The Sharon Academy boys’ soccer team finished 8-5-1 in the regular season, good enough to make the VPA Division IV playoffs, where their season ended in a quarterfinal loss.
But even though they didn’t win a championship, the Phoenix still were honored earlier this month with a postseason accolade for the program’s performance — not for its play, but for its sportsmanship.
The Phoenix were one of four teams to earn a Vermont Soccer Officials Association Sportsmanship Award.
Grayson Levy, the Phoenix’s head coach and the school’s athletic director, said he and his team were happy to receive the honor, and he believed it reflected the players’ high character.
“If you ask any coach, athletic director or educator at any level, they’ll tell you their primary goal is building great kids,” said “So when you get an award for sportsmanship, it really shows — especially to the boys themselves — that what we’re doing is about more than just putting a ball in the net.”
This year’s recognition was the first statewide sportsmanship award the VSOA has presented, according to Mike Clark, a member of the organization’s sportsmanship committee.
“Officials talk after every game, and most of the time when we talk, we point out the poor sportsmanship that we saw,” he added. “So the executive board decided to put together a sportsmanship committee, which I was on, to see what we could do to honor Vermont teams, north and south, that showed great sportsmanship.”
As part of the evaluation process, referees rated schools after every game “on the sportsmanship behavior of the players, coaches, fans and on-site administrative support,” according to a news release announcing the recipients.
Clark said there were more than 2,000 submissions after the season, which were tabulated to determine boys’ and girls’ team winners in the northern and southern portions of the state.
Accepting officials’ calls, helping opposing players up from the turf and showing respect from players, coaches and fans were among the ways the Phoenix demonstrated sportsmanship.
“Sportsmanship stands out in a lot of different ways, but when you see it, you know what it is,” Clark said.
Junior goalkeeper Collin Keep said the recognition meant a great deal to him and his teammates.
“It just shows that there is something to look forward to when you’re being kind,” Keep said.
The Enosburg boys, U-32 girls and Fair Haven girls teams were the other recipients.
“Congratulations to the teams selected for the 2025 VSOA inaugural Sportsmanship Award,” VSOA President Marvin Pritchard said in the news release. “The school, community and soccer official relationship that you have developed is a model for others to emulate in the future. You have been chosen by soccer officials who respect your passion for the game while always exhibiting the highest level of sportsmanship.”