Nathan Maynard excelled at any position for Chambersburg
The first thing you need to know about Nathan Maynard is that it's obvious opposing coaches respect his game.
That's why Maynard, Chambersburg's senior do-everything player, was voted as the Mid Penn Commonwealth Division Player of the Year in boys soccer. He is believed to be the first Trojan player to ever receive that honor.
And now he has another - Maynard is also the Public Opinion Boys Soccer Player of the Year.
All you need to do is watch Maynard play for a while and you can see why awards like that have come his way.
He makes runs with or without the ball. He recovers well on defense. He will stretch the field on offense. He will make a strong tackle and play physical. He can use his skills to dribble past defenders. He makes his teammates better with his sharp passing. And he can finish a scoring chance.
"He's a special player," Trojan coach Corey Grove said. "He has great technical ability and athleticism, and could play anywhere."
Maynard not only could play anywhere, he did play every position except for goalkeeper. When the Trojans lost midfielder John Ramirez to an injury before the season, Maynard accepted even more responsibility.
"If John could have played this year I could have stayed up top," Maynard said, "and we could have shifted some other players around. I ended up playing a lot of positions."
Grove said, "We did move him around, but he was the best player on the field wherever we put him."
In a 2-0 win at Cumberland Valley early in the season that highlighted a 10-game unbeaten streak, Maynard put in a lot of time at center back and defensive midfielder, positions he sometimes plays with his LDC club team.
"That was a tough game," Maynard said. "We got a quick goal, and I had told Corey that if we did get ahead early I could move back to holding midfielder. We ended up winning and that put us on a good run."
That unbeaten streak was halted by a 1-0 loss to Lower Dauphin, which went on to finish an undefeated season with a PIAA championship.
The Trojans finished 10-5-3, but closed the season with a frustrating loss in penalty kicks to Ephrata in the first round of the District 3 Class 4A tournament.
Maynard said, "We had some games early I thought we played really well but we couldn't score. Then it was like we either played well or not so well - there was no middle ground."
Maynard began playing soccer when he was 4, joining in with the neighborhood kids even though he was the youngest. He progressed from AYSO to elementary school to CYSA to club teams.
"I think it's an interesting sport in that the best team isn't always going to win," he said. "And you can play just for fun anytime and still compete. Like in practice, me and Ryley (Reed) always talked smack and competed with each other."
Maynard plans to take his talents to college, but has not decided where yet. He does want to become a physical therapist, following in the footsteps of both of his parents.
"I'll need to get into some lifting before college," he said, "because college soccer is more physical and the pace is faster."
But it shouldn't be a problem for a Commonwealth MVP.
Nathan Maynard file
School: Chambersburg
Grade: Senior
Position: Mid/for/def
Height: 5-foot-10
Parents: Mark and Laurie Maynard
Surprising fact: Maynard likes to play ultimate frisbee.
Favorite team: Everton
Favorite player: Luka Modric of Real Madrid
Statistics: This fall, Maynard scored 9 goals and had 7 assists ... His career totals were 20 goals and 19 assists ... He was named the MVP of the Mid Penn Commonwealth Division.