Hultberg is standing out for another reason this fall with the Bears.

After years of being overshadowed by older sisters on Frewsburg’s Section VI championship teams, Addison is the final sister standing for head coach and stepdad, Scott Stone.

Three-time Post-Journal/OBSERVER Player of the Year Alex Hultberg graduated last spring and has taken her talents to Fredonia State University. Before that was Ava, a standout defensive midfielder for the Bears.

They’ve hopefully passed down their winning ways.

Ava Jimerson, Taytum Jimerson, pictured, and Addison Hultberg will be counted on heavily this season by the Frewsburg Bears if they hope to win their fifth straight Section VI Class C championship. P-J photo by Matt Spielman

“She’s a strong player. She has a little bit of both of them inside of her,” Stone said of Addison on Tuesday evening. “Having them lead the way for her the last couple of years, she’s super excited to show she can lead the team without her sisters there. She is carrying a little more weight on her shoulders and she’s welcoming that.”

Over the past five seasons since Stone took over the program, Frewsburg has a 79-15-1 record with four consecutive sectional Class C crowns. But the Bears have been unable to get over the Far West Regional hump, three times losing in the state quarterfinal round — the 2021 game was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Frewsburg’s last league loss came Oct. 15, 2019 when it fell to Westfield 1-0. Since then, the Bears have won 31 straight league contests. To bolster their schedule this year, Frewsburg will play nonleague home-and-home series with Southwestern, Allegany-Limestone and Fredonia.

“We want to test ourselves every year. We thought if we could get a couple games against those teams, that would be a good test,” Stone said. “We feel like we can play with anybody. We’re always trying to challenge ourselves.”

Despite losing Alex Hultberg and her cousin, Ashlyn Samuelson, along with Kaydan Bush, Frewsburg is still a relatively talented bunch.

Ava Jimerson, Taytum Jimerson and Addison Hultberg, pictured, will be counted on heavily this season by the Frewsburg Bears if they hope to win their fifth straight Section VI Class C championship. P-J photo by Matt Spielman

“It’s a huge loss anytime you lose a player of Alex’s caliber,” Stone said. “The girls are stepping up in her place and have been ready for years for this moment. They’ve been training right alongside her for years. They knew the moment would come and they’re ready for it.”

The talent starts with junior Ava Jimerson, who returns after finishing fifth in Section VI in goals scored with 29 while also adding 20 assists. She went down with a serious knee injury early in the Bears’ 6-2 Far West Regional loss to Byron Bergen and the team wasn’t the same after her exit.

“Everything changed when Ava went down. Our game plan the entire week was Ava. Not only did we think it, she proved it. She scored a goal early to tie the game. After she tweaked the knee the first time, she gutted it out went back out and almost tied it again,” Stone said. “We know we needed Ava to win that game. We always had a chance, but with Ava we believe that was a different game. We wish we could have it back with her on the field.”

Jimerson was cleared for a full return to athletics just a few days ago and will be counted on heavily once she’s up to speed.

“It was an emotional phone call. We’ve been waiting for that for a long time,” Stone said of Jimerson being cleared. “Ava is one of the strongest players I’ve ever coached. To watch her go through the process and fight all year long to get back on the field … she put in a lot of effort.”

Ava Jimerson will be joined by her twin sister, Taytum, up front. Taytum had eight goals and 11 assists a season ago.

“Taytum has one of the highest IQs for a soccer player I’ve ever seen,” Stone said. “She’s going to be play center-mid and be a huge part of what we do.”

Jacey Cappa, the anchor of the Frewsburg defense, also graduated, but Gracie Conlan, Addison Hultberg and Molly Spontaneo return on the back end this year.

“They know the blueprint, they have been a big part of what we’ve done the last couple of years,” Stone said. “They’re not stepping into new roles. Nothing is going to change. We are going to be the same Frewsburg. We expect them to play at the exact same level we’ve been playing at.”

The Bears won’t have a long time to make sure all their ducks are in a row. They’ll open the season with Southwestern at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at home.

“We don’t take anybody lightly. We’ve worked up a nice little rivalry with them,” Stone said of the Trojans, who won the first three meetings with Frewsburg after Stone took over, but have now lost seven straight. “It’s a tough game we take very seriously. Come Tuesday at 4:30, we’ll make sure our girls are ready to go. It sets the tone for the entire year. That’s what we’re looking to do.”

RETURNING ALL-STARS

In addition to Jimerson, five Post-Journal/OBSERVER All-Stars are returning this fall. … Southwestern junior Kaylyn Carnes had five goals and four assists for the Trojans. … Southwestern junior Mallory Atwater anchored the Trojans defense en route to six shutouts. … Ellicottville senior Brooke Butler had eight goals and 13 assists for the Eagles. … Ellicottville senior Audrey Hurlburt had 25 goals and seven assists for the Eagles. … Fredonia senior Ella Koopman controlled the midfield for the Hillbillies, who repeated as Section VI Class B2 champions

GRADUATING ALL-STARS

Eight Post-Journal/OBSERVER All-Stars, in addition to Hultberg and Cappa, graduated. … Jamestown’s Karryne Mims scored 21 goals and had 11 assists for the Red Raiders. … Falconer/Cassadaga Valley’s Kayla Lynn had 18 goals and six assists for the Golden Cougars. … Chautauqua Lake’s Erma Wolcott anchored a Thunderbirds’ defense en route to six shutouts. … Westfield/Brocton’s Makartnee Mortimer anchored a Wolverines’ defense en route to five shutouts. … Randolph’s Kyra Pence had 21 goals and six assists for the Cardinals. … Fredonia’s Annie Gondek had 16 goals and eight assists for the Hillbillies. … Fredonia’s Josephine Tomaszewski anchored a Hillbillies’ defense en route to eight shutouts. … North Collins’ Hailey Jasinski posted six shutouts and made 99 saves for the Eagles.

2022 LEAGUE WRAP-UP

Fredonia and Jamestown shared the Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division 1 West title last fall with identical 8-4-0 league marks. Allegany-Limestone was third at 7-4-1 followed by Olean (7-5-0), Southwestern (6-6-0), Falconer/Cassadaga Valley (5-6-1) and Dunkirk (0-12-0).

Frewsburg ran through CCAA Division 2 West play with a 10-0-0 league mark, outscoring opponents 79-0. Chautauqua Lake was second at 7-2-1 followed by North Collins (4-4-2), Westfield/Brocton (4-6-0), Maple Grove (3-6-1) and Silver Creek/Forestville (0-10-0).

Portville finished unbeaten in CCAA East Division play with a 12-0-0 league mark. Ellicottville was second at 10-2-0 followed by Randolph (8-4-0), Salamanca (5-7-0), Cattaraugus-Little Valley (4-8-0), Pine Valley/Gowanda (2-10-0) and Franklinville (1-11-0).