREP SOCCER: Eastside well represented on All-Region 8-AAAAA teams
Joel Singleton
Eastside girls’ soccer coach Joel Singleton was recently named the Region 8-AAAAA Coach of the Year. - Special to The Covington News

COVINGTON, Ga. — After leading his Lady Eagles to the region runner-up position in 8-AAAAA and an 11-4-2 overall record, Eastside head coach Joel Singleton was selected as the 8-AAAAA 2021 Girls’ Coach of the Year by the region coaches. 

Singleton took his team back to the state playoffs after the COVID-19-interrupted 2020 season and to the highest state ranking in program history at No. 5 in Class AAAAA. 

Aralyn Everett was named the 8-AAAAA Girls’ Player of the Year and 8-AAAAA Forward of the Year. Everett recorded 25 goals, including six game-winners, and 15 assists to lead the Lady Eagles in both categories. Everett also netted 100 goals in her Eastside career, second all-time at Eastside.

Anna Shelton was named 8-AAAAA Goalkeeper of the Year. Shelton had a habit of making athletic saves look normal. In the last three seasons, Shelton and her defenders allowed only 57 goals in 45 games for a goals against average of only 1.27, the lowest three-year average in the Lady Eagles’ 25-year program history  

Lauren Gates was selected as a defender and Lizzie Teasley as a midfielder on the 8-AAAAA First Team. Gates contributed two assists from the back and Teasley netted 12 goals and seven assists in 2021. Earlier in the year, Teasley was selected to the 8-AAAAA All-Region Girls Basketball team. 

After posting an 8-6-1 record, including only the second all-time win over Heritage to end the campaign, the Eastside Eagles were also well represented. 

Forward Caden Coggins, who led the Eagles in goals scored with 11, defender Patrick Kelly, a standout in one-on-one defending, per Eagles coach Champ Young, and midfielder Tanner Beam, the team leader in assists with 14, were all selected to the First Team of the 2021 8-AAAAA Boys’ All-Region Team.