Coach’s Perspective: Breaking down the Massachusetts high school awards process

Needham (Mass.) High School's Dilin Meloni was an All-American last season. (Brian Kelly/NESJ)

Prior to the start of the 2022 fall high school soccer season, I was fortunate to be accepted onto the Board of Directors of the Eastern Massachusetts Soccer Coaches Association (EMSCA).

The EMSCA has 150 active members, all of whom are coaching at our local Eastern Massachusetts boys high school programs. The EMSCA Board is made up of volunteers, who look to support our local coaches and student-athletes. The EMSCA is in charge of the EMass All-Star Games, which take place the Friday after Thanksgiving each year. We also oversee the All-State selections and help select nominated and qualified players to All-New England, All-Region and All-America each year.

The process for being nominated and selected for these accolades vary, and one of the main reasons I was interested in joining the EMSCA was to better understand how the collective process worked, so that I could be better informed and so that I could support the Patriot League, where I coach.