Heather O’Reilly, a standout forward for East Brunswick (N.J.) High School and the U.S. Women’s National Team, and Zachary Riffett, a former goalkeeper for the U.S. Men’s U-17 National Team, have been named the NSCAA/adidas High School Players of the Year.
Both received NSCAA/adidas High School All-America recognition for the third time in their careers when the teams were announced last month, and each has been selected an NSCAA/adidas Youth All-America once as well.
One of the brightest stars in a galaxy of young American talent, O’Reilly recently was invited to the U.S. Women’s National Team camp as a candidate for a roster position for pre-World Cup competition, the youngest player in camp. In 18 matches with the U-19 Women’s National Team, she scored 21 goals and offered up 13 assists. She was third in scoring on the U.S. side that won the first U-19 Women’s World Championship in September.
The Most Valuable Player for East Brunswick High School her first three seasons, she was named the New Jersey Player of the year as a junior in 2001 as she led her team to the state title and a No. 8 ranking in the final NSCAA/adidas National High School Ranking. She scored 136 goals in her high school career, an average of 34 per season. In club play, state titles had a habit of following where she went, first with the East Brunswick Dynamite (state crowns in 1994 and 1995), then with the PDA Splash, which won the last two state championships before she moved to the PDA Torpedoes.
Since Texas high schools compete during the winter season, Riffett currently is playing his season year for Brenham High School. A three-year letterman, he helped his team to the state 4A final as a sophomore while earning tournament Most Valuable Player and state player of the year honors. A two-time all-region and all-state selection, he was the co-district defensive MVP in 2001 and was named Brenham’s soccer MVP in 2002. Student Sports magazine named him the 2002 Winter Season Boys High School Player of the Year as a junior.
Playing club soccer for the Spring (Texas) Classics, he has participated in a number of prestigious tournaments, helping his team to championships in the South Texas State Tournament, the Plano Labor Day Tournament and the Disney Showcase while advancing to the final game at the Dallas Cup and the Raleigh Shootout. A member of the Texas State ODP team from 1996-2001, he has been part of the Region III ODP pool since 1998, progressing to the national pool in 1999 and earning roster spots on the U-17 national Team in 1999 and 2000. He has gained international experience, playing in Spain, Northern Ireland, France and Trinidad and Tobago.
As the High School Players of the Year, both automatically earn invitations to participate in the McDonald’s High School All American Soccer Games, which will be held in June in Charleston, S.C. The pair also will be honored during the 2003 NSCAA/adidas All-America Luncheon on Saturday, Jan. 18, as part of the 2003 NSCAA Convention Jan. 15-19 in Kansas City, Mo.
