Photo Courtesy of Hillcrest Academy Yearbook

The Hillcrest Academy Raven soccer team found success on the pitch this spring, and the postseason awards extend beyond the field of play. Hillcrest head coach Marcus Miller was named Southeast Iowa Superconference Co-Coach of the Year for 2024. The Ravens scored 49 goals this season and ended the year with a +32 goal differential. Hillcrest had 37 assists, 151 shots on goal, and 63 corner kicks on the season. They were led offensively by Micah Gerber’s 15 goals and 36 shots on goal. Seth Ours had 11 helpers to lead the team. Defensively, the Ravens were ninth in Class 1A with an 86% team save percentage with Kyle Neuschwander and Andrew Kauffman combining to stop 73 shots and allow just 13 goals in more than 1100 minutes of game action. The Hillcrest defense finished with seven shut out wins this season.

The Ravens placed six on All-Superconference teams including first teamers, juniors Micah Gerber and Mason Bender, second team junior Mason Helmuth and honorable mention selections juniors Seth Ours and Bryce Bailey and sophomore Rowan Miller.

Marcus Miller also hit the impressive 300 career win milestone in the campaign with a 2-1 victory over Danville April 18th. Hillcrest won the Southeast Iowa Superconference Championship with an 8-2 record, their first league title since 2019. The Ravens ended the season with a 10-4 overall mark. Miller was named Co-Superconference Coach of the Year, sharing the award with Danville’s Eric Pealer.