Queen of the Hill: Sutter leader earns MVP

One of the architects of Sutter High's dominance is ready to just concentrate on being an architect.

The leading scorer in Huskies' history doesn't foresee a pitch in her future — just protractors. This soccer-playing salutatorian would rather be in lecture than running laps.

Jaymi Hill's senior year, then, was quite the swan song. Hill's farewell tour: A 29-goal, 24-assist senior year where the striker helped her team by playing half the season as a sweeper. With Hill's leadership, the Huskies won their sixth straight Northern Section title, ensuring her status as the Appeal-Democrat's All-Area girls soccer MVP.

"She helped us out tremendously," said Huskies coach Jeff Stanhope. "She basically just took over and helped me take the reigns.

"Any question, it was, 'Hey Jaymi, how do I do this?'" he said. "And she would take care of it."

Stanhope had the challenge of replacing former Huskies head Jason Spain, a well-established coach who turned the Huskies into a power before heading to Minot State in North Dakota.

Hill had the challenge of proving that Sutter's dominance didn't just come from having a quality coach. She and a talented group did just that.

It was nice to kind of have a new coach to show it wasn't all (Spain)," she said. "It was us players as well."

For Sutter (17-1-1), this season's path to a title could be viewed as easier because the Huskies dropped down a division. Still, regardless, Hill's seven playoff goals in two games pops out when looking at her stat sheet.

It's performances like that which show Hill is now among the players she started at with awe in eighth grade. It was the first time she saw the Huskies play, and she was intimidated.

Now she's the best scorer in team history, ending her career with 100.

"It's amazing to be among the greats," said Hill, who started rattling off former Sutter players she looked up to.

Soccer didn't consume all of Hill's passion though. This striker can also study. Her senior year schedule — four AP classes plus honors Spanish — screams ambitious. When she walked, she did so with a 4.19 GPA. Now it's onto college, where Hill wants to go to Cosumnes River before transferring to Ball State or Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

From there, the tunnel vision is turned to architecture. The thought of walking-on is a flickering but an almost extinguished light, she said, adding studies come first. Even during a couple practices with a competitive team this summer, she discovered she wasn't "missing it that much."

But though she's comfortable with the idea of walking away from a game she's played since she was four, there will always be that shiny reminder of an incredible four-year run on her left hand.

For every test, late-night study session, group project and final exam, Hill can gain confidence by looking at her title ring, a sliver and blue-jewel encrusted tribute to the Huskies' success while she was wearing No. 10:

— The 100 goals and 69 assists; Four Northern Section titles; 129-0 record in section, 48-0 in league.

It's why she "never" wants to take it off.