The prep soccer notebook …
The unusually chilly weather for last week’s Rowan County Tournament didn’t put much of a damper on the event.
“It was cold, but if it was a factor, it didn’t remain a factor for long,”said West Rowan coachRich Erdman, whose Falcons took the title with a 6-1 win over Salisbury.
For the girls running around on the North Rowan field, the weather wasn’t so bad. It was hardest on the coaches and players on the bench —not to mention the fans. Some braved the arctic chill. Others did not.
“For it to be 25 degrees at a 7 o’clock game, we weren’t expecting a big crowd,” North coach Vincent Connolly said.
Still, Connolly was pleased with how the tournament went, especially since hisCavs played well in a 4-0 victory in the third-place game.
“In the first half it wasn’t too bad. The sun was still up,”Connolly said. “We really got in before it got too cold.”
Warm or cold, rain or shine, the season-opening tournament is a tradition Connolly enjoys.
“It gets the kids playing games that are important to them right off the bat,”he said. “If we weren’t playing the county tournament, we’d be someplace else this week.”
NORTH ROWAN
Connolly had several freshmen play well in the Cavs’ two games last week — something he had mixed emotions about.
On one hand, it’s great that some of his younger players are fighting for playing time. On the other, he’d love to have some of his 11 underclassmen on a junior varsity team playing 80 minutes a game.
“With the commitments we received, we anticipated 40 players coming out,”Connolly said. “When it came time to start practice, we had 22-23 kids. If we had the numbers to support a jayvee team, we would’ve had one.”
Of the eight freshmen on varsity this season, Lace Ann Wishon andAli Robertson are making the biggest push for playing time, at outside mid or outside back.
Wishon is the last in a well-known line of North athletes, with older brothers Justin (soccer and baseball) and Jarrett (football) blazing a trail before her.
“What’s a good sign for us is, top to bottom we’re pretty strong,”Connolly said. “Even though we don’t have a jayvee team, our freshmen are coming in and pushing our experienced players for playing time.
“If you’ve got a jayveeteam and don’t have good players, it’s not as advantageous to have a jayvee team,”Connolly added. “I’d rather have 25 players push each other than 40 where some can’t play.
“Before, we were looking to fill in spots with players. Now we have competition for the last few spots. That’s a good sign of things to come.”
WEST ROWAN
Perhaps the biggest surprise from the Rowan County Tournament was Falcon goalie Nichole Peebles.
West entered the season with a big question mark at the position thanks to the graduation of all-county keeper Sara Pieper. As it turns out, during a low-key practice, Peebles asked Erdman if she could hang out in the goal and give it a whirl.
“I watched and watched and it was like, ‘Wait a minute, there’s something going on here!’ ” Erdman recalled. “What a story she is. She was molded to that particular position.”
Peebles, who also played basketball for West, is built more like a midfielder or forward. The senior boasts excellent speed, Erdman said, and has been more than willing to learn all she can about her new position.
“She has great hand-eye coordination and she’s not afraid to get down in the dirt,”Erdman said. “I know there will be new situations for her in other games, but she’s already mustered up some of the basic fundamentals of being in goal that some people take a couple years to get down.”
Being able to depend on Peebles in goal thrills Erdman, of course. Her success also pleased former coach RebeccaSnider, who after watching Peebles’ performance in a recent game reported to Erdman that “Nichole found her niche.”
“We’re really fortunate in that regard,”Erdman said. “It’s been an incredible thing to see how she fit and play like she’s been playing there for years.”
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Contact Steve Hanf at 704-797-4256 or shanf@salisburypost.com
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