Valenta leads Grafton sextet of honored kickers

The best season since Jason Rogers took over Grafton High School’s soccer program in 2022 came with a fitting number of postseason honors led by a star.

Junior forward Katelyn Valenta scored 22 goals and had six assists in leading the North Shore Conference in goals and points, earning a spot on the NSC first team and all-state honorable mention.

She helped lead the Hawks to a 4-2 mark in the NSC, good for third place, a Division 3 regional title and a record of 14-4. The Hawks’ only home loss was to New Berlin West in a sectional semifinal. They notched victories over Division 4 state qualifier Random Lake/Ozaukee and recent Division 4 powerhouse Cedar Grove-Belgium.

Valenta played with the Hawks as a freshman, then played club last year before returning to the prep squad this season.

“It was well deserved. The pace, the ability to finish. She took her chances well and she’s getting credit for it, which is good to see,” Rogers said.

Valenta’s speed and skill aren’t her only features.

“She’s got a lot of pace, but she’s got a lot of work ethic. She chases down loose balls,” Rogers said.

He said he and his coaching staff knew Valenta would be a good player as a freshman, but they didn’t see this coming. She plays defense for her club team.

“It turned out a lot better for us than we had hoped,” Rogers said.

Five other Hawks were honored by NSC coaches, including senior midfielder Brayleigh Sumner, who received recognition all four years of high school. She earned honorable mention as a freshman and sophomore, was named to the second team as a junior, and this season was named to the first team.

Sumner led the conference with 12 assists, was tied for seventh with eight goals and served as a co-captain for the second straight season.

“Unless we needed to talk to her about something or calm her down emotionally, she played 80 minutes,” Rogers said.

Sumner and senior Olivia Ruff, who earned honorable mention, started with one victory as freshmen. They ended with 29 career wins, nearly half coming this season.

“To turn it around and kind of help us create the style of play and how we wanted the program to look and feel,” Rogers said.

Junior forward Ava Dotson had six goals and three assists. She earned a spot on the NSC second team.

“If she poured in a few more stats you could make an argument for first team. She showed her ability to get down that line,” Roger said, praising Dotson’s pace and work rate.

Dotson earned honorable mention last season.

“She’s evolved as a player, gotten more confident,” Rogers said. “Similar to Katelyn, it’s how do we get more out of her.”

Dotson is also a vocal presence that Rogers hopes to hone.

“She has that aura about her in practice or in games. It’s just a matter of getting her to focus into the positive side a little more.”

The Hawks had three honorable mentions.

Ruff scored three goals and had four assists as a co-captain in the midfield, rarely coming out of a game like Sumner, but her value to the Hawks went beyond numbers.

“Despite not having the stats, she did everything else for us,” Rogers said. “Win balls out of the air — that was her. Win tackles — that was her, when we need a player to slow the game down — that was her.”

The team voted Ruff as its most valuable player.

Mila Dotson, who plays wing on the opposite side of the field from her sister Ava, made her mark as a freshman. Her 12 goals tied for third in the conference and her seven assists tied for second.

“She has a lot of raw talent. If we can harness that and coach her up a little bit, she’s going to be a force to reckon with in years to come,” Rogers said.

“To have this as her first year is a huge thing that bodes well for her. You hope she takes it in stride. She’s not the type of person who would let it get to her head.”

Junior defender June Weiland kept the Hawks cool.

“When you need a calm presence in the back, someone who’s not going to make a mistake and make the right decision,” it’s Weiland, Rogers said.

“Year after year she is just consistent, most consistent defender. She makes up for a lot of mistakes we have.”

While Sumner and Ruff will be tough to replace, and the Hawks lose senior reserve player Hailey Miller, Rogers said he is excited that 17 of the 20 players return to a high-quality team.

“There’s an understanding of where we want to be now. They’ve got that pain of a loss that will hopefully push them this year,” he said. “We’re hoping that this is the beginning of a long run for us.”