When excellence becomes tradition greatness has no limits.

Aristotle: We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.

In 1954 legendary football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant was in his first year as coach at Texas A & M when he decided the team needed to get away from every day distractions on campus in order to concentrate on football. Off they went to what we would today refer to as a branch campus located in Junction, Texas. The area was in the midst of the worst draught in recorded history. On each of the 10 days of camp temperatures climbed to over 100 degrees. The conditions were brutal. Each day Coach Bryant demanded perfection and continued practicing those young men until it was achieved to his satisfaction. A group of over 75 young men began the camp. Only half of them completed the entire 10 days.

Our Soccer Sons

When I coach a team the players and their families become extended family. We refer to the players as our soccer sons. We break bread with them, celebrate birthdays, graduations and weddings with them. And we comfort them when a loved one dies.

This week a former Grand Lake United and current Shawnee high school player took his own life. Jonathon Andrews was a wonderful young man. Raised to be a gentleman by loving parents. A good student, a great athlete and an even better person. He was a loving individual and greatly loved.

It is a tragedy that Jonathon fell victim to suicide.

I am a better man for having known Jonathon. The days the Lord provided to share with Jonathon were a blessing whose proportions are only now becoming fully understood. What a joy to have known this young man,

The loss of this young man weighs heavily on me. I waited in line with members of both our Grand Lake United and Lima Senior high school teams for well over an hour to make our way to Jonathon's parents, Scot and Julie.  Scot and I cried as we hugged one another. We spoke of simpler times and fond memories. Much like Jonathon's life this time together ended much too soon.

I will miss the funeral tomorrow morning as our Lima Senior team will be playing crosstown rival Elida. The Bulldog's were also at the viewing this afternoon. We stood together to offer our sympathy to Jonathon's family this afternoon. We will stand together on the pitch as friendly rivals tomorrow as Jonathon is being laid to rest,  I think Jonathon would understand.

Rest in Peace Jonathon Andrews

November 4, 1997 - September 20, 2015

The Relationship of Space and Time to Positions, Formations and Systems of Play

In attempting to make the relationship between space and time more easily understood by young players I have at times used the phrase space = time and in a sense that is true. Space to play in is created by movement of players with and without the ball. Time is a product of individual players technical abilities with the ball. The two are interrelated but are not necessarily "equals", per se.

For many coaches, positions and formations are also an integral part of creating space and time in soccer. In a sense, a players positioning within a formation, even his role within a system of play, are important elements in his ability to create, recognize and utilize space. Formations and positions are also analytical tools in evaluating a players ability to see space, his ability to recognize how to move to create space. How much space is required is determined by the players technical abilities on the ball.

Where to from here?

When I reflect back on the last four years and evaluate my performance as a coach and the won/loss/tie records of the teams I have coached I am appreciative of the success we have achieved.  In some ways, last springs Grand Lake United U19 Men's "A" team was the culmination of a four year experiment that saw me establish my own coaching methodology / system / philosophy.  To be completely honest, where I am now is a result of 21 years coaching soccer.  I do not in any way shape or form resemble the coach I was then.

I have changed.

I have become a better coach.

I am still improving.

In 2010 I became the head coach of the Lima Central Catholic girls program.  There was a fair amount of trepidation on part in accepting that position.  It would be my first experience as a head coach on the high school level. I am not Catholic. The then athletic director, Pat Murphy told me point blank "our parents are out of control and the players walked all over the last coach.  And the program had never had a winning season.  I accepted the position anyways based in no small part in the believing Mr. Murphy had my back concerning parents and players.

That's the back drop to the beginning of my grand experiment.  The experiment itself had been percolating for a number of years.  It began to heat up while I was an assistant at Shawnee high school and began to bubble while an assistant at Botkins high school.  While both of those programs were very successful the idea they could be so much better kept nagging at me.  Mr. Graham Ramsay who conducted summer camps at all three schools mentioned and whom I consider to be one of my soccer mentors was a driving force behind this restlessness and undoubtedly a source for many of the ideas I was formulating.  Mr. Ken White, formerly of the University of Louisville and at the time a coach at BGSU was also responsible for stirring the coaching pot of knowledge coming to a boil in my mind.

Those teams at LCC were the first full trial run of my ideas.  They produced the first ever winning season in the programs history, school records for fewest goals allowed and most goals scored. We also produced the schools first All-Ohio soccer player along with numerous all-district players. On the field of play the girls of those teams began to bring my vision of ho the game should be played into clearer focus. It was a start, but nowhere near what I was looking for in a finished product.

In the spring of 2012 I began the second full trial run of my system of play and its associated methodology and philosophy.  The Grand Lake United U!6 boys team was a good group of young men eager to learn about the game.  To be honest, there were a few head cases on the team who likely were with us because they wore out their welcome elsewhere.  It's always been my philosophy to take whomever wants to play. 

I began implementing the same system of play I had used at LCC with the girls.  The results were mixed. We won games and a tournament, if I recall correctly, but I was largely unsatisfied in our performance.  Let me be clear, I was unsatisfied with my performance.  The team had not played to my expectations and that is no one's fault but my own.  It was during the summer and fall of 2012 that I really went back to work studying the game of soccer.  Techniques, Tactics, Physical and Psychological components all came under close scrutiny.  I dissected every aspect of the game I could imagine looking not only at what worked and why, but also studying what did not work and why it didn't. 

The thing that distinguished good play from bad play was the brain. How the brain interprets the information fed to it by the senses and then directs the body to apply the tools the player has available to solve problems is the difference between poor play and good play, the difference between good play and great play.  I had long been a fan of a couple Johan Cruyff quotes and at some point during this time in my life they really came into bright clear focus for me.

"Soccer is a game that is played with the brain."

"Soccer a is a simple game,

 

but nothing is more difficult than playing simple soccer."

 

Both of these quotes address the fact soccer is a game of problem solving.  It is also a player driven game. Therefore it is the problem solving ability of the players that determines the quality of play and directly influences results. 

 

I knew all this to be true, but I still needed to work through the process of putting the pieces together in a manner that was coherent in my own mind before I could ever hope to communicate my knowledge to the players I coached. 

 

As we moved into the 2013 club season things were coming together in my mind and on our roster of players. We won a league title and a tournament or two that spring.  We were a much better team than we had been the previous spring. I had tweaked how I taught the game and also tweaked the roster.  Still, I was not satisfied.  Our on-field decision making left a lot to be desired at times. We still allowed both the ball and the opponent to dictate the game to us far too often for my liking.  

 

It was while watching my son, Lance, play for Shawnee in the fall of 2013 that he final discoveries for this step of the process came brilliantly into focus. The coaching staff at Shawnee was the same as when I left it. I am unclear to this day on whether the quality of coaching had devolved or simply grown stale, but it was painfully obvious the coaches controlled the game.  Ingenuity, cleverness, deviousness were all discouraged when players encountered problems to be solved on the pitch.  The team was dreadfully predictable and therefore relatively easy to play against.

 

I had sought out unpredictability and creativity in both individual and collective play from every crack and corner I could find to little or no avail. Well, at least to an unsatisfactory extent.  This is when I fully realized the importance of just letting the players play. 

 

I had encouraged interchangeability of positions of the field for years.  This had never come to full fruition or at least not to the degree held in my vision for the game.  Why?  If you are a regular reader of this blog you will appreciated "why" being my favorite question. Somewhere in this journey the idea of re-training the brain or how we think about soccer had taken root and began to flourish. First in my own mind, then in the minds of the players I coached. 

 

Once again, I tweaked our roster and then subtly tweaked how we went about preparing to play.  Previous success and the roster tweaks I mentioned resulted in us fielding both an "A" and a "B" team for play in spring of 2014.  Both teams proved to be very successful in their own rights.  

 

The "A" team came as close to playing total soccer - complete interchangeability amongst field players - as any team I have ever coached.  They were dynamic on both sides of the ball. They call soccer The Beautiful Game and these men played it beautifully.   

 

The "B" team had the talent of an average high school team which normally spells trouble when playing club soccer.  These men got their collective heads handed to then the first couple of times out and then begin to gel into what would become a good club team.  They finished with a .500 record and defeated some good teams along the way.

 

Both of these teams discovered who they were as individual players and collectively as a team through the experience and confidence gained by being allowed to make their own decisions on the pitch.  I provided a defensive shape and basic cues or keys for utilizing the tools (skills & tactics) they possessed. The attack was free flowing with the resonating premise of space and pace being the only guideline.   The players took it from there. Did they ever!

 

So, as I watched my son, Lance, play his final season for Shawnee this fall I was disheartened to witness their struggles. However, not only did their struggles serve to reinforce the soundness of my approach to coaching it also highlighted the weaknesses of what I have done over the last 5 years leaving me to wonder, where to from here?

 

I often watch a training exercise or a warm up activity and wonder the purpose of it.  I believe everything we do should be functional - preparation to train or play the game.  What I have realized is in concentrating on the mental aspects of play I have not brought proper functional emphasis to other components of play. 

 

I always have a pad and pencil with me. I also use the notes and camera / video functions on my phone. Some people I know like to comment on this. A couple of them ridicule me for it.  But if you attend class or a business meeting you ... take notes, do you not?  Well, my journals, pictures, videos are providing the data for where we go from here.  Lot's of ideas.  The excitement is building within me.  I want to take our proven formula and all these ideas for improving it back to the high school ranks next fall.  That's where from here.

I Love Mistakes.

Regular followers of the blog know I struggled to frame my writings of Lance's senior season in a manner satisfactory to my own standards. A fair amount of you have expressed your disappointment in not being able to read those accounts.  No, I have not reconsidered and decided to publish them.  That does not mean they are far from my mind though.

My off season begins in August. Club season concludes in May and camp season concluded the second week of August this year. I spend my off season studying the game. I read a lot of books on the game and watch soccer every opportunity I get.  While I am not actively coaching during the fall it is the season of learning for me.  I love to learn and therefore LOVE mistakes.

I suppose a better description would be that I love to solve problems.  Mistakes occur when a problem encountered is inadequately addressed. The search for a better solution begins here. And this idea of making mistakes or inadequately solving the problems the game presents is at the heart of my struggles to write about Lance's senior season.

Mistakes are learning opportunities. 

Learning opportunities means there exists teaching opportunities and my love of mistakes is grounded in the teaching opportunities mistakes give rise to. Yes, I absolutely LOVE to teach.  This is probably why I like training better than the actually matches.  I enjoy the match. The match is the test of my teaching, my training of the team.  If we pass the test, good. I will identify areas of our play we can improve on.  If we fail the test, I must analyze where I erred in training the team and put things right.

Lance's senior season provided an unusually large number of opportunities to teach.  My frustration in writing of Lance's senior season stems for a lack of ready students to teach.  I started my 12th soccer book of the off season this evening and it has provided the catalyst to frame or channel my frustration in a positive direction outside the usual teaching of a team that I would normally share my knowledge with. The book, thus far, encapsulates the last 3-4 years of high school and club soccer for me. It has served to bring everything into proper perspective or at least a perspective I am comfortable in reviewing these soccer seasons from.  That in and of itself seems a bit oxymoronic because mistakes make us uncomfortable. So, I think what I am attempting to communicate is that I have learned and now have an audience, you, to share with. Perhaps even to teach although I suspect the simple act of sharing will suffice for me.

This story begins in the summer of 2010. Preseason of my first year as Head Coach of the Lima Central Catholic Women's Soccer program.  I had long been an advocate of the 1-4-4-2 formation. That was the formation of choice while I was an assistant coach at Shawnee and was also the formation we ran during my one year as an assistant at Botkins. Just as we had at those stops I based our system of play at LCC on the flat back four or zonal defense. As a head coach, I brought my own twists and tweaks to the system of play.

To uncover and fully understand the points I wish to make we will need to go back a few more years as it involves a then young man named Brian Boulter. That year there was debate over who would get the last varsity spot.  Brain was in the mix with two others.  In my mind Brian was the clear choice, but the head coach thought otherwise and Brian began the year on the JV team.  As was typical in those days, Shawnee struggled to score. The Indians won a lot of games, but they tended to be 1-0 affairs. Two goals were a surplus and three or more a luxury not often in evidence.  How to generate more offense was a constant theme of discussion among the coaching staff.  It was Brian Boulter who proved to be the answer.

Brian had good size, speed and a big leg.  His skill set was adequate. His knowledge of the game from the right back position was above average. He played his way onto the varsity by the end of the season and it was that big right leg that jump started the attack.  A standard play for Brian was to cross the ball from near the center line. Those crosses went against the grain of the defense and led to a lot of scoring opportunities.  This had been on my mind for several years and was about to come into play on both our boys club team and the LCC girls team.

I had begun emphasizing outside back play the previous spring, but with only a vague idea of what I wanted to see. As I recall, I tried a few different players at those positions with only a modicum of satisfaction from a coaching standpoint.  That August with LCC I played a young lady by the name of Ashley Hunt at the right back spot.  In many ways, she was a female version of Brian Boulter including have a big powerful leg. In fact, Ashley scored off the right flank from the center line!  I knew the outside back positions in the 1-4-4-2 were being under utilized in the attack. I just had not fully formulated in my own mind what their role needed to be.

Lucky for me, the 2010 World Cup was taking place that summer and I was glued to the TV every chance I got.  This was an important World Cup as it gave witness to the regeneration of the triangle midfield.  Now, the triangle midfield has been around in various forms and formations since the mid 1960's at least.  The great Johan Cruyff led Dutch teams built their Total Football 1-4-3-3 system of play around a triangle midfield.  What we began seeing in the qualifying rounds for the 2010 World Cup was a modification to the 1-4-3-3 formation and a true blossoming of total football.  Everyone had gotten caught up in Tiki Taka which is itself a modification of Total Football.

I would like to say I was ahead of the curve and on a local level I think that is true. In truth, I was stumbling and bumbling along as I sorted out my vision for the outside back positions in the 1-4-4-2.  I found the answer in watching our USWNT and USMNT play.  It seemed players like Brandi Chastain and Frankie Hedjuk, outside backs, were always making runs into the attacking third. The high school coaches I had worked with acknowledged this but thought the risk was too great. They feared not having enough players back to properly and securely contest an opponents counter attack were the outside backs to be allowed to "go up."

Not me.  I saw outside backs pushing forward and taking opposing forwards with them. When this occurred we would remain numbers up in our back line against the opponent.  Play early retreat keeping the ball in front of us and to deny negative space while we regained defensive shape and we should be fine.  And we were.  I had taken courses and symposiums from US National Team staff members and understood this to be true.  I was told it wouldn't work in high school soccer, but I felt it would... and it did!   Remarkably well as a matter of fact.

This is when I seriously begin developing roles and responsibilities for the outside backs to bring them fully into the attack. I began teaching cues for when to make a run and how to recognize which run to be made from the outside back positions. My son Lance was one of the guinea pigs and to his credit took to it immediately. 

There was just one slight problem... we were beginning to struggle to control center midfield in both club and at LCC with the girls team. The 2010 World Cup had seen the return of the 1-3-5-2 formation and variations of the1-4-3-3 formations - both utilize a midfield triangle.  I began to make the move to 3 center midfielders in the 2011 club season and continued with it during the fall LCC campaign.  With the club team we played more of a 1-4-5-1 referring to what we did as withdrawing a forward.  With LCC we played a 4-3-3 formation.  Neither formation or system was entirely satisfactory although both teams enjoyed unprecedented success.

Spring of 2012 saw us change the club formation to 1-4-1-4-1 with an inverted midfield triangle.  Well, sort of.  The players would tell you I give them  lot of freedom on the pitch.  I look at a formation as being the teams defensive shape. I don't care what the numerical arrangement is on offense as long as we cover the 4 elements of the game - penetration, depth, width and mobility.  Of, course, this means we really have to emphasize the transitional phases of play, especially going from attack to defending. Our solution was to press with the 3 closest to the ball while everyone else got behind the ball and into our team shape filling back to front regardless of a players designated position.  Total football.

I wasn't seeing the level of involvement in our attack from the outside backs that I wanted so we kept tinkering with formations until we settled on modifying the  1-4-5-1  into a 1-4-2-3-1 that morphed into a ... 1-2-3-4-1 when attacking.  Yes, we routinely threw 8 players into the attack. Goals galore! And we were not surrendering goals on defense either. It was beautiful to watch and if the players are to be believed an absolute thrill to play in. The significance in terms of outside back play was the center midfield triangle opened up the flanks for the outside midfielders and be extension the outside backs.

Granted, that club team was loaded with future college players, ODP, all-state, all-district, all-league players. To call them talented would be an understatement.  One day when I was discussing the 1-4-2-3-1 formation with my son's high school coach he stated to me the success I had with the club team could not be duplicated in high school soccer.  Hmm... we did it with an LCC team that reached the regional round of the OHSAA tournament.  And... what about our club "B" team from last spring whose talent level was that of an average high school team at best?  That "B" team beat the top two teams from the previous spring playing "my" system. 

Lance's high school coach was a doubter. He was wrong. He made mistakes. Many of them of the needless variety from my perspective. I so wanted to share with him the benefit of my experience. I was eager to teach, but there must be a receptive audience and that I did not have.  This was frustrating to me and that frustration seeped into my writings.  It was difficult to report objectively without editorializing ... or teaching... through those writings. 

Soccer Memories - Bob, the father's perspective.

I decided to break Bob's contribution in two as he provides insight from the perspective of a father and that of a referee.  First up are memories of his daughters playing.  Enjoy!

Like Tim, my time as a soccer dad ended recently with the last spring season that my youngest daughter played.  After 17 years, I no longer have someone to take to practice, a game, or a weekend tournament!  I can’t say that I AM entirely broken hearted by that fact, ha ha, but I have had my share of good memories over that time to last me the rest of my life. 

Nicole, now 23, was the trailblazer for Olivia, my youngest who is now 18.  Nicole started playing U6 at Shawnee, and hung up her boots after 1 year at D3 Virginia Wesleyan.  Olivia started out the same, finishing her soccer career at Findlay HS and GTFC Impact this past spring before heading off to USNA.  In between all that time, wow, so much has happened!

Unlike Tim’s memories, mine are not quite as specific.  I remember certain plays still to this day, but my memories are more of places we traveled, and getting the chance to spend time with my girls.  I can remember Nicole making the best tackle I ever saw her make at PSI in Toledo, her GTFC team won the tournament that year.  I remember when Nicole was 11 or 12 at the Elida Fall Classic, making a game winning goal against Elida.  Scott Laman kept telling me to put Nicole up front, he was a much better soccer coach than me!      

I can remember Nicole playing in her first tournament in Elida in the fall of 2000.  I think she still has the shirt!  That was our first weekend soccer experience, and the only time her Grandpa got to see her play, at least in person.  The next fall, we sewed flags on the girl’s uniforms after 9/11.  I know Nicole and Olivia still have those shirts somewhere!  After 9/11, I remember fighter jets flying over us at practices, and yes, we stopped to watch.

After a few years, Nicole started playing at West Central United where she met girls from other schools for the first time.  Many of those girls are still her friends today, which is great.  The West Central years were learning years for sure.  Not a lot of winning, but the girls were learning.

When Nicole was 14, a group of Lima area girls headed north and tried out at GTFC.  That’s when my eyes were opened!  Nicole managed to make the team, and played for some great coaches at GTFC.  We traveled all over the Midwest, Toronto (twice), Orlando, and Phoenix for tournaments.  It was our first trip to Toronto where I introduced Nicole to sushi, a food that she now enjoys immensely. 

Olivia was introduced to GTFC at about age 10 when she attended an indoor practice with Nicole and I on a wintry Sunday afternoon.  Nicole’s coach at the time saw Olivia and asked her to join in a scrimmage.  Olivia, being the competitor she was and is to this day, joined in and played her hardest.  She was invited to join the U-10’s that spring at GTFC.  I remember after Olivia wanting to play keeper her first year at GTFC, but she was stuck on defense, and not happy.  Her Shawnee friends asked her for come play in Elida that year, she said only if she could play keeper, lol.  She did, and she had a great weekend, loved it all!  She did eventually get to play keeper full time at Findlay and in club, a result of her ward work and eagerness to learn.  She did pretty well, making NWO District first team her Junior and senior years!  I’ll miss seeing Olivia come off her line, sacrifice her body, diving to snuff out a shot from a hopeful attacker.  

Some of Olivia best plays were coming off her line, and snuffing out a strike right at the attacker’s foot.  These were always exciting plays, and the crowd loved watching her do it as much as I did!  Then the foot save against Northview in her last game.  That was a great play and an even better reaction from Olivia.  Anyone who knows Olivia likely knows her as having a great poker face, and rarely would she show any emotion on the pitch.  But after that save, she let it out. 

I will always remember the miles traveled as a soccer dad.  Too many to count, but worth every minute and mile.  For you parents with kids still playing, just realize that one day it will all end, and then you will wonder where the time went!  I hope that my girls have fond memories of the travels as well, and someday when they are parents, they do the same with their kids, as my mom and dad did with me.    

Soccer Memories - Treg

When I was first asked to share soccer memories I had no Idea where to start. I mean this list would never stop for me. I have been apart of the game through almost every spectrum that I can think of. The sport is more then a game it is a Love.  It's not a casual thing like watching the USMNT or other professional team but wanting to pick up a ball just to be on your foot. On a few nice days as I have crossed campus this year I have had a ball at my foot literally just playing a little game defeating defenders as they walk to their next class or seeing if I can hit friends as they pass by to literally running into people or playing a game with a pig (yes we have pigs on campus)

From a player perspective it is not necessary any one certain goal that I remember as awesome (even though scoring the game winning goal against rival Warriors as time was expiring was pretty great or scoring against Elida High School on my birthday both years of High School Soccer I played). More
it is a collection of ones that had dramatic impacts upon the game like the Warrior one my dad talked about in sharing his memories or events and friendships that I can never lose.

I remember playing against a team who literally stacked a 1-1-9 formation against us and we got our heads handed to us. Next time down at their place they were mocking us and being cocky during the warm ups and what not and we went out and with in a first few minutes I was running through them like they were Swiss cheese. I remember the first one in that game which was just like us sticking our tongues out saying well two can play this game. No we didn't actually. I never played on a team like that and never plan to coach a team like that either but just one of those "take that" moments.

I got a long pass played by our wing defender Kevin Esser and I took off. Kevin probably played the longest ball I have ever seen from him. Kevin and I related pretty well because we both have speech impediments and just know about all the name calling and what not. We played on the same club teams and while he didn't have the strongest leg or the best foot skills he LOVED the game as much as I did.

As played continued I received it making a flat run to the left side and bent it in since I was literally alone having blown right past the defender marking me. I took the ball from the top of the 18 at about the width of the six to the corner of the six and played the ball to the back post just like the famous Graham Ramsay would yell back in the day to the members of the high school team that I just idolized as a little kid while being a ball boy and helping my dad in practice. As the ball trickled over towards the back post someone came into my peripheral vision. Guess who it was... Kevin himself. one of the slowest kids on the team made the 95 yard run to have my back net option right with me.  It was the start of a beautiful friendship that lasts still today.

Another great memory was playing for Lima Central Catholic. There is an ancient rivalry between them and my school Shawnee. well it was just a blast to play my 8th grade year and a fall rec tournament after my freshmen year with them. At Shawnee they would go to practice with no heart, goofing off and being happy with where they were at - winning lots of games by being
quicker then the opponent.  The gentlemen over at LCC had the Love of the game they talked about it daily. They warmed up with the idea of no bad passes and trying to get better. It was an honor playing with those guys as they were goofy off the  field like any teenage boys, but on the field it was all about the game and sportsmanship and nothing else.

The best moment playing with these guys came from Nolan Burkholder. We both
played club soccer and our skill level was higher than our teammates who did not. I remember doing so many wall passes a round a guy from St. Marys that he finally stopped. Just up and quit on us. Literally one time he just threw up his hands and said go because if it wasn't a wall pass it was an overlap, dribbling on to the next line or playing the ball to a target forward. Nolan and I played combination passes to get around the defenders.

Or the year after when Nolan and I were going at it in high school or later that fall playing on their middle school team where I played the sweeper position and saved a goal when the ball was on the goal line.

Through all these ramblings the thoughts just go on and on.

Moving from the field to refereeing to coaching to a spectator and all the
other spectrums are endless as well.

Probably the most memorable one as a referee came when refereeing Lance as he served as
a guest player. He dribbled right in front of me on a very short and narrow field and took a shot as a defending mid from about 40 yards out and just started laughing. I take off down the field towards the ball and the little stinker had put the ball in the net. That goal, if my memory serves me correctly, might of been the only goal in the game.

From the perspective of a spectator my favorite memory is probably sitting right behind the Jon Busch, Chad Marshall and Jeff Chuningham as they played for the crew. Kevin and I were
ball boys for his birthday behind the goal on the home side. It was a blast to be that up and personal and actually got to hold a conversation with Busch for about 5 minutes.

Or meeting Frankie Hedjuk and talking to him on numerous occasions.  Or the day I  nutmeged Frankie on Ohio State University Oval. (GO BLUE!) I mean just all the fun from playing the standard team game has been a blast.

As a player the last game doesn't end at the whistle of the last full side organized game but when you decide to step away. This list could go on and on and I have told my dad that I am more then willing to share more in-depth memories of this wonderful game.

A Soccer Player

A Soccer Player.

Between the innocence of childhood and the indifferent dignity that is the mantel of adulthood, we find a passionate creature alive in spirit and filled with vigor that we call a soccer player. Soccer players come in assorted sizes adorned in various colors and identified by number, with all living by the same creed: "To honor the game by playing every second of every minute of every half of every game as if it were the last time the privilege of playing were to be visited upon them.

Soccer players are found everywhere – in the rural farm fields of our country, in suburban backyards and inner city streets and parks. We find them behind a strong pass, in the air playing a header, making runs, checking back, passing short, shooting long and going shoulder to shoulder with an opponent in pursuit of the ball. Teammates rib them, officials call fouls on them, students cheer them, coaches criticize them, ignorant ones jeer them and mothers worry about them.

A Soccer player is courage in cleats, standing unadorned of armor with a band of brothers whose commitment was won and nurtured during the hottest of dog days, whose resilience has been tested in the heat of competition and whose resolve is found in the cold rain, sleet and snow as autumns leaves fall to the ground and winter sets in around them.

A soccer player likes practice sessions without shin guards, hot showers, amazing goals, spectacular saves, whirlpool baths, bicycle kicks and the quiet satisfaction which comes from being part of a team that has performed well in an atmosphere of continuous fast paced motion often described as controlled chaos.

A soccer player is a wonderful human being. You can criticize him, but you cannot discourage him. You can defeat his team, but you cannot make him quit. You can take him out of a game, but you cannot take the game out of him. He is judged not for his race or his religion, not for his social standing or his finances, but by how well he dribbles, passes, shoots and defends while sacrificing individual glory for the success of the team seeking only recognition from his teammates of a job well done. A soccer player is a hard working, dedicated, determined kid with a passion for the game doing the best he can to honor the sport he loves - soccer.

Every year, we must say goodbye to a special group of soccer players – the Senior Class. It is sad to see them leave the program and we will surely miss these young people. We will miss watching them run onto the field to take on an opponent. We will miss the celebrations after goals scored and the sober faces after a goal allowed. We will miss the emotional highs after a hard fought win, the lows after a heartbreaking loss and the admiration we found each time they picked themselves up and got back into the action.

Charged with carrying on the tradition the seniors have built we find the young soccer player working hard in the weight room throughout the winter, shivering as he works on skills in the cold rain of spring and wiping the sweat of dedicated preparation from his brows during the sizzling summer months. As the next season approaches we find him determined not to fail those that have gone before him.

And it is with great joy that we welcome back the graduates each summer. Their presence on the practice fields bridges the gap between old and new as they nurture and instruct those in charge of upholding tradition with the expectation that new and loftier heights will be achieved by this next generation. The young players find comfort in the knowledge that someone has gone before them and recognize that they are expected to go even further still. The small successes won when facing the graduates builds the confidence needed to face the coming competition with determination of mind, strength of soul and fiery spirit.

And so it is that the soccer player is reborn each season better than he was before and with a sense of urgency stemming from the knowledge that the game is fleeting and his time with the band of brothers known as teammates is short. The game is honored, bonds are formed and in the end our lives are a little richer for having traveled the path with those that shared our passion and whom we have grown to respect and love.

It is finished.

Sometimes when expectations meet reality a violent collision occurs. 

That pretty much sums up the 2014 Shawnee soccer season.

I have written over 25,000 words / 50+ pages covering the season.  Although I have said I would publish them at the end of October or early November, I have decided against doing so.  This has been a difficult season to write about and I quite frankly do not like the general overall tone of my writings. 

I believe when a negative occurs it is important to immediately move on to a positive to prevent a chain of negativity from developing.  This is the reason for our club call of "Next Play!"

So, as I tell my players to do, I am picking up a few blades of grass and tossing then into the wind. Those blades of grass represent this season of Shawnee soccer. I have cast them away and am choosing to move on, to look forward. 

And we have much to look forward to. So many blessings bestowed upon us to share with others. The season did not go as we had hoped, but we appreciate that it went according to God's plan and trust that the lessons learned will continue to be revealed to us as we move on from high school soccer.

One of the lessons learned is that I should have gone after the head coaching job instead of endorsing someone with no head coaching experience. I thought it would be difficult to coach my own son in a high school setting, but it could not have possibly been more difficult than it was to see this season squandered in the hands of inexperienced coaches.  I have few regrets in life, but this will be one of them.  I apologize to my son and his teammates.  I could have made a positive difference for you. I regret that I did not attempt to do so for you. 

What a fun game tonight!

Ever see those shirts that are half University of Michigan and half Ohio State?

When Shawnee and Elida meet these days I feel I need a shirt that is half Shawnee with a Grand Lake United shield in the middle and Elida on the remaining quarter.  Hey, my son does play for Shawnee! 

Lance Brown, Tanner Mayer, Matthew Daily, Nicholas Hoffman, Yunseong Lee and Jonathon Andrews have all represented both Shawnee and Grand Lake United.

Adam Ordel, Shawn Ezell, Jerod  Houston, Chase Watson, Garrett Brinkman and Ethan Schaeffer have all represented both Elida and Grand Lake United.

Here's something else... 6 of the 7 captains for tonight's match are Grand Lake United teammates when not playing for their respective high schools!  That's special!

Tonight's match was something of a family reunion for our Grand Lake family.  We love seeing so many of our "adopted sons" playing at the same time.   What a fun time this was tonight.  Both teams went after each other hard, but cleanly. Only one yellow card was issued and that was for PI or persistent infringement of the Laws of the Game as opposed to anything of a violent nature. 

A shout out to veteran officials Michael Lause and Mark Kleman who managed an excellent game. They let the boys play, talked with them as needed and blew their whistles when necessary. It is a pleasure to have such excellent officiating for an intense rivalry match.

You have all heard the spiel given before high school athletic contests about "friendly rivals."  That is exactly what this was all about tonight.  Both teams had their chances. Both teams played stellar defense. A little smack talked between friends. And both teams played hard! 

Well played gentlemen!

Good Luck to both Shawnee and Elida the rest of the season! 

Oh yeah, the match ended in a 0 - 0 tie, but that wasn't the real story here anyway.

Hopefully we will meet again in the OHSAA tournament.

 

Insanity is doing the same thing,

 

over and over again,

 

but expecting different results.

 

 - Albert Einstein -

The Silent Voice

The game is the best teacher.

The challenge in coaching youth players is found in enabling them to listen to and understand what the game is trying to teach them. Too often a substitute voice, that of a coach or parent, tries to impart knowledge of the game to the player. There is, and can be, no substitution for the game itself being the best teacher of the game. Players are the sum total of what they have personally experienced on the field of play. At best, a coach or parent can hope to aid the player after the fact in interpreting the information the player gathers as a result of playing the game.

Let us consider for a moment some of the sounds often heard at a soccer game.

Pass the ball!

Shoot!

Clear it!

Kick it out!

How to Become a Student of the Game

I remember as a kid watching sports on TV and then going out to the yard or the drive way to imitate what I had just seen. Loved the sweet swing of Roberto Clemente, the bank shots of John Havlicek, and the scrambling of John Tarkenton and every once in awhile I got a glimpse of some guy named Pele doing incredible things with a soccer ball.  Emulating the sports heroes of the day was a natural thing for us to do.. Little did I realize it also held the key to developing an ability to play the games.

I have at times mentioned Graham Ramsay, a friend of mine, in my writings. When I first met Graham back in the late 1990’s he was always referencing great soccer players and spectacular plays he watched on TV.  Quite frankly, most of it went right over our heads as we did not have Fox Soccer Channel and soccer in general was not shown on TV much outside of the Olympic or World Cup games. I think I became somewhat immune to his constant references of players and plays that I hadn’t any means of seeing.  It wasn’t until much later that it dawned on me that Graham was reminding me of how important it is for young players to watch older players and professional players play the game.

 

Shaawanwaki

 

 

Oui-shi-cat-to-oui

 





This is Tradition!

 

Nearly 60 past and present players came together for the annual Shawnee Alumni Scrimmage!

 

The goal for our program is to have both a tradition and a future and to be able to look with pride and confidence in both directions.

Mission ACCOMPLISHED, but not completed.

 

It was a Blessing to see so many old familiar faces at the Shawnee Alumni Scrimmage. I counted at least 39 former players at the contest and I likely missed a couple. What an incredible turnout!

For the match, the 2014 Varsity came out strong and established control of the match early.  Sharp, crisp passing with a purpose. Patience while working to create a seam to attack through and great change of pace when they decided to go forward. Solid shape defensively and beyond that was a much improved recognition for and ability to pick up their marks in the forward passing lanes. The Varsity scored first and looked to be in mid-season form in some regards.

Eventually the huge numbers advantage for the alums began to take its toil on the 2014 Varsity as Coach pro tem Doc LaGrande shuttled players in and out en masse.  The alumni eventually won the match and on reflection this is perhaps how it should have been. So much talent on the field - former all-state, all-district, district POY, all-league and league POY's  - for the alumni team yesterday.

Some of the former players in attendance:  Joe Bianco, Dave Goodin, Jeff Decker, Jared Link, Brandon Morse, Trent Quatman, Colin McDermott, Nick Pratt, Brian Bell, Evan Bell, Joe Vogelgesang, Christian Vogelgesang, Joel Reddick, Joe Keller, Joe Goodman, Austin Howard, Troy Brinkman, Jared Dupes, Nick Guidera, Ryan Quatman, Pete LaGrande, Adam Khalaf, Kirt Moritz, Cody Fullenkamp, Patrick Bonifas, Adam Knott, Cogan Shimizu, Garret Gross, Austin Braychok, Andrew Ritchie, Matt High, Justin Thomas, Josh Thomas, Brennan Gaffer, Tyler Anderson, Cory Wilder, Tim Taviano, Derek Smith, Ryan Bosler and probably a couple of more.

Current players include Lance Brown, Tanner Mayer and Chase Wilder - 2014 Tri-Captains. Logan Spieles, Levi Dahlke, Matthew Dailey, Justin Vorhees, Trenton Ward, Alex Lehman, Landon DeMoss, Jack O'Connor, Yung Seong Lee, John Kesner, Nicholas Hoffman, Max Sweigart, Jon Andrews.

It was wonderful to see the "old guys" interact with this years varsity.  I saw several instances of the old guys schooling the new and then taking time to coach them up afterward. The sportsmanship was heart warming.  Words of encouragement, pats on the back, handshakes and hugs shared by players old and new.

This is what tradition is all about - honoring those who have gone before, supporting those in the moment and building for the future. 

Well done Shawnee!

Shawnee Alumni Scrimmage

It was a Blessing to see so many old familiar faces at the Shawnee Alumni Scrimmage and a confirmation that the goal for your program should be to have both a tradition and a future that enables the present to able to look with pride and confidence in both directions.  I counted 37 former players at the contest and I likely missed a couple. What an incredible turnout!

For the match, the 2014 Varsity came out strong and established control of the match early.  Sharp, crisp passing with a purpose. Patience while working to create a seam to attack through and great change of pace when they decided to go forward. Solid shape defensively and beyond that was a much improved recognition for and ability to pick up their marks in the forward passing lanes. The Varsity scored first and looked to be in mid-season form in some regards.

Eventually the huge numbers advantage for the alums began to take its toil on the 2014 Varsity as Coach pro tem Doc LaGrande shuttled players in and out en masse.  The alumni eventually won the match and on reflection this is perhaps how it should have been. So much talent on the field - former all-state, all-district, district POY, all-league and league POY's  - for the alumni team yesterday.

Some of the former players in attendance:  Joe Bianco, Dave Goodin, Jeff Decker, Jared Link, Brandon Morse, Trent Quatman, Colin McDermott, Nick Pratt, Brian Bell, Evan Bell, Joe Vogelgesang, Christian Vogelgesang, Joel Reddick, Joe Keller, Joe Goodman, Austin Howard, Troy Brinkman, Jared Dupes, Nick Guidera, Ryan Quatman, Pete LaGrande, Adam Khalaf, Kirt Moritz, Cody Fullenkamp, Patrick Bonifas, Adam Knott, Cogan Shimizu, Garret Gross, Austin Braychok, Andrew Ritchie, Matt High, Justin Thomas, Josh Thomas, Brennan Gaffer, Tyler Anderson, Cory Wilder, Tim Taviano and probably a couple of more.

It was wonderful to see the "old guys" interact with this years varsity.  I saw several instances of the old guys schooling the new and then taking time to coach them up afterward. The sportsmanship was heart warming.  Words of encouragement, pats on the back, handshakes and hugs shared by players old and new. This is what tradition is all about - honoring those who have gone before, supporting those in the moment and building for the future. 

Well done Shawnee!

The greatest mistake

is to continue practicing a mistake.

 Break the chain of negativity immediately.

 

WBL (Elida) District Brackets.

http://brackets.ohsaa.org/bracket.aspx?t=4242&ts=9604&not=11

2013 OHSAA Boys Soccer Division II District Tournament

Elida District
DEFIANCE 4
10/16 - 6:00 PM @ Defiance HS Site / Contact Info	DEFIANCE      0
VAN WERT 1
	10/21 - 5:00 PM @ Defiance HS Site / Contact Info	ELIDA       3
	ELIDA          5
		10/23 - 5:00 PM @ Elida MS Site / Contact Info	ELIDA       0
WAPAKONETA 0
10/14 - 5:00 PM @ Wapakoneta HS Site / Contact Info	BATH 0
LIMA BATH 1
	10/17 - 5:00 PM @ Wapakoneta HS Site / Contact Info	SHAWNEE      0
	LIMA SHAWNEE 2
			10/26 - 6:00 PM @ Elida MS Site / Contact Info	Winner  St Marys
	BRYAN      6
	10/21 - 7:00 PM @ Defiance HS Site / Contact Info	BRYAN        0
	OTTAWA-GLANDORF
	0
		10/23 - 7:00 PM @ Elida MS Site / Contact Info	ST MARYS       1
CELINA 2
10/14 - 7:00 PM @ Wapakoneta HS Site / Contact Info	CELINA 0
KENTON 0
	10/17 - 7:00 PM @ Wapakoneta HS Site / Contact Info	ST. MARYS          1
	ST. MARYS MEMORIAL 2

Western Buckeye League Boys Soccer Year in Review (Updated with All-WBL Teams)

2013  Western Buckeye League Champions

 

St. Marys Roughriders 

Standings

1) St Marys 7-0-2                  23 points
2) Wapakoneta 6-0-3             21 points
3) Shawnee 6-2-1                  19 points
4) Celina 5-2-2                      17 points
Elida 5-2-2                            17 points
6) Bath 4-4-1                         13 points
7) Kenton 3-6-0                      9 points
8) Ottawa-Glandorf 2-5-        7 points
9) Defiance 1-7-0                   3 points
10) Van Wert 0-9-0                0 points


My choices for players  and coach of the year awards:

Attacking POY:  Zach Wilker, Midfielder, St Marys
Defending POY:  Kaleb Miller, Goalkeeper, Wapakoneta
Coach of the Year:  Keith Rambin, Wapkoneta
Freshman of the Year:  Jackson O'Conner, Shawnee and Alex Lause, Wapakoenta.

Official 1st Team All - Western Buckeye League 2013

Player of the Year:  Zach Wilker

1^st Team  All – WBL 

Michael Carman, Bath

Eric Moeder, Celina

AJ Siefker, Elida

Jerod Houston, Elida

Cam Deardorff, Kenton

Luke Schaub, Ottawa-Glandorf

Andrew Ritchie, Shawnee

Ryan Roberts, Shawnee

Zach Nelson, St Marys

Sam Hinegardner, Wapakoneta

Alex Lause, Wapakoneta

Second Team
Luke Lemmerman, St. Marys
Nate Wilker, St. Marys
Riley Overholt, Elida
Cain Buroker, Kenton
Ryan Hoying, Celina
Troy Brinkman, Shawnee
Austin Brachok, Shawnee
Austin Ricker, Bath
Kaleb Miller, Wapakoneta
Trevor Ellerbrock, Ottawa-Glandorf
Joe Lisa, Van Wert
Ricky Sheffel, Defiance

Third Team
Detrique Mines, St. Marys
Kyle Brown, St. Marys
Brice Coolidge, Elida
Jon Szczerba, Kenton
Cole Loughridge, Celina
Alex Clark, Shawnee
Austin Davis, Shawnee
Tyler Stahr, Bath
Colin Lenhart, Wapakoneta
Nick Schroeder, Ottawa-Glandorf
Matt Bidlack, Van Wert
Layne Clellan, Defiance

Honorable Mention
Isaac Fuetter, Ottawa-Glandorf
Nathan Stewart, Elida
Warren Wall, Defiance
Kyle Money, Van Wert
Bailey Hinegardner, Wapakoneta
Isaac Elston, Celina
Trey Brock, Shawnee
Gage Hair, Kenton
Trey Barnett, Bath
Stuart Yahl, St. Marys

Match by Match Results

August 29, 2013

Celina 4     Bath 1
Elida 6      Defiance 0
Ottawa-Glandorf 3    Van Wert 0
St. Marys 2     Shawnee 1
Wapakoneta 8      Kenton 0

September 5, 2013

Bath 2    Defiance 0
Celina 3    Ottawa-Glandorf 1
Elida 0     Wapakoneta 0
St. Marys 4    Kenton 0
Shawnee 8     Van Wert 0

September 10, 2013

Wapakoneta 1     Bath 1
Celina 8     Defiance 0
St. Marys 4     Elida 2
Shawnee 3     Ottawa-Glandorf 0
Van Wert 1     Kenton 3

September 16, 2013

St. Marys 3     Bath 0
Wapakoneta 2     Celina 1
Ottawa-Glandorf 4     Defiance 0
Shawnee 7     Kenton 0
Elida 5     Van Wert 0

September 19, 2013

Bath 5     Van Wert 0
Shawnee 2     Elida 1
Kenton 1    Ottawa Glandorf 0
Celina 0     St Marys 0
Wapakoneta 8     Defiance 2

September 24, 2013

Shawnee 3    Bath 1
Elida 5    Kenton 0
Wapakoneta 2     Ottawa Glandorf 1
St Marys 7     Defiance 0
Celina 4     Van Wert 0

September 30, 2013

Defiance 3     Van Wert 0
Ottawa Glandorf 1    Elida 1
Bath 4    Kenton 3
Celina 1     Shawnee 1
St Marys 0     Wapakoneta 0

October 3, 2013

Elida 3 Bath 0
Celina 3 Kenton 0
Shawnee 6 Defiance 0
St Marys 3 Ottawa Glandorf 0
Wapakoneta 7 Van Wert 3

October 10, 2013

Bath 1 Ottawa-Glandorf 0
Defiance 3 Kenton 4
Wapakoneta 2 Shawnee 1
Van Wert 0 St Marys 7
Elida 2 Celina 1

Shawnee 2 Bath 0

I'm going to keep this short and sweet this evening as I am still recovering from food poisoning suffered last night.  

Shawnee and Bath met in a sectional final at Wapakoneta this evening. On the line was a trip to the Elida district next Wednesday evening.  The temperatures hovered around 50 degrees with a stiff wind out of the west. Along with an occasional light mist it sometimes felt colder.

The two teams had last met on September 24th with Shawnee winning 3 - 1. For that game Bath was missing a couple of key players due to injury, but would be at full strength this evening. Defeating a good team twice in one season is difficult yet this is what Shawnee would be tasked with.

Shawnee got on the board in the first half when right back Lance Brown saw forward Andrew Ritchie with his hand raised signaling for a pass.  Brown's diagonal pass onto Ritchie's bent run was a beautiful combination.  Ritchie's first touch led him straight towards goal and an easy finish past Bath goalkeeper Cam Clark to the side netting at back post.

In the second half Trey Brock played another beautiful diagonal ball through the Bath defense to Ryan Roberts who, like Ritchie in the first half, found himself 1 v 1 with the Bath goalkeeper inside the penalty area. Roberts calmly finished to back post to put the Indian's up 2-0.

This might have been Shawnee's best all round game of the season. Troy Brinkman was once again solid in goal earning his 9th shutout on the season.  Evan Bell played like the veteran center back he is in shutting down and turning away the Wildcats attack time and again. Right back Lance Brown played one of his best games of the season holding Bath's Logan Ambrister in check, distributing the ball and making dangerous runs in the attack. Jake Sevitz, Jack O'Connor and Tanner Mayer also played well in Shawnee's zonal defense as the Indians threw up a wall in front of the Wildcats attack. But if I had to name a player of the game for Shawnee it would be holding midfielder Austin Brachok who helped the Indians control center midfield defensively and got the Indians into their possession game offensively.

Bath ends their season with a 10-7-1 record.

Congratulations to the Shawnee Indians and Good Luck at Elida on Wednesday at 5:00 p.m.