Aaron Wilcox, who guided the Bangor Christian boys soccer team to an undefeated season and its sixth Class D state championship in the last eight years, has been named national high school boys soccer coach of the year in the private-parochial division by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
Wilcox’s recognition, as well as other national and regional coach of the year honorees — including Peter Belskis of Ashland District School — were announced by the NSCAA on Tuesday afternoon in a news release.
Wilcox, the 19th-year Patriots head coach, previously had received similar honors at the state and New England levels to qualify for national consideration and was among 10 finalists for the award.
Wilcox’s team finished the regular season seeded second in Class D North with a 14-0 record, then defeated No. 10 Easton, No. 3 Ashland and top-ranked and defending champion Fort Fairfield to win the regional championship before topping Greenville 4-1 in the state final.
The Patriots outscored their opposition 94-8 during their 18 victories.
The state crown was Bangor Christian’s seventh overall under Wilcox and first since the Patriots completed a run of five consecutive state championships in 2013. At the time, Bangor Christian was the first boys program in Maine to win five in a row (from 2009 through 2013) — a run that included a 64-match winning streak.
The regional championship was the Patriots’ seventh in the last eight years.
Wilcox has won numerous other coaching awards over the years, including in 2015 when he was named Region 1 Northeast coach of the year by the National Federation of State High School Associations.
Belskis was named the NSCAA’s New England girls soccer coach of the year in the small-school division for his efforts in leading Ashland to an undefeated season and its second Class D state championship in the last three years.
The Hornets went 14-0 during the regular season to earn the No. 1 seed in Class D North, then defeated Southern Aroostook of Dyer Brook, Central Aroostook of Mars Hill and Madawaska to win their third consecutive regional title.
Ashland then outlasted defending state champion Richmond 2-1 in double overtime to win the state crown. That marked the third straight meeting between those schools for the gold ball, with Ashland winning in 2014 and 2016.
The Hornets outscored their opposition this fall by a combined 135-9.
