Recently graduated Greenbrier East all-stater defender Adam Seams was named the Gatorade soccer state player of the year, released Friday.
Seams is the fourth Coalfield Conference player to be named a Gatorade state player of the year from the recently concluded school year, joining Shady Spring’s Meg Williams (volleyball), Independence’s Judah Prince (football) and James Monroe’s Eli Allen (basketball).
Seams, who led the Spartans to a 21-2 mark and the Class AAA state championship last fall, had 14 goals and eight assists but was also generally considered one of the state’s top defenders, anchoring a defense that posted 14 shutouts and allowed just 17 goals all season.
The Spartans rolled into the state championship after dethroning George Washington in a 3-3 (4-2 shootout) classic, ending the Patriots 12-year Region 3 championship reign. Seams had the equalizer in the first half knotting the score at 1-1.
Seams and his Spartans teammates then beat Wheeling Park and Spring Mills in the state tournament in Beckley.
Seams was named the 2022 coaches association defender of the year just two years after being selected as the midfielder of the year as a sophomore.
“Adam put that team on his back,” rival coach Steve Laraba of Woodrow Wilson said in the Gatorade release. “He can play with either foot and has great vision and passing ability. He has the tactical ability to play in the midfield or as a center back.”
Seams is the fourth Coalfield Conference player to be named a Gatorade state player of the year from the recently concluded school year, joining Shady Spring’s Meg Williams (volleyball), Independence’s Judah Prince (football) and James Monroe’s Eli Allen (basketball).
Seams was also a starter on the basketball team at Greenbrier East and was an honorable mention pick.
Seams has maintained a weighted 4.15 GPA in the classroom. He has signed a National Letter of Intent to play soccer and basketball at West Virginia University Tech in Beckley.
Seams has volunteered locally with Habitat for Humanity, and he has donated his time as a mentor for middle school students in addition to serving as a youth soccer referee.
Seams joins recent Gatorade West Virginia Boys Soccer Players of the Year Nick Ihnat (2021-22, George Washington High School), Jonas Branch (2020-21, Fairmont Senior High School), Khori Miles (2019-20, Robert C. Byrd High School), and Joseph Biafora (2018-19, University High School), among the state’s list of former award winners.
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls’ basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others as sources to help evaluate and determine the state winners in each sport.
