Stacy Clinesmith Mead Year: Senior Sport: Soccer Position: Midfielder

Mead soccer coach Dick Cullen believes one fact perfectly defines Stacy Clinesmith.

“She finished with 16 goals in the regular season and then got eight more,” he said. “That’s got to tell you something. She scored in all the playoff games and in some she had two. She really stepped up.”

Spurred by Clinesmith, the Panthers won three playoff games to make the final four before finishing third in the State AAA playoffs. Mead lost to eventual state champion Shorecrest in a shootout and then beat Columbia River.

“I think I will always think we should have been in the last game,” she said. “Third place … once you think about it, that’s not bad … but I’ll probably always think we should have been in the finals.”

That intensity made Clinesmith the Greater Spokane League’s MVP her last two seasons.

“That was a strength of the team - we were so well rounded and deep, nobody relied on her alone,” Cullen said. “Yet we talked to her: If you get in a situation, especially on turf (at state), go for it. They supported her and encouraged her. … Her effort and intensity really picked up the whole group. I think she’s the best player in the state.” , DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo