By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

During the 2017 season, LaGrange High’s Maggie Asbell was one of the most explosive scorers in the state.

Asbell finished her junior season with 35 goals as she helped lead LaGrange to the Class AAAA quarterfinals.

Flash forward a year and Asbell was once again an elite player for the Lady Grangers, although her role was a different one.

Asbell was more of a defensive-oriented player, although she still managed to score 10 goals.

Asbell’s good work didn’t go unrecognized.

The all-Region 5-AAAA team was released last week, and Asbell was named the defensive player of the year.

Maggie Asbell in essence took over the role occupied by her sister Hannah Asbell, who was a senior on the outstanding 2017 team.

The two Asbell sisters, by the way, will soon be reunited as members of the soccer team at Georgia College and State University.

“Hannah was the best player on the team,” Maggie Asbell said. “Nobody could get by her. Defenders usually don’t get enough credit.”

Asbell is joined on the all-region team by plenty of her teammates, while Troup also has a representative.

On the boys’ side, LaGrange and Troup have a combined 13 players on the all-region team.

On the girls’ all-region team, Maggie Asbell was joined on the first team by Caroline Thompson, who was LaGrange’s leading scorer with 20 goals.

Thompson made the biggest goal of the season for LaGrange when she scored late in a 1-0 victory over Cartersville that wrapped up a second consecutive region championship.

Also earning a first-team selection was Adreanna Creed, a defensive standout for Troup.

For LaGrange, Sydney Ormsby, Devon Taylor, Ema Mathews and Maurie White made the second team.

Ormsby was LaGrange’s second-leading scorer with 17 goals, and White was a standout goal keeper.

LaGrange put three players on the boys’ all-region first team, including Liam McDonald, who capped his prep career by scoring 24 goals.

Max Halcomb and Grayson Bartley, two other LaGrange standouts, were also first-team selections.

Making the second team for LaGrange were Robert Reese, Harrison Hunnicutt and Austin Stamper.

Myles Sargent and Hunter Morgan, who both enjoyed strong senior seasons, were second-team picks on the all-region team.

LaGrange’s honorable-mention picks were Alex Bowie and goal keeper Jack DeVane.

Troup’s Jaquez Williams, Jacob Kimball and Domingo Martinez earned honorable-mention nods.