Seneca Valley senior Matt Happ returned from a season-ending knee injury last year to lead the Raiders to the WPIAL finals this season. He has been named Butler Eagle Boys Soccer Player of the Year.

JACKSON TWP — Seneca Valley's boys soccer team caught a glimpse of Matt Happ in 2015.

This past season, the Raiders received his abilities in full.

Happ scored seven goals in three games before his junior campaign was cut short with a knee injury.

The forward returned to spearhead SV's offense this fall and he responded by scoring 17 goals and adding seven assists for the Raiders, who won the Section 1-AAAA championship before reaching the WPIAL finals and state quarterfinals.

Happ was recently named all-state, getting more votes than any other boys player, in any class, across Pennsylvania.

He has been named the Butler Eagle's 2016 Boys Soccer Player of the Year for his efforts. Karns City's Spenser Myers and Mars' Cory Ferguson were also considered for the honor.

“The biggest thing with Matt is his speed,” said SV coach George Williams. “He also has a nose for the goal. When he gets the ball, you can tell he's looking to get to the net.

“If he couldn't get the goal himself, he'd look to get the ball to a teammate.”

The Raiders graduated the vast majority of their offense from last year's team that reached the state championship game. Prior to this season, Williams and his assistants decided to go with a different plan.

“We changed our formation to a 4-2-3-1 to build around the players we had,” said Happ. “We didn't score a bunch of goals, but in a lot of games, we'd score one and that would be the difference. We all helped each other and stepped up to the challenge.”

With the strategy the Raiders employed, they needed a talented striker at the top of the formation. Williams saw Happ as that player, even though he was coming back from an injury.

“We knew we were going to rely heavily on Matt for goals,” said Williams. “We were very hopeful that he could play well for us and he didn't disappoint.”

However, there was a period when Happ was unsure of his role with the team.

“We went to a summer camp up in Edinboro before tryouts,” he said. “I wasn't scoring as much as I thought I would and I wasn't sure I would be able to play the way I needed to. I was a little hesitant.

“But all of the help I got, from my teammates, coaches and physical therapist, it made a big difference.”

Happ does want to play in college, though he is undecided where that will happen. He hopes to make a decision in the next few months. Until then, he will try to put into perspective his all-state selection.

“It's truly an honor,” he said. “It means a lot to me because I doubted myself after the injury. Honestly, it really hasn't sunk in yet.”

The Butler Eagle's 2016 Boys Soccer Honor Roll was determined by the Eagle sports staff, based on recommendations from area coaches:ForwardsTate Mohney (Butler) sophomore, 7 goals, 8 assistsJace Stutz (Butler), senior, 5 goals, 1 assistBryce Hanby (Freeport), junior, 25 goals, 12 assists, team's Offensive MVPMatt Happ (Seneca Valley), senior, all-state, 17 goals, 7 assistsCaleb Robb (Knoch), junior, 19 goals, Section Co-Player of YearJoe Kearney (CW North Catholic), freshman, 30 goalsCorey Heim (Mars), junior, 11 goals, 11 assistsChase Baxa (Slippery Rock), senior, 22 goals, 6 assistsRyan Fagan (Grove City), senior, 20 goals, 8 assistsNoah Pollock (Karns City), senior, 35 goals, 29 assistsJace Ebbitt (Karns City), senior, 23 goals, school-record 32 assistsMidfieldersJoel Stutz (Butler), senior, 5 goals, 5 assistsKevin Lynch (Freeport), senior, 14 goals, 10 assists, team MVPRobbie Reichenbaugh (Freeport), senior, 9 goals, 5 assistsThomas Washington (Seneca Valley), senior, all-sectionZach McVicker (Seneca Valley), senior, 4 goals, 2 assistsCory Ferguson (Mars), junior, 18 goals, 13 assists, Co-Section Player of YearSpencer Hnath (Mars), senior, 3 goals, 8 assistsNick Stutz (Slippery Rock), senior, 12 goals, 5 assistsRyan Davey (Slippery Rock), freshman, 12 goals, 7 assistsWyatt Grimm (Grove City), 16 goals, 12 assistsSpenser Myers (Karns City), senior, school-record 64 goals, 18 assists, league MVPDefendersAdam Kvarta (Freeport), juniorSam Patry (Seneca Valley), seniorMatt Stopar (Seneca Valley), senior, 4 goalsMatt Gore (Knoch), junior, all-sectionColeman Brands (Knoch), junior, all-sectionJosh Rivetti (CW North Catholic), senior, 4 goals, 4 assists, Section Player of YearLucas Mowery (Mars), senior, 4 goals, 7 assistsCaleb Brake (Mars), senior, 2 goals, 5 assistsNoah Claypoole (Karns City), senior, 2 goals, 1 assistGoalkeepersAustin Uric (Freeport), senior, All-WPIAL, 6 section shutoutsDylan Good (Seneca Valley), senior, school-record 17 shutouts and 0.26 goals-against averageAndy Pipes (Knoch), junior, team's Player of YearNathan Paras (CW North Catholic), sophomore, 10 shutouts*Statistics provided by coaches