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Sugar River boys soccer earns national award
Sugar River Raiders

BELLEVILLE — The Sugar River Raiders boys soccer team were among the limited teams to be recognized nationally for their ethics, character and sportsmanship this past fall.

The United Soccer Coaches announced on Dec. 31 the Team Ethics and Sportsmanship Award recipients for high school programs competing in the fall season.

Eleven fall high school boys and girls teams received the United Soccer Coaches Platinum Team Ethics Award for completing the entire 2024 fall season without receiving either a yellow or red card.

In all, 53 fall season boys and girls teams received either the Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze version of the High School Team Ethics and Sportsmanship Award, which recognizes teams that exhibit fair play, sporting behavior and adherence to the laws of the game, as reflected by the number of yellow caution cards or red ejection cards they are shown by referees throughout the season based on the number of cards accumulated divided by the number of games played (i.e., 5 cards divided by 20 games played is 0.25 or 25%, which qualifies for a Silver Award).

Fourteen teams were recipients of the Gold Award, which is awarded to teams with a percentage of cards ranging from 1-10%.

A total of 18 teams claimed the Silver Award, which is given to teams that accumulate a percentage of cards ranging from 11-30%, while the Bronze Award went to 10 teams, which is presented to teams that accumulate a percentage of cards ranging from 31-50%.

●  Platinum: No cards accumulated during the season

●  Gold: Percentage of cards accumulated during the season ranging from 1-10%

●  Silver: Percentage of cards accumulated during the season ranging from 11-30%

●  Bronze: Percentage of cards accumulated during the season ranging from 31-50%

Sugar River’s boys soccer team was named a gold winner — the lone Wisconsin school recognized in the group. Fond du Lac and Middleton high school were the only other programs in the state to be recognized for this past fall. Fond du Lac was a silver recipient, and Middleton earned a Bronze recognition.