RICHLANDS \u2013 Isaiah Betton put in the work leading to his junior soccer season at Richlands.<\/p>\n
Just ask coach Mike Roed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIsaiah went to Spain for two weeks in the summer and played club there … and when he came back after that type of training, he just stepped up to another level,\u201d Roed said. \u201cAnd when he says he watches tape, he breaks everything down, and he watches professional teams play. He\u2019s a student of the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Betton\u2019s work paid off.<\/p>\n
The junior forward set the Wildcats\u2019 single-season goal-scoring mark with 44 to help Richlands (19-3-2, 11-1 Coastal 5-A\/6-A Conference) to its first conference title since 2006.<\/p>\n
As a result, Betton is The Daily News Player of the Year for the 2025 area high school boys\u2019 soccer season.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe started seeing Isaiah step up towards the end of his sophomore year, but we did not know he was going to explode during his junior year,\u201d Roed said. \u201cHe did the work in the offseason, and he continues to work.\u201d<\/p>\n
Betton entered the season having already been one of the area\u2019s better players.<\/p>\n
As a sophomore, he was named all-state and first-team all-area after he recorded 18 goals and seven assists. As a freshman, Betton was second-team all-area after he tallied 22 goals and seven assists.<\/p>\n
But this fall, Betton elevated his game to a higher level by breaking Roman Eddleman\u2019s school record of 42 goals in one season that he set in 2015. Betton\u2019s play helped the Wildcats record the most victories since they won 16 in 2014.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast year, I started off slow and I really didn\u2019t do too much. I just did enough,\u201d Betton said. \u201cBut this year, I started off faster and scored more off my chances. If you told me early in the season that I would have scored 44 goals, I would have said you’re lying. But after doing it, and seeing the work we put in, yeah, I think I should have scored that and more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Roed appreciates that desire from his standout striker.<\/p>\n
\u201cIsaiah wanted to break the goal record this season,\u201d Roed said. \u201cHe is driven to be the best.\u201d<\/p>\n
Betton kicked off his third season with an assist in a 2-0 win over North Brunswick. He then scored four goals in a 6-2 result over East Duplin.<\/p>\n
Betton found the net in a 2-2 draw with Jacksonville and later scored five in a 6-5 win over Topsail. He had another five-goal outburst in a 6-3 victory over Havelock while adding another four-goal effort while ending with four hat tricks and three braces.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe lost a lot of seniors, and everybody said we were not going to be as good because we didn\u2019t have this and didn\u2019t have that,\u201d Betton said. \u201cBut we knew that we still had a good team. We knew we had a good team to prove people wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Wildcats certainly were a good team as they started 9-0-1 on their way to the league title. And while Betton netted 44 of Richlands\u2019 81 goals, he was quick to credit his teammates.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, I scored a lot of goals, but my teammates really helped with every goal that I had,\u201d he said. \u201cA lot of them came from the team building things up the middle and then playing me forward. I didn\u2019t score a lot of goals myself … we were all in sync and we knew what we needed to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
But how did the Wildcats make it work?<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the ball starts from the back, I\u2019ll watch where it\u2019s going to go, and then if we play it into the midfield, our midfielder will probably work it around for a little bit,\u201d Betton said. \u201cI am moving left to right to see what they are going to do, and as soon as I get a cue from someone, I\u2019ll make a run through a gap. They know what gap to find me. Then I look up, try to stay composed in front of the goal, and I see what the goalkeeper is going to do. Then I just out it into the goal.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Betton is pleased with his season, he remains motivated, not just to have another strong individual season, but to also help the Wildcats advance further in the postseason. Richlands fell in penalty kicks to Croatan in the second round of the state 5-A playoffs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I come back for my senior year, I am going to be hungrier than ever,\u201d Betton said. \u201cWe want to try to win the conference again and go farther in the playoffs.\u201d<\/p>\n