AHOSKIE – Two years running Ian Kinlaw has been one of the state’s best.

In goal for the Ridgecroft Rams, Kinlaw paced the team to the North Carolina Independent School Athletic Association playoffs. In so doing, twice he has earned honors as All-State.

Despite his success on the field, Kinlaw insists the reason soccer is his favorite sport is because it doesn’t depend on a single player.

&uot;Soccer is my favorite sport because it’s the team sport,&uot; he said. &uot;There are no one man teams in soccer.&uot;

While Kinlaw insistence that soccer is a true team sport is true, Rams’ headmaster Elton Winslow and Athletic Director Doug Cobbs both emphasized the recent graduate’s success as being key to the team’s winning.

&uot;I’m no great connoisseur of soccer, but over the past couple of years, I’ve seen a lot of matches,&uot; Winslow said. &uot;I have not seen a goal keeper as good as Ian.

&uot;He’s been All-State for two years in a row and has done an outstanding job,&uot; Winslow continued. &uot;He kept the score low and kept us in a lot of games. If we needed a solid defensive stop, he gave it to us.&uot;

Cobbs agreed with Winslow’s assessment.

&uot;The reason our soccer program was able to be so successful the past two years is that Ian has kept games close and given us an opportunity to win,&uot; Cobbs said.

Kinlaw said he enjoyed playing goalie for the Rams.

&uot;I loved to stop the best forward on the other team,&uot; he said.

He will attempt to continue his success on the soccer field this fall when he attends Cape Fear Community College. There, Kinlaw will attempt to walk on to the soccer team with the goal of transferring and playing at a four-year school after his time at Cape Fear.

The Ridgecroft graduate said he was honored by the selection of All-State just as he was a year ago.

&uot;It’s one of the greatest honors,&uot; he said, &uot;to be put with some of the best players in the state and see if my game holds up.&uot;

As well as being named All-State, Kinlaw was chosen All-Coastal Plains Independent Conference and All-Region for the North Carolina Soccer Coaches Association. He was also chosen Most Valuable Player.

At Ridgecroft, Kinlaw was a member of the SADD Club and the AM’s.

He is the son of Mike and Susan Kinlaw.