Following a year in which he was centerfold in their offense and defense as midfielder deep into the postseason, Daviess County’s Carson Thomas has been named The Owensboro Times 2021 Boys Soccer Player of the Year.
“It means so much to me to receive the player of the year award,” Thomas said. “I put in so much time over the off-season working to better myself and this makes it all worthwhile. I’m very grateful to receive this award and I can’t express my gratitude enough.”
Thomas helped the Panthers to a 22-2-4 season overall, while not losing a single district or region game.
He was Daviess County’s key man in the midfield, controlling the pace of play defensively and offensively at times with his ability to control the ball and even take some shots from deep on the pitch.
Thomas finished with five goals on the season and also chipped in eight assists which ties for first on the Panthers this season.
Prior to the season, Thomas wrote three goals down on a white board: earn All-State First Team, District Player of the Year and make it to the final four of the state tournament. Achieving all three of those goals, Thomas is thrilled with how his senior season played out.
“I feel that my play this year was much improved from last year,” Thomas said. “I feel like I stepped up and became a difference maker on both sides of the ball. Offensively I didn’t have a large role considering I was playing as a defensive midfielder, but I feel like I still did a good job contributing to our attack. Defensively I feel like I did really well at stopping counter attacks and helping anchor our defense as a whole.”
While the Panthers continued to add on to their storied success in the program this year, Thomas will always remember his time spent with his teammates when he looks back on it.
“I will always cherish spending time with my teammates,” Thomas said. “You form a special bond with your teammates where you feel like brothers. You’re competing against each other everyday in practice, and then you’re counting on each other in games to show up and get the job done. I’ll always cherish playing with my brothers this past season.”
Thomas said that three things have molded him into the player he is today, that being his coaches, his parents and his desire to improve.
“The three things that have molded me into the player I am today are my coaches, my parents, and my desire to improve,” Thomas said. “My coaches have always wanted the best for me. Coach Sandifer has been really helpful with my development as a person and as a player over the past 4 years I’ve played for him. He’s helped me become a better leader, a better player, and overall a better person on and off the field. My parents have always done whatever is best for me, even if it wasn’t best for them. They have taken me to countless games and practices out of town. They have always pushed me to my limits and it’s really helped me develop as a player.”
Thomas also credits his time with Louisville City Academy and his work ethic off the field to helping him constantly grow.
“I have always had a desire to improve and because of that I’ve always done whatever it takes to better myself,” Thomas said. “When I was in sixth grade I started playing for a team in Evansville to allow myself to develop more. After my junior season I started traveling to Louisville two to three times a week to train with Louisville City Academy. This was hard on me since I was driving two hours one way for training, but moving to the academy has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. It really transformed me into a better player.”
Thomas also wanted to thank his teammates, coaches and many other mentors, saying that without them he couldn’t have achieved all of these things in his high school career.
“I want to thank my teammates and coaches because without them I wouldn’t have been in a position to receive this award,” Thomas said. “I also want to thank my family and friends for supporting me all these years. Lastly, I want to thank Ty Stauffer for always believing in me and Mario Sanchez for taking a chance on me last fall.”
