TRAVERSE CITY — Sidney Peters and Riley Collins have been best friends since third grade.
So it’s only fitting in the years since, they turned into two of the best at what they do.
The Traverse City St. Francis seniors are this year’s Record-Eagle girls soccer co-Players of the Year.
“We’re the same person,” Collins joked.
Only appropriate they share the honor.
They first hung out together at a daddy-daughter dance in third grade. The rest is history. And goals. A lot of goals.
Peters ended her high school career with 77 goals scored and 72 assists, earning honorable mention all-state as a freshman, and first-team honors the following three seasons.
Collins finished up with 71 goals and 64 assists. She earned honorable mention all-state as a sophomore, third-team all-state her junior year and first-team all-state this spring.
“The two, they’re just natural leaders,” St. Francis girls soccer coach Scott Conway said. “They’re not only leading the team, but they motivate each other. I love that friendly competition. But they root for each other so much. Even though they’re competing to see who has the most goals or assists, they celebrate the most when the other scores a goal.”
The pair helped fuel St. Francis’ historic season that saw the school win its first regional and advance to the state semifinals.
“That was insane,” Peters said. “The team environment was so good.”
“It was fun to be a captain when people were so open to listening and learning,” Collins said.
By the time their outstanding freshman class turned into seniors, the hopes early on were to make some history in a sport at St. Francis that had always been good, but hadn’t broken through to that next level.
“From the beginning, we had higher expectations,” Peters said. “From the first day of practice, coach said, ‘This is going to be a state run.’ We were thinking about it from the very beginning.”
Expectations didn’t turn into pressure, but instead motivation.
“It was more like fuel on the fire,” Collins said. “Obviously, you’re trying to have fun and enjoy it.”
Interestingly, they weren’t on the same team until high school, although they frequently practiced against each other over the years. With birthdays at different parts of the calendar, they were usually an age group apart, even though they were almost inseparable the rest of the time.
Club soccer last year was the first time they were on the same travel team.
“We see each other all day every day at school,” Collins said. “During the school year, we joke we see each other more than our families.”
Both started playing soccer at age 5, starting to get more serious around third grade.
“I sat on the bench so long,” Collins said. “I probably never left the bench in third grade, or even fourth.”
She worked on her foot skills a lot during the COVID-19 pandemic, working on dribbling between cones with her mom.
Both also started out as defenders and were for a long time, moving to more attacking roles early in high school.
Collins started at outside back, working her way to center midfield and then eventually forward.
“I knew we needed to get them up in the attack,” Conway said, adding that the Gladiators had plenty of other defensive players.
Peters, not shockingly, was on a similar path, beginning at center back before moving up to attacking midfield.
“COVID was kind of the switching point when my technique was really developing,” Peters said. “Just doing that on your own and having the initiative to do that made you work into a better player.”
Peters plans to major in biology and pre-medicine at Denison University — a Division III school about a half-hour drive east of Columbus, Ohio — while playing soccer.
She committed last summer, also looking at Ohio Wesleyan, Wooster, Hope, Alma and Calvin.
“I knew I wanted a smaller school for academics,” Peters said.
Collins is giving up her playing days, majoring in nursing and pre-med at Michigan.
“We’re probably going to Facetime a lot,” Collins said. “We’ve run out of things to talk about. We need new material.”
LARGE SCHOOL DREAM TEAM
Offensive Player of the Year: Avery Plummer, TC West
Defensive Player of the Year: Evelyn Duberg, TC West
Goalie of the Year: Madie Augustine, Gaylord
Coach of the Year: Chris Adams, Gaylord
Freshman of the Year: Ava Frost, TC Central
Madie Augustine, Gaylord, Sr.
Kylie Ball, TC Central, Sr.
Josie Bensinger, Gaylord, So.
Sofia Bird, TC Central, Sr.
Nora Buttleman, TC West, Jr.
Ella Cherwinski, Gaylord, Jr.
Sophia Clough, Cadillac, Sr.
Kaydence Culver, TC West, Sr.
Piper Drzweicki, Gaylord, Jr.
Raygen Drzweicki, Gaylord, So.
Evelyn Duberg, TC West, Jr.
Ava Frost, TC Central, Fr.
Jordyn Kelly, TC Central, Jr.
Harper Nelson, TC West, Sr.
Claire O’Donnell, Petoskey, Sr.
Dezi Plichta, Petoskey, Sr.
Avery Plummer, TC West, Sr.
Kathleen Robinson, Petoskey, So.
Isla Scheib, Petoskey, So.
Khloe VanOsten, Gaylord, So.
Gracie Zuback, Cadillac, Sr.
SMALL SCHOOL DREAM TEAM
Offensive Player of the Year: Stefi Reskevics, Harbor Springs
Defensive Player of the Year: Grace Rowe, TC St. Francis
Goalie of the Year: Pasleigh Upshaw, TC St. Francis
Coach of the Year: Aaron Riley, Harbor Springs/Scott Conway, TC St. Francis
Freshman of the Year: Claire Godden, Elk Rapids/Maeve Riley, Harbor Springs
Ariah Amin, Leland, So.
Lilly Barnadyn, Harbor Springs, Sr.
Sophie Barnadyn, Harbor Springs, Sr.
Natasha Beebe, Elk Rapids, Jr.
Carlee Bingham, Elk Rapids, Jr.
Sierra Boilore, Elk Rapids, Sr.
Riley Collins, TC St. Francis, Sr.
Lilly Connor, Leland, Jr.
Claire Godden, Elk Rapids, Fr.
Lillian McShannock, Harbor Springs, So.
Reese Muma, TC St. Francis, Sr.
Brynn Odette, TC St. Francis, So.
Sidney Peters, TC St. Francis, Sr.
Stefi Reskevics, Harbor Springs, Jr.
Maeve Riley, Harbor Springs, Fr.
Grace Rowe, TC St. Francis, Sr.
Paisleigh Upshaw, TC St. Francis, Sr.
Megan U’Ren, Suttons Bay, Sr.
SECOND TEAM
Lillian Bardenhagen, TC West, Jr.
Makayla Birgy, Kingsley, Jr.
Makenna Brey, Harbor Springs, So.
Jennica Cherven, Cadillac, Sr.
Harper Fortuna, TC West, Fr.
Tierney Hartman, Grayling, Sr.
Jordyn Kelly, TC Central, Jr.
Alyssa Kovacevich, Cadillac, Jr.
Claire Krajniak, Gaylord, So.
Marissa Manchester, Kalkaska, So.
Kaelyn Matelski, Boyne City, Sr.
Bridget McHugh, Boyne City, Sr.
Cora Meyer, Suttons Bay, Fr.
Willa Murray, Leland, Sr.
Lydia Owens, Cadillac, Sr.
Audrey Potter, Charlevoix, Fr.
Maggie Pryde, TC Central, Jr.
Taylor Randolph, Glen Lake, Jr.
Ruby Rhein, TC St. Francis, Fr.
Emilee Robinson, Kingsley, Sr.
Madylin Smith, Petoskey, Jr.
Lily VanWagoner, TC Central, So.
Addi Waskiewicz, Leland, Sr.
Naomi Wiers, Charlevoix, Fr.
Lorna Wiesen, Leland, Sr.
HONORABLE MENTION
Clarice Bardenhagen, Suttons Bay, Sr.; Lizzie Bassett, Harbor Springs, Sr.; Estelle Bellner, Elk Rapids, Jr.; Kylie Bender, Kingsley, So.; Vida Benghauser, TC Central, Fr.; Addy Burns, Boyne City, Jr.; Julia Clarke, Harbor Springs, Jr.; Brook Cooper, Glen Lake, Fr.; Madalynn Dean, Elk Rapids, Fr.; Josie Deering, TC Central, Fr.; Grace Denike, Kalkaska, Jr.; Aaliyah Hillier, Kalkaska, So.; Lola Hirsch, TC St. Francis, So.; Lillian Kline, Charlevoix, So.; Melia Maris, Elk Rapids, Jr.; Hanna Miller, Charlevoix, Sr.; Cecilia Nadeau, Boyne City, Jr.; Addison Parks, Boyne City, Jr.; Noelle Peron, TC West, So.; Mackenzie Schaub, Suttons Bay, Sr.; Molly Schichtel, Kingsley, So.; Madelyn Simerson, TC St. Francis, Jr.; Piper Smith, Elk Rapids, Fr.; Keeley Standfest, TC St. Francis, Fr.; Abigail Steffke, Glen Lake, Jr.; Quincy Stirling, Grayling, Sr.; Blaise Sytsma-Reed, Charlevoix, Sr.; Molly Weaver, Grayling, So.; Ada Wetherbee, Suttons Bay, Jr.; Lily Wierema, Elk Rapids, Fr.; Adelaide Wiers, Charlevoix, Jr.; Elle Wilson, Boyne City, Jr.; Allesyn VanNuck, Grayling, Jr.; Lily VanWagoner, TC Central, So.