Teresa Ford, school board president, left, reads Monday, July 16, from a resolution the board passed to honor the Bay Port girls’ soccer team on its D1 state championship victory. Ben Rodgers Photo

By Press Staff

SUAMICO – The Bay Port girls’ soccer team was on tour Monday, July 16, to receive recognition for its state championship victory.

On Saturday, June 16, Bay Port Defeated Sheboygan North 3-1 en route to the team’s first-ever WIAA Division 1 state title and a 24-1 season.

This is the fourth team from Bay Port to win a state title behind the baseball teams of 2008-09 and 2009-10 and the track team of 2015.

On Monday the team was honored by the Howard-Suamico school board and the Suamico village board.

“They had an agenda and a goal in mind and they worked really hard the entire season and they came away with the gold ball this year, the state championship,” said Brooke Mraz, head coach in front of the school board.

Senior Erika Hess was named the Fox River Classic Conference offensive player of the year, and all-state honorable mention, while sophomore Emma Nagel was named first team all-state at forward.

Mraz was named the Division 1 coach of the year for Wisconsin, and sophomore Alaina Abel was named second-team all-state from her defensive position.

“I’m only as good as the players, they motive me, they encourage me to become better every day,” Mraz said. “So it truly is a team effort, it really is.”

Teresa Ford, board president said the team is being honored for its “spectacular dedication, work efforts, teamwork, collaboration, creative problem solving, etc.”

Superintendent Damian LaCroix said the drive of the team is something board members and district leaders should look to for inspiration in never giving up.

“I think it’s hard to get to state, it’s harder to return to state, and it’s even harder to win the championship game,” LaCroix said.

Eight members of the team later attended the village board meeting where they received a plaque from Suamico President Laura Nelson with the proclamation honoring the team for this year’s state title.

The proclamation from Nelson noted the village of Suamico is “filled with excitement and pride because the Bay Port High School girls’ soccer team has had an outstanding 2018 season and has won their first-ever state title…”

“I further encourage all Howard-Suamico citizens to acknowledge the achievements made by the girls’ soccer team and thank them for representing the villages of Howard and Suamico,” Nelson concluded in the proclamation.