(2010 article) Feb. 23rd Game against PCMS submitted to be published on 3/4/10
LOCAL MIDDLE SCHOOLS FACE OFF IN SOCCER SEASON OPENER:
During the time of year when most of us have on heavy coats and scarves, local middle schoolers are on the field ready to begin soccer season. The 2010 season began with our two local middle schools facing off against each other on the JMS field Tuesday, Feb. 22nd. The season opener proved to be very challenging for JMS due to the fact that neither team was at full roster with many players at the school’s basketball banquet. This created a significant disadvantage for both JMS teams with many players filling in for their absent teammates. Both girls and boys had to rise to the challenge and play positions that they might have never trained for in an attempt to bring cohesiveness to the field.
The boys game was very fast paced and a nail biter from the beginning. Both JMS and PCMS were well represented by strong offensive and defensive players. Offensively, JMS put a lot of pressure on their opponent’s defense with multiple chances in front of the goal and a substantial number of shots during the entire game. In the first half, Chris DiPuma scored with a header off a corner kick from Eli Padgett. Coach Steve Biles said, “This was an absolutely wonderful execution of what we work on in practice both from the quality of Eli’s cross to Chris attacking the ball and finishing. With a score of 1-1 at the end of the first half, it could be anyone’s game and both teams had the fans on their feet. Despite the fact that PCMS had an impressive offensive team that kept going strong, Kayln Brooks stepped in as a goalie and allowed zero goals and had multiple saves. This is the first time he’s ever played a true match and his athletic ability made for a good show both in the goal and on the field. Equally hard working was the JMS defense. As the PCMS offense kept pressing, the JMS defensive team Anthony Parks, Thomas Howard, Brad Rutledge, and Jeff Buckingham were determined not to let them score again. Volunteer Coach Jerry Greer stated, “I made special notice of Brad Rutledge and Jeff Buckingham for stepping into new defensive roles and excelling in their new position.” The JMS boys team was able to celebrate their opener with a final score of 2-1.
For the JMS girls the outcome wasn’t quite the same and the season opener proved to be a chance for them to learn where they could improve. PCMS put a lot of pressure on the defense. JMS player Maddie Parker stood out defensively even though she was suffering from a back injury. She might have been hurt, but she let PCMS know she was definitely a force to be reckoned with that night. Despite the efforts of Maddie and her defensive team members, the score at the half was 0-2 with PCMS having the advantage over the JMS team. The second half began with changes in player positions. There was a lot of back and forth action in the midfield, but the JMS girls just couldn’t seem to be able to punch it through for a score. Both Coaches Biles and Greer agreed that Cheyenne Peters stood out for being able to help the team defensively and offensively with a strong push as the end of the game giving the team a potential to score. Coach Steve Biles said, “On a positive note, we did put together some nice combination passes between players. We just need to build on that to get it to the other team’s goal.” With the final score of 0-5, the team is working on improving the weak areas that they saw during the game.
You can keep up-to-date on the JMS soccer season by checking us out on the web at jmssoccer.synthasite.com.
