Ashley Bares "best of the rest?"

Ashley Bares, who twice scored a state-record 69 goals in a season, who set the all-time state scoring record with 226, who ranks seventh all-time nationally with that total, was named a "best of the rest" player in the Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association's All-State Team.

Now, the WSCA coaches who vote on things seem to be all right when it comes to their weekly state rankings; the top teams are usually right there on top.

(This is the opposite of the Wisconsin Volleyball Coaches Association, by the way, which often times doesn't have the state's best teams even represented in its weekly poll.)

But leaving Bares off the All-State team - and the second-team All-State squad - is pretty mind boggling.

It can't be due to a lack of team success. Bares helped lead Ozaukee to four WIAA Division 3 state tournament appearances. The Warriors won two state titles in that span, and thus she should be pretty well-known at this point.

It can't be because colleges aren't looking at her. She signed a national letter of intent with NCAA Division I Marquette University before the season began.

Can it be because she plays on a Division 3 team? This must be it, but the WSCA should be embarrassed to simply make this kind of statement, that there are no worthy players on any Division 3 team, ever.

Or maybe the association just doesn't get it. One player from the Appleton area, who earned a full ride to Iowa State University, received no mention. According to the WSCA, she's not even a "best of the rest."

--Adam Thompson