Written by Scott Nickerson
News from Elmore Autauga
Brittany Myers took the pictures.
For just the second time in school history, the Stanhope Elmore boys’ soccer team in 2025 made it to the Class 6A playoffs. In the regular season, the Mustangs dominated the local competition, defeating county rival Wetumpka 8-0 at home and 3-0 in Wetumpka, as well as defeating Percy Julian by the 10-goal mercy rule in both games. In the Class 6A playoffs, the Mustangs defeated Russell County 9-0 in the opening round and defeated Pike Road by penalty kicks in the second round. Because of that accomplishment, Richie Beyer, the head coach, was named the Elmore County Soccer Coach of the Year by the Elmore Autauga News.
Coach Beyer remarked, “I think it’s a great honor for our team and school.” In the history of SEHS, this team will have a particular place. I am extremely honored to have accompanied them on their journey, since they are only the second team to qualify for the AHSAA Elite Eight.
According to Max Preps, the Mustangs shared a common opponent in Wetumpka, but they did not face three of the other four county teams. Wetumpka tied Tallassee and defeated Holtville and Elmore County. The Mustangs were clearly the best boys’ team in Elmore County after defeating that same Indians club by a cumulative score of 11-0 in two games.
The Mustangs put together one of the most difficult regular season schedules in history, despite the inability to book games against other county teams. During the regular season, Stanhope Elmore visited Hewitt-Trussville (7A), Hoover (7A), Pelham (6A), and Enterprise (7A). Montgomery Academy (7A), Thompson (7A), Chelsea (6A), and Mountain Brook (6A) were all hosted by them. Finally, the Mustangs participated in two tournaments, competing against Prattville (7A), Calera (6A), and St. Paul’s (6A).
Despite a difficult schedule, the Mustangs managed to finish with a 15-8-3 record.
“We had 13 seniors at the top of our team,” Beyer added. The majority of our seniors have been with us since seventh grade and are exceptionally talented both on and off the field. This senior class is the most accomplished in SE soccer history, both academically and athletically. At the close of the 2024 season, we saw that this season had the potential to be extremely memorable because of the underclassmen and their talent.
To illustrate Beyer’s claim, both Colby Beyer, the salutatorian, and CJ Allen, the SEHS valedictorian, played soccer. Football players Dominic Jones, Tristen Jones, Trent Wineburg, Jake Graham, and Jay Myers were also in the top 10 percent of the 2025 graduating class.
After scoring 30 goals during the season, SEHS Thomas Richardson was selected to the Class 6A 2ndTeam All-State. For the second consecutive year, Myers and Wineburg were both voted Honorable Mention All-State. All three have committed to attending college on scholarships in order to play at a higher level.
Beyer expects that Mustang teams in the future will continue to perform at the same level as the 2025 squad.
I hope our guys keep pushing themselves to be the best at all they do. The standard for our program has been raised by this year’s squad. Coach Angelo created a program that has played some of the top teams in the state for the past ten and a half years. The 2025 team faced opponents in the Top 10 of 6A or 7A in more than 40% of our games. At all three levels of our programs for boys and girls, we want to keep fostering a culture that supports that way of thinking.
