By Matt Florjancic
MaxPreps.com
STRONGSVILLE, Ohio - Finding a group of young students wanting to play soccer may be easy in parts of the world, but with the distractions of work, school and other recreational activities, developing a core group of kids who can succeed as a team is a difficult task for some soccer coaches.
Once a coach gets a team together, building a challenging schedule against top-flight competition can require a lot of phone calls and knowledge of the sport.
Where there has been a need for competition among high school soccer teams in the region, the adidas National Showcase stepped in to fill the void.
“We want the guys to come out here and get some work,” Parma Normandy coach Matt Decapua said. “We’ve got a few young guys that we’re bringing up to get some touches on the ball. We just want to get some experience playing together as a team. Hopefully, we can make the most of it.”
“This week is our first official practice for school,” Roncalli (Indianapolis, Ind.) High School girls soccer coach Thomas Farrington said. “It was good to get out and see what we have with the new girls that are coming out, seeing where the girls progressed from last year and giving us a chance to experiment with different formations.
“The talent changes year to year,” Farrington added. “It’s not like a club team where you know what you have. With high school, you end up graduating players and certain players end up developing better than you expected.”
After competing in the adidas National Showcase, Roncalli, who finished 9-6 in Farrington’s first season, participated in the Westfield Tournament. With three state-ranked teams from Indiana in the event, Roncalli went 3-2-1.
“From what I saw at the adidas classic and in a tournament we played in this weekend, I think we’re going to do very well,” Farrington said. “We played some very tough competition in Ohio and that kind of woke the girls up. When we came back this weekend, we played a team that was ranked No. 10 in the state last year and we tied them. We played a team that was No. 5 in the state last year and beat them and we lost to the state championship team 2-0.”
Over the last two weekends in the neighboring cities of Strongsville, Brunswick and Medina, high school boys and girls have gotten the opportunity to compete against teams from around the country. In addition to Ohio schools, teams from Indiana, Georgia, Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan, Washington and Illinois took part in the Showcase.
From Canisius College in Buffalo to Wright State University in Dayton, coaches at the NCAA Division I, II and III levels joined their counterparts from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and National Junior College Athletic Association to scout the talent at the Showcase.
With colleges not able to comment on recruits, the high school coaches used the Showcase as less of a scouting event and more of a training session where they can break down the strengths and weaknesses of a team.
“For us, we’re looking at it as an early preview,” North Ridgeville boys coach Chris Moore said. “It gives me time to look at my players in some different positions. I’m not overly concerned with the other teams that are out here as I am looking to establish JV and varsity players for my team. I have a goalkeeper debate as well. That’s going to give me time to sort those out. It’s a great tool for that.”
“I just want to see them learn to work together and to communicate,” said Ben Stauffer, boys varsity coach at Mansfield Christian School. “It’s too early to get too technical on nailing down positions. Sometimes by the end of the year is when the communication kicks in and you become on the same wavelength. When you start early like this, maybe you’ll hit that a little earlier in the season. I think it’s important just to communicate early.”
The talent pool at the adidas National Showcase was deep. Both the girls and boys divisions featured outstanding players. When those players were on the field, fans, coaches and scouts paid attention. However, during certain match-ups, the teams, rather than the individuals, made the games exciting.
“They got to play great competition,” Farrington said. “I took one team up, but it was a mix of varsity and JV. The JV got to play a much higher caliber than they normally would. They stepped up and had a great time. It was good for them to get away.”
During the 2006 season, the Walsh Jesuit Warriors defeated Kettering Archbishop Alter 2-0 in the Ohio Division II boys state championship game. In the Division III title contest, Worthington Christian won over Wickliffe in a shootout.
This past season, Worthington Christian was a Division III state semifinalist. They lost to the eventual state champion, Springfield Central Catholic.
“What’s neat about the tournament is it allows you to get a schedule based on the quality of team you’re bringing,” Stauffer said. “A couple years ago, we had a good team and were able to play in back-to-back games, Worthington Christian and Walsh Jesuit, who won the Division II and III championships.
“It’s fun to be able to [customize] your schedule depending on your team,” Stauffer said. “I really like coming up here. You get to play a lot of games [and] see a lot of teams. It’s always fun to just step off and face different teams.”
News and Notes
Mansfield Christian finished the 2007 season as the District runner-up after losing 2-1 to Elmore Woodmore. Prior to the defeat, Mansfield Christian gained playoff victories over Convoy Crestview (6-1), Huron (3-0) and Mansfield St. Peter’s (2-1).
The Flames begin their quest for a District championship on the road against Ontario and Mount Vernon before playing at home on Aug. 23 against Mansfield Madison Comprehensive, a 2007 OHSAA Division I District semifinalist.
The Roncalli Lady Rebels started the season with two-a-day practices Monday morning. They begin interscholastic competition in the Indiana High School Athletic Association on Aug. 20. The Lady Rebels open with a home game against Warren Central.
In the 2007 IHSAA playoffs, Roncalli won over Decatur Central (5-0) and Franklin Central (2-1) on penalty kicks before falling in the Sectional Championship game to Perry Meridian.
Matt Florjancic currently works as a freelance reporter and sports announcer for WOBL and WDLW