The Bainbridge High School Bearcats and Lady Cats soccer teams were honored for their strong 2012 seasons at their annual awards banquet Thursday night at West Bainbridge Elementary School.

Coach Jamie Ard’s Bearcats won the Region 1-AAAA South Sub-Region championship and advanced to the first round of the State Class AAAA playoffs.

In the first round of the State Class AAAA playoffs, the Bearcats, who finished with a strong record of 14-5, lost 4-0 to the Richmond Hill High School Wildcats. The game was scoreless at the end of the first half.

Coach Chip Ariail’s Lady Cats finished the regular season 7-7-1 and dropped a 9-1 decision to the Warner Robins High School Lady Demons in the first round of the regional tournament.

Co-winners of the Bearcats forward of the year award were Emilio Hernandez and Daniel Provence. Hernandez had 22 goals and seven assists, and Provence had 16 goals and nine assists.

Goalkeeper Dominic Douglas and defender Lenorris Flanders were co-winners of the most improved player award.

Luis Mejia captured the midfielder of the year award. He scored 13 goals and had 15 assists. He also won the academic award for having a 93.33 grade point average, the highest on the team.

Joining Mejia as scholar-athletes were Daniel Provence, Dexter Legace and Agapito Estala.

Ard presented a character award to Dexter Legace, who he praised for being a selfless individual who puts the team and others before himself.

Villeser Sarmiento won the defender of the year award. Ard said he was “the rock” of the Bearcats’ defense.

“Villeser held together a young back line of defense this year,” Ard said. “There were many occasions when he made up for mistakes others made in front of him, to keep the opposition from scoring a sure goal. In short, he is an outstanding young man and an outstanding player.”

Earning first-team All-Regon 1-AAAA honors were Luis Mejia, Emilio Hernandez and Villeser Sarmiento. Daniel Provence and Josh Carlos earned second-team honors.

The Lady Cats’ most valuable offensive player was Savannah Cook and their co-most valuable defensive players were Caitlin Cato and Tiffany Hand. Cato was an honorable mention All-Region 1-AAAA selection.

Cook, a midfielder and captain, led the team in goals with 17 and also had four assists. During her four-year career, she played in 60 games, scored 25 goals and had 13 assists.

Cato had six assists and Hand had two goals and one assist.

The co-most improved Lady Cats were Anissa Jackson and Brianna Williams, who had six shutouts as a goalkeeper.

Charlton Reynolds, a midfielder and captain, won the midfielder award. She had 12 goals and eight assists. A first-team All-Region 1-AAAA selection in 2011 and 2012, she scored 26 goals and had 17 assists in her four-year 58 game career.

The newcomer award went to forward Jennifer Becerra, an honorable mention All-Region 1-AAAA performer who had 13 goals and eight assists. The academic award for the highest grade point average on the team went to Amber Braswell, with a 94 average.