By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor
A banner year for boys soccer in Shelby County meant that there were many players deserving to be named the best in the county.
Westminster OM’s Aiden Gamble led the Knights in scoring en route to a state championship, Indian Springs’ Alex Hage spearheaded his team’s attack with a county-high 34 goals and Oak Mountain’s Sam Collins finished off 33 goals in a spectacular year to lead a wide group of favorites for the award.
However, this year’s honor goes to the best player from arguably one of the best teams in Alabama soccer history, a true two-way talent who impacted the game on both ends of the pitch.
That is Luke Jovanovich, Oak Mountain’s senior defender who is the 2025 Shelby County Player of the Year for boys soccer.
Jovanovich was already widely regarded as one of the top back line prospects in the city of Birmingham. He not only held together the Eagles defense in a 2024 season where they didn’t lose a single game, but he earned 12 assists and three goals in the attack to earn All-County First Team honors.
One of those 12 assists came in the Class 7A state championship game against Auburn High School, netting him MVP honors for the Final Four ahead of his senior season.
While Oak Mountain was highly regarded as the favorite to repeat in Class 7A, Jovanovich needed to step up into a bigger role in the build-up in 2025 with the loss of senior Om Shrestha to graduation as well as last year’s Shelby County Player of the Year Aiden Riley.
However, Jovanovich was more than up to the task as he continued his standout form as a defender while increasing his offensive output.
Playing as a left wingback, he found himself in many on-ball defending situations throughout the season and proved to be a tough matchup for any opposing attacker. Jovanovich finished the year with 58 tackles, fourth in the county and second on Oak Mountain behind only defensive midfielder Nate Taylor.
He was also capable of stopping the opponent’s buildup as he racked up 31 interceptions, which was tied for the most in Shelby County alongside Chelsea senior Harper Jones.
As great of a defender as Jovanovich was though, it was his knack for the attack that put him over the top as the best player in the county.
Jovanovich beat out all forwards and midfielders in Shelby County in assists as he earned 25 assists on the year, finishing second in the county behind just Calera defender Armando Perez.
Those assists came as a result of great field vision and work in the buildup as he found talented finishers like Sam Collins, Gabe Capocci and Gerardo Rodriguez, a dream trio for any player to send a cross to.
His playmaking ability wasn’t just limited to the build-up though as he created many goals with his own feet as well. Jovanovich finished the year with 13 goals to help Oak Mountain’s attack reach new heights.
As a result of his two-way performances, Jovanovich and the Eagles won their first 30 fixtures of the season, extending their unbeaten run to 60 matches to beat the 2015-17 Oak Mountain dynasty for the most consecutive matches without a loss in state history.
While Oak Mountain lost to Montgomery Academy in the state championship, it didn’t take away from Jovanovich’s achievements or his teammates as he and his fellow 15 seniors exit as one of the winningest groups in the history of soccer in Alabama.
Jovanovich received numerous accolades from around the state after the season, including Super All-State First Team, Class 7A All-State First Team, All-Metro First Team, and most recently, All-County First Team selections.
Now, ahead of the start of his career at West Alabama with fellow Oak Mountain legends Capocci, Collins, Shrestha and Riley, he can add one more accolade to his resume as the Shelby County Player of the Year.
