Varsity:
Stats from STL High School Sports
11/21 (Consolation game) vs Park Hill. Goal by Brian Willcox after a strong attack by Colin Janicek left the ball in front of the goal.
11/20 (Semifinals) vs CBC L 2-6 Goal by George Plakorus on a free kick earned by Colin Janicek. Second goal by Taylor Cox cleaning up a shot off the bar by George Plakorus.
11/14 (Quarterfinals) vs Kickapoo W 1-0. Goal by Brian Willcox assisted by Taylor Cox.
11/10 (Sectionals) vs Camdenton W 2-1 (OT). First goal by Alex Holliday assisted by Brian Willcox and game winning goal by George Plakorus assisted by Matt Baker.
11/6 (District 9 Final) vs. JC W 2-0. Goals Colin Janicek assisted by George Plakorus and Plakorus assisted by Jared Tonyan.
11/3 (Semi-Final-Districts) vs Rock Bridge W 1-0. Goal by George Plakorus-free kick.
10/31 (District) vs Smith-Cotton W 7-0. Key contributors: Colin Janicek 2 goals, Connor Hollrah 1 goal 1 assist, George Plakorus 1 goal 1 assist, Taylor Cox 1 goal, San Mouckouaby 1 goal, Brian Willcox 1 goal, Andy Atkins 2 assists
10/27:vs Camdenton L 1-1 PK 3-1 Goal George Plakorus. Taylor Cox (PK in shoot out)
10/24:vs. Rolla W 3-1 Goals Taylor Cox assisted by Colin Janicek, Goal Alex Holliday assited by Connor Hollrah, Goal Matt Baker assisted by Brian Wilcox
10/23:vs. Waynesville W 3-2 Matt Baker (2), Connor Hollrah (1) Assists George Plakorus and Colin Janicek
10/20:vs. Helias L 0-3
10/17:vs. Glendale W 2-0 Goals-Matt Baker and Alex Holliday: Assist George Plakorus
10/16:vs Kickapoo L 1-2 Goal Andy Atkins
10/3:vs. Hudson HS Wisconsin W 5-2 Goals Janicek(2), Baker(3): Assists Hollrah (2), Atkins (1), Janicek (1) G.Meyer(1), San(1)
10/3:vs. Morton HS, Illinois W 1-0 Goal-Alex Holliday Assisted by cross from Taylor Cox
10/2: vs. CBC JV: L 0-1
9/30:vs. Rockbridge L1-2: Goal- Colin Janicek
9/24: vs. Smith Cotton W 2-0: Goals-Matt Baker ,Andy Atkins Assist: Connor Hollrah
9/12: vs. Howell Central L1-2: Goal: Andy Atkins PK
9/12: vs. Francis Howell T 1-1: Goal:Alex Holliday Assist:Baker
9/11: vs. Howell North L 0-3
9/10: vs. Raymore-Peculiar- W 4-1: Goals-Taylor Cox (2), Alex Holliday, and Brian Willcox: Assists Baker,Hollrah, Grahm Meyer
9/8: vs. Jefferson City- L 0-1.
9/5: vs. Quincy Notre Dame- T 0-0
9/5: vs. Macomb-W 5-0: Goals-Andy Atkins (2), Connor Hollrah (2) and Brian Willcox Assists:Janicek and Cox
9/4: vs. Maine South-W 2-0: Goals-Taylor Cox and Andy Atkins.
Junior Varsity:
10/27:vs Camdenton W 1-0. Goal Joe Aubuchon.
10/21:vs Helias T 1-1. Goal Jeremy Landrey.
10/17:vs Glendale T 1-1
10/16:vs Kickapoo W 1-0.Goal Taylor Ray.
9/30:vs Rockbridge L 0-2.
9/25 RB Tournament vs Fulton W 4-0; vs JC W 1-0, vs RB L 0-4
9/24:vs Smith Cotton W 6-1. Goals Joe Aubuchon (3), Tommy Nabelek (2), & Taylor Ray.
9/18: vs Smithton, W 5-2, Goals: Jeremy Landrey (2), Spencer Miller, David Gardner-Dale and Joe Aubuchon.
9/12: vs Desmet, L 0-2
9/12: vs CBC, L 0-5
9/11: vs St Paul-Concordia-W 4-2, Goals: Taylor Ray, James Griggs, Adam Kopriva & Tommy Nabelek.
9/8: vs Smithton-W 1-0, Goal: Jeremy Landrey.
9/8: vs Green Ridge-W 10-1
9/2: vs Rock Bridge-W 1-0, Goal: Connor Hollrah
C-Team:
10/28: vs. Helias, T 2-2, Goals Scott Whitehill & Chris McCoy.
10/26: vs. Rock Bridge, L 2-1, Goal Chris McCoy.
10/8: vs. Stover L 3-2, Goals: Chris McCoy & Diego Herrera.
9/28: vs. Helias, T 3-3, Goals Diego Herrera (2) & Scott Whitehill.
9/24: vs. Rock Bridge, L 2-1, Goal: Chris McCoy
9/18: vs Smithton, W 2-0, Goals: Vencel Tigue and Cole Brendel.
9/12: vs. Desmet, L 0-4.
9/12: vs. CBC L 1-2, Goal: Vincel Teague.
9/10: vs. Raymore-Peculiar W 5-2
9/8: vs. Jefferson City L- 6-1
9/2: vs. Rock Bridge L- 0-3
Showing posts with label 2009 Season. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2009 Season. Show all posts
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Taylor puts Kewpies at ease
Coaching change allowed Hickman to relax en route to state semifinals.
The Hickman boys soccer team is 10-4 and has advanced to the MSHSAA Class 3 semifinals since Adam Taylor, above, took over as coach of the Kewpies for Larry Thornburg in early October
By Andrew Wagaman
Thursday, November 19, 2009
The boys walk off the field. They smile, they give each other high-fives, they say things like, “good stuff.” If you are lucky, you’ll catch a hug or an exclamation of disbelief.
That’s only if you are lucky. For the most part, the boys of Hickman soccer have treated each of their postseason victories with the casual exuberance you would expect out of a competitive intramural team.
“Sweet, man.” “What a game.” “See you tomorrow.” “SSDD.”
Hold up, guys. Coach — yes, they have a coach — has another story.
It would be easy but unfair to decide that because the Kewpies’ evolution from a mediocre 4-4-2 team to a 14-8-2 Class 3 state semifinalist team corresponds with when Coach Adam Taylor took over, He is the key to it all, “The Answer.” Say what you want about Larry Thornburg, the former coach who resigned amid criticism in early October, but these players were just as good then as they are now, and the team’s strategies, while altered, are not wildly different or more successful under Taylor.
“It’s so free flow right now,” junior forward Colin Janicek said. “It’s really just us playing on the field; there’s no one interfering. We are a really loose team, and when we just do what we know how to do, we play so much better than when we are tense.”
What sounds like a rebuttal to Taylor’s influence is actually a testament to it. The Hickman soccer team has won four straight games against favored teams because, quite simply, Taylor has let them play like the boys want to play. He isn’t the answer, but it would be just as unfair to ignore the significance of his presence on the sideline.
When Thornburg took over as head coach in 2007, he offered Taylor, a Hickman alumnus and recent Missouri graduate, a job over lunch as the freshman coach. The next year, he was promoted to the JV team, which he coached until this October. When Thornburg resigned, Athletic Director Doug Mirts asked Taylor to take over at the Collinsville Tournament. He hopped into his car, met the team at the tournament and said the most honest thing he could think of.
“I told the kids that they had to be coached by someone, and I was that person, so they needed to listen to what I said and move forward,” he said.
That weekend Taylor made the most notable of his few strategic adjustments. Unhappy with the lack of opportunities the Kewpies were getting by running only one forward, he added another between the day’s two games. After escaping with a 1-0 win over Morton, Ill., in the morning, Hickman routed Hudson, Wis., 5-2, the most goals the team had scored all year.
“He gave it to us 10 minutes before we kicked off,” senior forward Taylor Cox said. “We didn’t really practice it or anything. It just worked out.”
Over the next month, it was more Taylor’s instructive approach than any technical changes that just worked out. Yes, he stressed possession soccer and keeping the ball on the ground, which has enabled the attack to control the game and facilitated the defense’s job. He has also demanded his backs to mark up on dangerous players such as Jeff City’s Alec Nagel or Kickapoo’s Skyler Russell, part of a broader emphasis on opponent-based preparation.
But it is his method of communication that the Hickman players always bring up first. They are reluctant to criticize Thornburg, but most agree that Taylor’s tendency to provide positive feedback has established a better connection than they had with their former coach.
“Whenever we’re not doing something right, he doesn’t pull us out for the rest of the game or anything,” Cox said. “He tells us what we have to do, and we try to do it to the best of our ability.”
“I think we had it all along but weren’t able to put it together,” Janicek said. “He ultimately helped us pick up our heads and play together more.”
Janicek, who played for Taylor as a freshman but didn’t get to know him very well until this year, says the coach quickly gained the trust and acceptance of his players by being straightforward with them and more of a peer than an authoritative figure.
“With any new coach, it takes awhile to bond,” he said. “We didn’t just jump in and commit to his thing — we had to learn a little bit about him. He opened up a lot to us and pretty much said, ‘What’s done is done, and we have to move on, because the season still has to go on.’ ”
An attacking player in high school, Taylor doesn’t pretend to take credit for the defense’s remarkable postseason, in which they have allowed just one goal. Rather, he turns to his most useful resource, assistant coach Conrad Hake, for pointers at practices and adjustments in games. Taylor preaches just one thing to his defense: the importance of focus. While it is nothing profound or particularly new, his players have truly taken the message to heart.
“He says the more mentally focused we are, the further we’ll go,” Cox said. “Our defense, especially Logan Forsythe, controls the game with mental play, and the physical play follows.”
Taylor, who is currently substitute-teaching and hopes to become a full-time teacher in the future, says he and the athletic department have decided not to deal with his coaching future until the season is over. If offered the job, though, he would readily accept.
“The kids have been great,” he said. “They’ve worked unbelievably hard for me, and I’d love to work with the younger kids again.”
Coach has a story — another one from his own trip to the state semifinals. You see, he was a freshman on the last Hickman team, in 1999, to advance to St. Louis. A few years later, his playing days were cut short when he injured his knee as a senior. He understands how fleeting one’s glory days can be and thus wants this footloose group of kids to realize that this is more than just “good stuff.”
“I’m always giving them a story, whether it’s motivational or humorous, just to understand how special this is,” Taylor said. “I want them to realize that these are memories that will last the rest of their lives.”
This article was published on page B1 of the Thursday, November 19, 2009 edition of The Columbia Daily Tribune. Click here to Subscribe.
The Hickman boys soccer team is 10-4 and has advanced to the MSHSAA Class 3 semifinals since Adam Taylor, above, took over as coach of the Kewpies for Larry Thornburg in early October
By Andrew Wagaman
Thursday, November 19, 2009
The boys walk off the field. They smile, they give each other high-fives, they say things like, “good stuff.” If you are lucky, you’ll catch a hug or an exclamation of disbelief.
That’s only if you are lucky. For the most part, the boys of Hickman soccer have treated each of their postseason victories with the casual exuberance you would expect out of a competitive intramural team.
“Sweet, man.” “What a game.” “See you tomorrow.” “SSDD.”
Hold up, guys. Coach — yes, they have a coach — has another story.
It would be easy but unfair to decide that because the Kewpies’ evolution from a mediocre 4-4-2 team to a 14-8-2 Class 3 state semifinalist team corresponds with when Coach Adam Taylor took over, He is the key to it all, “The Answer.” Say what you want about Larry Thornburg, the former coach who resigned amid criticism in early October, but these players were just as good then as they are now, and the team’s strategies, while altered, are not wildly different or more successful under Taylor.
“It’s so free flow right now,” junior forward Colin Janicek said. “It’s really just us playing on the field; there’s no one interfering. We are a really loose team, and when we just do what we know how to do, we play so much better than when we are tense.”
What sounds like a rebuttal to Taylor’s influence is actually a testament to it. The Hickman soccer team has won four straight games against favored teams because, quite simply, Taylor has let them play like the boys want to play. He isn’t the answer, but it would be just as unfair to ignore the significance of his presence on the sideline.
When Thornburg took over as head coach in 2007, he offered Taylor, a Hickman alumnus and recent Missouri graduate, a job over lunch as the freshman coach. The next year, he was promoted to the JV team, which he coached until this October. When Thornburg resigned, Athletic Director Doug Mirts asked Taylor to take over at the Collinsville Tournament. He hopped into his car, met the team at the tournament and said the most honest thing he could think of.
“I told the kids that they had to be coached by someone, and I was that person, so they needed to listen to what I said and move forward,” he said.
That weekend Taylor made the most notable of his few strategic adjustments. Unhappy with the lack of opportunities the Kewpies were getting by running only one forward, he added another between the day’s two games. After escaping with a 1-0 win over Morton, Ill., in the morning, Hickman routed Hudson, Wis., 5-2, the most goals the team had scored all year.
“He gave it to us 10 minutes before we kicked off,” senior forward Taylor Cox said. “We didn’t really practice it or anything. It just worked out.”
Over the next month, it was more Taylor’s instructive approach than any technical changes that just worked out. Yes, he stressed possession soccer and keeping the ball on the ground, which has enabled the attack to control the game and facilitated the defense’s job. He has also demanded his backs to mark up on dangerous players such as Jeff City’s Alec Nagel or Kickapoo’s Skyler Russell, part of a broader emphasis on opponent-based preparation.
But it is his method of communication that the Hickman players always bring up first. They are reluctant to criticize Thornburg, but most agree that Taylor’s tendency to provide positive feedback has established a better connection than they had with their former coach.
“Whenever we’re not doing something right, he doesn’t pull us out for the rest of the game or anything,” Cox said. “He tells us what we have to do, and we try to do it to the best of our ability.”
“I think we had it all along but weren’t able to put it together,” Janicek said. “He ultimately helped us pick up our heads and play together more.”
Janicek, who played for Taylor as a freshman but didn’t get to know him very well until this year, says the coach quickly gained the trust and acceptance of his players by being straightforward with them and more of a peer than an authoritative figure.
“With any new coach, it takes awhile to bond,” he said. “We didn’t just jump in and commit to his thing — we had to learn a little bit about him. He opened up a lot to us and pretty much said, ‘What’s done is done, and we have to move on, because the season still has to go on.’ ”
An attacking player in high school, Taylor doesn’t pretend to take credit for the defense’s remarkable postseason, in which they have allowed just one goal. Rather, he turns to his most useful resource, assistant coach Conrad Hake, for pointers at practices and adjustments in games. Taylor preaches just one thing to his defense: the importance of focus. While it is nothing profound or particularly new, his players have truly taken the message to heart.
“He says the more mentally focused we are, the further we’ll go,” Cox said. “Our defense, especially Logan Forsythe, controls the game with mental play, and the physical play follows.”
Taylor, who is currently substitute-teaching and hopes to become a full-time teacher in the future, says he and the athletic department have decided not to deal with his coaching future until the season is over. If offered the job, though, he would readily accept.
“The kids have been great,” he said. “They’ve worked unbelievably hard for me, and I’d love to work with the younger kids again.”
Coach has a story — another one from his own trip to the state semifinals. You see, he was a freshman on the last Hickman team, in 1999, to advance to St. Louis. A few years later, his playing days were cut short when he injured his knee as a senior. He understands how fleeting one’s glory days can be and thus wants this footloose group of kids to realize that this is more than just “good stuff.”
“I’m always giving them a story, whether it’s motivational or humorous, just to understand how special this is,” Taylor said. “I want them to realize that these are memories that will last the rest of their lives.”
This article was published on page B1 of the Thursday, November 19, 2009 edition of The Columbia Daily Tribune. Click here to Subscribe.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Hickman boys soccer team advances to state semifinals
Saturday, November 14, 2009 | 6:37 p.m. CST
BY Mark Levitt
The Hickman boys soccer team is not done yet.
The Kewpies advanced to the Class 3 state semifinals with a 1-0 win over Kickapoo in quarterfinal play Saturday in Waynesville.
Hickman’s journey began on Halloween, when it won its first of three games in a district tournament where it was the fourth out of five seeds. It continued when junior Brian Wilcox kicked in senior Taylor Cox’s corner-kick pass with less than two minutes remaining in the quarterfinals Saturday afternoon.
Coach Adam Taylor described himself as ecstatic.
“As a coach there’s not a much better time to score,” Taylor said. “Getting it in that last minute and a half, all we had to do was kill a minute and a half. It was perfect.”
Taylor said his team was outplayed in the first half. But after adjusting at halftime, the Kewpies took control and produced eight second-half shots on goal compared to one for Kickapoo.
As Cox stepped up to take the corner, he made an effort not to let the ball float too far from the goal. He said he hadn’t been giving his team a chance to score in the previous postseason games. He was shocked as he saw the ball hit net.
“I stared at the clock and couldn’t believe it,” Cox said. “Brian came and we celebrated.”
Hickman now turns its attention to Christian Brothers College High School, which defeated Vianney 2-1 in two overtimes in it's quarterfinal game. The two teams will meet at 5 p.m. Friday in Fenton. Taylor said he is glad the Kewpies have the full week to prepare for CBC, which he said is the top-ranked team in the state.
“Just because their jerseys say CBC doesn’t mean they’re ripe for the finals,” Taylor said. “We wouldn’t have made it this far if we weren’t a good team.”
BY Mark Levitt
The Hickman boys soccer team is not done yet.
The Kewpies advanced to the Class 3 state semifinals with a 1-0 win over Kickapoo in quarterfinal play Saturday in Waynesville.
Hickman’s journey began on Halloween, when it won its first of three games in a district tournament where it was the fourth out of five seeds. It continued when junior Brian Wilcox kicked in senior Taylor Cox’s corner-kick pass with less than two minutes remaining in the quarterfinals Saturday afternoon.
Coach Adam Taylor described himself as ecstatic.
“As a coach there’s not a much better time to score,” Taylor said. “Getting it in that last minute and a half, all we had to do was kill a minute and a half. It was perfect.”
Taylor said his team was outplayed in the first half. But after adjusting at halftime, the Kewpies took control and produced eight second-half shots on goal compared to one for Kickapoo.
As Cox stepped up to take the corner, he made an effort not to let the ball float too far from the goal. He said he hadn’t been giving his team a chance to score in the previous postseason games. He was shocked as he saw the ball hit net.
“I stared at the clock and couldn’t believe it,” Cox said. “Brian came and we celebrated.”
Hickman now turns its attention to Christian Brothers College High School, which defeated Vianney 2-1 in two overtimes in it's quarterfinal game. The two teams will meet at 5 p.m. Friday in Fenton. Taylor said he is glad the Kewpies have the full week to prepare for CBC, which he said is the top-ranked team in the state.
“Just because their jerseys say CBC doesn’t mean they’re ripe for the finals,” Taylor said. “We wouldn’t have made it this far if we weren’t a good team.”
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Hickman boys soccer team wins sectional
Tuesday, November 10, 2009 10:15 p.m. CST
Alex Holliday, left, celebrates with teammate San Mouckoudby after Holiday scored for Hickman in its 2-1 overtime victory Tuesday night over Camdenton in Class 3 sectional competition. ¦ CHELSEA SEKTNAN/Missourian
Tuesday’s game wasn’t the first time the Kewpies faced the Lakers in overtime. In the last game of the regular season, Hickman was tied at 1 with Camdenton before falling in penalty kicks.
The loss spurred a running joke that has lasted through the Kewpies' playoff run: “End teams’ seasons.” What started as a joke has turned into a goal, according to senior forward George Plakorus.
“We just want to send 'em home,” Plakorus said. “We like being able to continue practicing while they are sitting at home.”
During the postseason, beating teams that have previously defeated the Kewpies in the regular season has become a trend. All five opponents the Kewpies faced thus far in the postseason had won regular season games against Hickman.
“We know how team’s play now after seeing them the first time,” junior goalkeeper Chuck Wilson said. “We make our game plans to cope with how they played before.”
Wilson did not want the game to go to penalty kicks again.
“(The tie) was the same scenario as last time, but we pulled it out this time," Wilson said. “We practiced penalty kicks, but going into PK’s is something you never want to do. So we picked it up, played hard, and finished it early.”
The Kewpies struck first in the 25th minute when Brian Willcox crossed the ball from the left side to Alex Holliday who was standing in the box ready to put it in.
Despite carrying the 1-0 lead deep into the second half, the Kewpies style of play was noticeably different.
“We played a little too cautious in the second half and quit playing possession soccer,” Kewpies coach Adam Taylor said. "I don’t’ know where that came from, but we kind of played to protect the lead in the second half and it came back to bite us in the butt.”
The bite came in the 69th minute when Camdenton senior Jeff Dorhauer slipped through the defense and tied it up.
Plakorus attributes the change in play to fatigue.
“We lost our nerves a little bit, got too excited for the finish,” Plakorus said. “The last two games were really emotional and it took a lot out of us … After we scored, we kind of broke down a little, started just kicking it around. That’s not how we need to play to win.”
Camdenton’s goal was the first allowed by the Kewpies this postseason.
“I told these guys at practice this week there was going to come a time when somebody is going to score on you in this tournament, and you are going to have to handle some adversity, and we did that tonight," Taylor said.
Plakorus scored the winning goal just 3:30 into the first 15-minute overtime period after making a cut to the box and sending the ball to the far post.
The Kewpies (13-8-2) advance to the Class 3 state quarterfinals to play Kickapoo (19-7), which they lost to 2-1 during the regular season. The match begins at 1 p.m. at Waynesville High School.
Hickman's Taylor Cox, left, and Adam Brenner take the ball away from Camdenton's Jeron Sinclair in the Kewpies' Class 3 sectional victory Tuesday night in Jefferson City.
Alex Holliday, left, celebrates with teammate San Mouckoudby after Holiday scored for Hickman in its 2-1 overtime victory Tuesday night over Camdenton in Class 3 sectional competition. ¦ CHELSEA SEKTNAN/MissourianBY Tony Markovich
JEFFERSON CITY — Hickman got what it wanted: An end to Camdenton’s season.
The Hickman boys’ soccer team won in Class 3 sectional competition Tuesday night defeating Camdenton 2-1 in overtime at the Art Firley Soccer Complex in Jefferson City.
Hickman's Taylor Cox, left, and Adam Brenner take the ball away from Camdenton's Jeron Sinclair in the Kewpies' Class 3 sectional victory Tuesday night in Jefferson City.
Hickman midfielder Cody Gorda heads the ball over Camdenton defender Spencer Thompson in the Kewpies Class 3 sectional victory Tuesday night in Jefferson City.
JEFFERSON CITY — Hickman got what it wanted: An end to Camdenton’s season.
The Hickman boys’ soccer team won in Class 3 sectional competition Tuesday night defeating Camdenton 2-1 in overtime at the Art Firley Soccer Complex in Jefferson City.
Hickman's Taylor Cox, left, and Adam Brenner take the ball away from Camdenton's Jeron Sinclair in the Kewpies' Class 3 sectional victory Tuesday night in Jefferson City.
Hickman midfielder Cody Gorda heads the ball over Camdenton defender Spencer Thompson in the Kewpies Class 3 sectional victory Tuesday night in Jefferson City.
Tuesday’s game wasn’t the first time the Kewpies faced the Lakers in overtime. In the last game of the regular season, Hickman was tied at 1 with Camdenton before falling in penalty kicks.
The loss spurred a running joke that has lasted through the Kewpies' playoff run: “End teams’ seasons.” What started as a joke has turned into a goal, according to senior forward George Plakorus.
“We just want to send 'em home,” Plakorus said. “We like being able to continue practicing while they are sitting at home.”
During the postseason, beating teams that have previously defeated the Kewpies in the regular season has become a trend. All five opponents the Kewpies faced thus far in the postseason had won regular season games against Hickman.
“We know how team’s play now after seeing them the first time,” junior goalkeeper Chuck Wilson said. “We make our game plans to cope with how they played before.”
Wilson did not want the game to go to penalty kicks again.
“(The tie) was the same scenario as last time, but we pulled it out this time," Wilson said. “We practiced penalty kicks, but going into PK’s is something you never want to do. So we picked it up, played hard, and finished it early.”
The Kewpies struck first in the 25th minute when Brian Willcox crossed the ball from the left side to Alex Holliday who was standing in the box ready to put it in.
Despite carrying the 1-0 lead deep into the second half, the Kewpies style of play was noticeably different.
“We played a little too cautious in the second half and quit playing possession soccer,” Kewpies coach Adam Taylor said. "I don’t’ know where that came from, but we kind of played to protect the lead in the second half and it came back to bite us in the butt.”
The bite came in the 69th minute when Camdenton senior Jeff Dorhauer slipped through the defense and tied it up.
Plakorus attributes the change in play to fatigue.
“We lost our nerves a little bit, got too excited for the finish,” Plakorus said. “The last two games were really emotional and it took a lot out of us … After we scored, we kind of broke down a little, started just kicking it around. That’s not how we need to play to win.”
Camdenton’s goal was the first allowed by the Kewpies this postseason.
“I told these guys at practice this week there was going to come a time when somebody is going to score on you in this tournament, and you are going to have to handle some adversity, and we did that tonight," Taylor said.
Plakorus scored the winning goal just 3:30 into the first 15-minute overtime period after making a cut to the box and sending the ball to the far post.
The Kewpies (13-8-2) advance to the Class 3 state quarterfinals to play Kickapoo (19-7), which they lost to 2-1 during the regular season. The match begins at 1 p.m. at Waynesville High School.
Hickman's Taylor Cox, left, and Adam Brenner take the ball away from Camdenton's Jeron Sinclair in the Kewpies' Class 3 sectional victory Tuesday night in Jefferson City.
Hickman midfielder Cody Gorda heads the ball over Camdenton defender Spencer 
Thompson in the Kewpies Class 3 sectional victory Tuesday night in Jefferson City.
Thompson in the Kewpies Class 3 sectional victory Tuesday night in Jefferson City.Related Links
MSHSAA soccer brackets
MSHSAA soccer brackets
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Hickman Boys Soccer Team Wins Sectionals
The Hickman boys soccer team beat Camdenton 2-1 in overtime Tuesday night in Class 3 sectional competition to advance to the state quarterfinals. The Kewpies will play Kickapoo on Saturday at Waynesville.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Coaching changes equal success in soccer
By Rus Baer
Sunday, November 8, 2009
It appears the easiest path to a district soccer title in Columbia is to change coaches midseason.
Rock Bridge did it this past spring after Kelly Gates resigned five games into the girls season, and the Hickman boys followed suit on Thursday with a 2-0 win over second-seeded and state-ranked Jefferson City for the Class 3 District 9 crown on LeMone Field.
Perhaps the players and parents know what they’re doing after all.
I’m joking, but the postseason berth is Hickman’s first since 2001 and continues an impressive turnaround for the Kewpies since Larry Thornburg’s abrupt resignation as coach on Oct. 2.
With former assistant Adam Taylor taking over for Thornburg, the Kewpies (12-8-2) have gone 8-4 — including a surprising run to the district title as the tournament’s fourth seed.
Hickman will now face Camdenton (16-2-1) at 6 p.m. Tuesday in a Class 3 sectional at 179 Soccer Park in Jefferson City. The Lakers beat the Kewpies 2-1 (3-1 on penalty kicks) on Oct. 27 in Hickman’s regular-season finale.
A win this time around would advance the Kewpies to a quarterfinal at 1 p.m. Saturday in Waynesville against Kickapoo or Carthage.
I don’t confess to know much about soccer, but a state semifinal berth definitely seems possible for the Kewpies. In the two district games I watched, Hickman clearly had the better of play against top-seeded Rock Bridge — a 1-0 semifinal win — and sixth-ranked Jefferson City.
If you don’t believe me -check out the video posted on the Prep Repartee blog. The blog seems to have developed a sudden soccer following. The video clip of Hickman’s two goals against the Jays — and Colin Janicek’s rather exuberant celebration after his score — hasn’t quite gone viral, but it has already received more hits than any football game footage posted on the blog.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
It appears the easiest path to a district soccer title in Columbia is to change coaches midseason.
Rock Bridge did it this past spring after Kelly Gates resigned five games into the girls season, and the Hickman boys followed suit on Thursday with a 2-0 win over second-seeded and state-ranked Jefferson City for the Class 3 District 9 crown on LeMone Field.
Perhaps the players and parents know what they’re doing after all.
I’m joking, but the postseason berth is Hickman’s first since 2001 and continues an impressive turnaround for the Kewpies since Larry Thornburg’s abrupt resignation as coach on Oct. 2.
With former assistant Adam Taylor taking over for Thornburg, the Kewpies (12-8-2) have gone 8-4 — including a surprising run to the district title as the tournament’s fourth seed.
Hickman will now face Camdenton (16-2-1) at 6 p.m. Tuesday in a Class 3 sectional at 179 Soccer Park in Jefferson City. The Lakers beat the Kewpies 2-1 (3-1 on penalty kicks) on Oct. 27 in Hickman’s regular-season finale.
A win this time around would advance the Kewpies to a quarterfinal at 1 p.m. Saturday in Waynesville against Kickapoo or Carthage.
I don’t confess to know much about soccer, but a state semifinal berth definitely seems possible for the Kewpies. In the two district games I watched, Hickman clearly had the better of play against top-seeded Rock Bridge — a 1-0 semifinal win — and sixth-ranked Jefferson City.
If you don’t believe me -check out the video posted on the Prep Repartee blog. The blog seems to have developed a sudden soccer following. The video clip of Hickman’s two goals against the Jays — and Colin Janicek’s rather exuberant celebration after his score — hasn’t quite gone viral, but it has already received more hits than any football game footage posted on the blog.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Hickman STATS
Schedule
. Fri, 9/4/2009 5:30 p.m. vs. Maine South at Paul Dennis C W 2-0
. Sat, 9/5/2009 9 a.m. vs. Macomb at Paul Dennis C W 5-0
. Sat, 9/5/2009 1 p.m. vs. Quincy Notre Dame at Paul Dennis C 0-0
. Tue, 9/8/2009 6:30 p.m. at Jefferson City L 0-1
. Thu, 9/10/2009 6:30 p.m. at Raymore Peculiar W 4-1
. Fri, 9/11/2009 5:45 p.m. at Howell North L 0-3
. Sat, 9/12/2009 10 a.m. vs. Howell at Howell C. L 1-1
. Sat, 9/12/2009 6 p.m. at Howell Central L 1-2
. Thu, 9/24/2009 6:30 p.m vs. Smith-Cotton W 2-0
. Wed, 9/30/2009 6:30 p.m. at Rock Bridge L 1-2
. Fri, 10/2/2009 3 p.m. at CBC JV L 0-1
. Sat, 10/3/2009 9:45 a.m. vs. Morton at Metro United W 1-0
. Sat, 10/3/2009 3:30 p.m. vs. Hudson, Wisconsin at Metro United W 5-2
. Fri, 10/16/2009 6:30 p.m. vs. Spg Kickapoo L 1-2
. Sat, 10/17/2009 11:30 a.m. vs. Sprg. Glendale W 2-0
. Tue, 10/20/2009 6:30 p.m. at Helias L 0-3
. Fri, 10/23/2009 6:45 p.m. at Waynesville W 3-2
. Sat, 10/24/2009 10:45 a.m. vs. Rolla at W 3-1
. Tue, 10/27/2009 6:30 p.m. vs. Camdenton at L 1-2
. Sat, 10/31/2009 2 p.m. vs. Sedalia W 7-0
. Tue, 11/3/2009 5 p.m. vs. Rock Bridge W 1-0
. Thu, 11/5/2009 6 p.m. vs. Jefferson City W 2-0
. Tue, 11/10/2009 6 p.m. vs. Camdenton at 179 Soccer Pk 0-0
Goalie statistics
# Name Min Wins Loss Ties Pct SO Solo Shared GA Avg. Sv Pct
0 Chuck Wilson 1780 12 8 2 591 9 9 0 22 0.99 197 0.900
Scoring statistics
. Fri, 9/4/2009 5:30 p.m. vs. Maine South at Paul Dennis C W 2-0
. Sat, 9/5/2009 9 a.m. vs. Macomb at Paul Dennis C W 5-0
. Sat, 9/5/2009 1 p.m. vs. Quincy Notre Dame at Paul Dennis C 0-0
. Tue, 9/8/2009 6:30 p.m. at Jefferson City L 0-1
. Thu, 9/10/2009 6:30 p.m. at Raymore Peculiar W 4-1
. Fri, 9/11/2009 5:45 p.m. at Howell North L 0-3
. Sat, 9/12/2009 10 a.m. vs. Howell at Howell C. L 1-1
. Sat, 9/12/2009 6 p.m. at Howell Central L 1-2
. Thu, 9/24/2009 6:30 p.m vs. Smith-Cotton W 2-0
. Wed, 9/30/2009 6:30 p.m. at Rock Bridge L 1-2
. Fri, 10/2/2009 3 p.m. at CBC JV L 0-1
. Sat, 10/3/2009 9:45 a.m. vs. Morton at Metro United W 1-0
. Sat, 10/3/2009 3:30 p.m. vs. Hudson, Wisconsin at Metro United W 5-2
. Fri, 10/16/2009 6:30 p.m. vs. Spg Kickapoo L 1-2
. Sat, 10/17/2009 11:30 a.m. vs. Sprg. Glendale W 2-0
. Tue, 10/20/2009 6:30 p.m. at Helias L 0-3
. Fri, 10/23/2009 6:45 p.m. at Waynesville W 3-2
. Sat, 10/24/2009 10:45 a.m. vs. Rolla at W 3-1
. Tue, 10/27/2009 6:30 p.m. vs. Camdenton at L 1-2
. Sat, 10/31/2009 2 p.m. vs. Sedalia W 7-0
. Tue, 11/3/2009 5 p.m. vs. Rock Bridge W 1-0
. Thu, 11/5/2009 6 p.m. vs. Jefferson City W 2-0
. Tue, 11/10/2009 6 p.m. vs. Camdenton at 179 Soccer Pk 0-0
Goalie statistics
# Name Min Wins Loss Ties Pct SO Solo Shared GA Avg. Sv Pct
0 Chuck Wilson 1780 12 8 2 591 9 9 0 22 0.99 197 0.900
Scoring statistics
Hickman Wins District Crown
Kewpies pull off another surprise.
By Andrew Wagaman
Friday, November 6, 2009
With the Hickman soccer program in tumult at the beginning of October, few could have foreseen the turnaround that followed in the next month.
By Andrew Wagaman
Friday, November 6, 2009
With the Hickman soccer program in tumult at the beginning of October, few could have foreseen the turnaround that followed in the next month.
“We had a really good team, but we had trouble fitting the pieces together,” junior Colin Janicek said. “I think we finally started to mesh after all the trouble. It was difficult, but we got it done.”
After the Kewpies’ 2-0 victory over sixth-ranked Jefferson City last night, Coach Adam Taylor reminisced on the rough transition midseason after former head Coach Larry Thornburg resigned.
I think it took a week or two for them to understand exactly what I wanted and to actually trust me,” Taylor said. “After we got a couple of wins, they thought, ‘Oh, maybe he knows what he’s talking about.’ ”
And after a 2-1 regular-season-finale loss to Camdenton, Hickman gritted its teeth and jammed its way through the postseason. A once middling defense suddenly became invincible and hasn’t given up a single goal in the last three games.
“The back line has gone from mediocre to just outstanding in two weeks,” Taylor said. “It’s been incredible.”
Janicek, who scored the game-winning goal 67 minutes into the championship game, felt the Kewpies were able to knock off two teams that beat them in the regular season by peaking after gradual improvement since Taylor took over.
“We bonded with Coach Taylor a little bit more,” he said. “We finally started connecting, settled down and came into our own together. Once we started connecting on passes, we started finishing, which is probably the biggest thing.”
It was a crisp pass and a strong finish that untied a scoreless game that seemed destined to go to overtime. George Plakorus deftly stopped a pass by Matthew Baker from rolling out of bounds and then sent a cross to the middle of the box. Janicek one-timed the ball into the left side of the net.
“George was just being George and did something creative,” Janicek said. “Kirt” Harris, a midfielder “went in first, and I thought he was going to get a touch on it. When he let it through, I thought, ‘that’s mine.’ ”
The goal came two minutes after a score by Alex Holliday was called back as offside. Taylor was disappointed by the call but had a feeling that the tide had turned.
“I knew that the call would give us some momentum,” he said. “We still put it in the back of the net, and the guys got a lift from that.”
Plakorus capped off a remarkable personal resurgence with a breakaway insurance goal in the 77th minute. Since the game against Camdenton — in which he scored his first goal — he has netted one a game.
“He’s just come through perfectly for us in a crucial time of the year,” Taylor said. “Some kids step up” in the postseason, “and George has definitely picked it up.”
While the Kewpies’ run after the loss to Camdenton might seem strange, Taylor says it has not been due to newfound confidence as much as a revelation that they needed to finish better.
Hickman may have another shot at Camdenton in the Class 3 Sectional if the Lakers beat Rolla in their district final. The Kewpies will be ready for either at 6 on Tuesday night.
“We need to keep playing the way we have been — with shut-out defense,” Janicek said. “We need to take care of chances when we get them.”
Photo by Parker Eshelman
Published November 6, 2009
Colin Janicek celebrates after scoring a goal during Hickman’s 2-0 victory over Jefferson City in Thursday night’s district title game.
This article was published on page B1 of the Friday, November 6, 2009 edition of The Columbia Daily Tribune. Click here to Subscribe.
Hickman wins boys soccer district championship
Hickman wins boys soccer district championship
Thursday, November 5, 2009 10:10 p.m. CST
BY Tony Markovich
Kewpies forward Colin Janicek celebrates his goal against Jefferson City during the second half of the Class 3 District 9 championship game Thursday at Hickman High School. ¦ PATRICK T. FALLON / MISSOURIAN ___________________________________________________
COLUMBIA — After being handed the plaque for the Class 3, District 9 Boys Soccer Championship on Thursday night, the Kewpies hoisted their coach Adam Taylor on their shoulders and into the air as they yelled and screamed in celebration of their 2-0 victory over second-seeded Jefferson City.
The last time Hickman won a district title was in 2001. Back then, Taylor was still a student at Hickman and the starting forward for the soccer team. Taylor said the feeling was completely different on Thursday.
“Wow, I never ever thought I would be at this point,” Taylor said. “This feeling almost trumps it. This is a great feeling doing it for 18 other people. It's just different when you can motivate them and go out and beat two district rivals in three nights. I’m kind of at a loss for words.”
Taylor said he almost felt like a parent watching his players.
“It’s the best feeling in the world, whenever you are able to watch other kids succeed,” Taylor said. That’s what I do it for, the kids. And whenever you can watch them succeed and see them play at a high level, it’s amazing.”
Before the game, Taylor told his players what it was like to win a district title.
“Yeah, he brought that up the other day,” senior forward George Plakorus said. “He wanted us to take his record from him and prove that we could do it. He was pushing us a lot because he wanted us to do just as good as he did when he was here. His goal from the beginning was for us to win districts, and now we have.”
After losing to Rock Bridge 2-1 and Jefferson City 1-0 during the regular season, the fourth-seeded Kewpies needed to make some changes in order to beat both teams in the postseason.
“Instead of dribbling all the time, we settled down and really came into our own,” junior forward Colin Janicek said. “The players got along so much better after the midpoint of the season. It took a lot to get going, but once we got our passes going and started finishing, we put it in the back of the net.”
“It’s good revenge obviously, Plakorus said. “We had our chances against Rock Bridge and Jeff City and we just couldn’t finish before. That’s what we’ve been working on the past two to three weeks and it all came together when it needed to.”
In addition to the improvements to the offense, the defense has held up strong, notching three straight shutouts in the tournament. Taylor said he noticed the progression of the defense over the second half of the season.
“The defensive line played outstanding this evening,” Taylor said. “They were like a rock back there … When I started coaching, I was confident in our attack, but I was sorta spotty on our defense at times. Now, the defense has raised their level so much, that I can’t say either side of the ball has an advantage anymore.”
To further fuel his team’s fire, Taylor brought up last year’s district tournament to the team.
“I used the media release from last year that said ‘Kewpies lose to Jefferson City,’” Taylor said. “I showed them the actual article last night and I said to them, ‘Do you want to be this team, or do you want to be the team that makes their own headline?’ I think they really responded from that.”
The game went scoreless throughout the first half and much of the second half, but Hickman broke through with a goal with 13 minutes left in the game.
Plakorus, who originally thought the ball was out, cut back and played the ball right across the middle to a streaking Janicek to put the Kewpies up 1-0.
“I thought Kirt (Harris) was going to get a touch on it, but it went through, and I was like ‘That’s mine’ and just put it in,” Janicek said. “It was great.”
Taylor said he was was relieved to see the Kewpies strike first.
“I preached that to them at practice. We’ve got to score first,” Taylor said. I was hoping it would come in the first half. I asked for them to be ahead at half so we could move on from there, but I guess that’ll work. A goal is a goal, and I’m glad we got it first.”
With four minutes remaining, Plakorus fought off leg cramps, outran the Jefferson City defenders, and slipped the ball past the Jays’ goalie to put the Kewpies up 2-0.
The Kewpies advance to a sectional game on Tuesday in Jefferson City. They will face the winner of Thursday's late District 10 title game between Camdenton and Rolla.
“At this point, you just gotta stay mentally tough, and we are actually getting more mentally sharp by the day it seems like,” Taylor said
The Hickman soccer team celebrates their victory over Jefferson City in the Class 3 District 9 championship game .
Hickman soccer coach Adam Taylor congratulates his team as they celebrate their victory over Jefferson City. The last time the Kewpies won the championship, Taylor was a player on the team.
Thursday, November 5, 2009 10:10 p.m. CST
BY Tony Markovich
Kewpies forward Colin Janicek celebrates his goal against Jefferson City during the second half of the Class 3 District 9 championship game Thursday at Hickman High School. ¦ PATRICK T. FALLON / MISSOURIAN ___________________________________________________
COLUMBIA — After being handed the plaque for the Class 3, District 9 Boys Soccer Championship on Thursday night, the Kewpies hoisted their coach Adam Taylor on their shoulders and into the air as they yelled and screamed in celebration of their 2-0 victory over second-seeded Jefferson City.
The last time Hickman won a district title was in 2001. Back then, Taylor was still a student at Hickman and the starting forward for the soccer team. Taylor said the feeling was completely different on Thursday.
“Wow, I never ever thought I would be at this point,” Taylor said. “This feeling almost trumps it. This is a great feeling doing it for 18 other people. It's just different when you can motivate them and go out and beat two district rivals in three nights. I’m kind of at a loss for words.”
Taylor said he almost felt like a parent watching his players.
“It’s the best feeling in the world, whenever you are able to watch other kids succeed,” Taylor said. That’s what I do it for, the kids. And whenever you can watch them succeed and see them play at a high level, it’s amazing.”
Before the game, Taylor told his players what it was like to win a district title.
“Yeah, he brought that up the other day,” senior forward George Plakorus said. “He wanted us to take his record from him and prove that we could do it. He was pushing us a lot because he wanted us to do just as good as he did when he was here. His goal from the beginning was for us to win districts, and now we have.”
After losing to Rock Bridge 2-1 and Jefferson City 1-0 during the regular season, the fourth-seeded Kewpies needed to make some changes in order to beat both teams in the postseason.
“Instead of dribbling all the time, we settled down and really came into our own,” junior forward Colin Janicek said. “The players got along so much better after the midpoint of the season. It took a lot to get going, but once we got our passes going and started finishing, we put it in the back of the net.”
“It’s good revenge obviously, Plakorus said. “We had our chances against Rock Bridge and Jeff City and we just couldn’t finish before. That’s what we’ve been working on the past two to three weeks and it all came together when it needed to.”
In addition to the improvements to the offense, the defense has held up strong, notching three straight shutouts in the tournament. Taylor said he noticed the progression of the defense over the second half of the season.
“The defensive line played outstanding this evening,” Taylor said. “They were like a rock back there … When I started coaching, I was confident in our attack, but I was sorta spotty on our defense at times. Now, the defense has raised their level so much, that I can’t say either side of the ball has an advantage anymore.”
To further fuel his team’s fire, Taylor brought up last year’s district tournament to the team.
“I used the media release from last year that said ‘Kewpies lose to Jefferson City,’” Taylor said. “I showed them the actual article last night and I said to them, ‘Do you want to be this team, or do you want to be the team that makes their own headline?’ I think they really responded from that.”
The game went scoreless throughout the first half and much of the second half, but Hickman broke through with a goal with 13 minutes left in the game.
Plakorus, who originally thought the ball was out, cut back and played the ball right across the middle to a streaking Janicek to put the Kewpies up 1-0.
“I thought Kirt (Harris) was going to get a touch on it, but it went through, and I was like ‘That’s mine’ and just put it in,” Janicek said. “It was great.”
Taylor said he was was relieved to see the Kewpies strike first.
“I preached that to them at practice. We’ve got to score first,” Taylor said. I was hoping it would come in the first half. I asked for them to be ahead at half so we could move on from there, but I guess that’ll work. A goal is a goal, and I’m glad we got it first.”
With four minutes remaining, Plakorus fought off leg cramps, outran the Jefferson City defenders, and slipped the ball past the Jays’ goalie to put the Kewpies up 2-0.
The Kewpies advance to a sectional game on Tuesday in Jefferson City. They will face the winner of Thursday's late District 10 title game between Camdenton and Rolla.
“At this point, you just gotta stay mentally tough, and we are actually getting more mentally sharp by the day it seems like,” Taylor said
The Hickman soccer team celebrates their victory over Jefferson City in the Class 3 District 9 championship game .
Hickman soccer coach Adam Taylor congratulates his team as they celebrate their victory over Jefferson City. The last time the Kewpies won the championship, Taylor was a player on the team.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Kewpies strike first, hold on against Bruins
Hickman to play Jeff City for district title
By Andrew Wagaman
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Class 3 District 9
TUESDAY NIGHT
Semifinals
Hickman 1, Rock Bridge 0
Jefferson City 1, Troy Buchanan 0
THURSDAY
Final
Jefferson City at Hickman, 6 p.m.
Even after securing a 1-0 upset of their crosstown rivals, the Kewpies seemed to maintain the tunnel-vision focus that they used to stifle the Bruins.
“They came to play,” Hickman Coach Adam Taylor said. “I preached to them that if they played the way I asked them to, they’d come out with a victory tonight, and they did exactly what I wanted them to do.”
If one of Taylor’s requests to his defense was to deny the opposing attack mentally as well as physically, they surely listened. Hickman (11-8-2) had the unenviable task of playing with a 1-0 lead for 74 minutes, but the confident backs played like they were used to protecting leads against Rock Bridge (13-9), which won the first meeting this season 2-1.
“Our intensity was really high,” goalie Chuck Wilson said. “We talked a lot — our communication was great tonight. We played like one team.”
As the desperate Bruins vigorously attacked in the second half, Logan Forsythe and Koby Meyer countered the speed and agility of Rock Bridge players such as Rhys McCracken and George Baird with their size. When the Bruins managed to get open and take shots, Wilson anticipated every one.
“I was trying to keep the ball in front of me as much as I could,” he said. “It was coming at me left and right nonstop the second half.”
Cognizant of the Bruins’ tendency to capitalize on headers and long crosses, Taylor emphasized outfighting them in the air.
“We knew their strategy was to send the ball in the air to the far post,” he said. “I preached to them that if we win the ball in the air we would win the game.”
Almost lost in the suspense surrounding the second half was George Plakorus’ odd goal six minutes into the game. Rock Bridge’s early anxiousness led to numerous Hickman free kicks. Plakorus sent one — a line drive that was meant for forward Matthew Baker — a little left of where Baker meant to head it. He inadvertently blocked goalie Brady Wulff’s line of sight, allowing Plakorus’ kick to roll uncontested into the far left corner. At the other end of the field, Wilson was confused by what he’d seen.
“I was like, ‘Is anybody going to get that?’ ” he said. “I saw the other goalie standing still. I was amazed. I did not expect it to go in.”
After the first 10 minutes, and especially in the second half, Rock Bridge Coach Kyle Austin felt his team outplayed the Kewpies.
“We created a number of opportunities for ourselves,” he said. “We had two balls on our forwards’ feet inside the 18 and neither one could make good solid contact. Ironically, we played better this time against them than over at our place when we beat them.”
As time passed, the Bruins became progressively frustrated, leading to an extremely physical second half. At one point Wilson was bodyslammed out of bounds as he collected the ball.
“We talked about that a halftime,” Taylor said. “I said, ‘The last 20 minutes they’re going to be coming at you, and you need to keep your composure because you can’t give them free pieces outside the box.’ ”
Fourth-seeded Hickman bottled the momentum it gained from a 7-0 quarterfinal victory over Smith-Cotton on Saturday. Taylor hopes that his team does not drain all of it before the district final against second-seeded Jefferson City at 6 p.m. tomorrow. The Jays (10-5-3) beat Troy Buchanan 1-0 last night in the semifinals.
This article was published on page B1 of the Wednesday, November 4, 2009 edition of The Columbia Daily Tribune. Click here to Subscribe.
By Andrew Wagaman
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Class 3 District 9TUESDAY NIGHT
Semifinals
Hickman 1, Rock Bridge 0
Jefferson City 1, Troy Buchanan 0
THURSDAY
Final
Jefferson City at Hickman, 6 p.m.
Photo by Parker Eshelman
Hickman’s George Plakorus is congratulated by teammate Koby Meyer after scoring the winning goal in Tuesday night’s 1-0 victory over Rock Bridge.
Even after securing a 1-0 upset of their crosstown rivals, the Kewpies seemed to maintain the tunnel-vision focus that they used to stifle the Bruins.
“They came to play,” Hickman Coach Adam Taylor said. “I preached to them that if they played the way I asked them to, they’d come out with a victory tonight, and they did exactly what I wanted them to do.”
If one of Taylor’s requests to his defense was to deny the opposing attack mentally as well as physically, they surely listened. Hickman (11-8-2) had the unenviable task of playing with a 1-0 lead for 74 minutes, but the confident backs played like they were used to protecting leads against Rock Bridge (13-9), which won the first meeting this season 2-1.
“Our intensity was really high,” goalie Chuck Wilson said. “We talked a lot — our communication was great tonight. We played like one team.”
As the desperate Bruins vigorously attacked in the second half, Logan Forsythe and Koby Meyer countered the speed and agility of Rock Bridge players such as Rhys McCracken and George Baird with their size. When the Bruins managed to get open and take shots, Wilson anticipated every one.
“I was trying to keep the ball in front of me as much as I could,” he said. “It was coming at me left and right nonstop the second half.”
Cognizant of the Bruins’ tendency to capitalize on headers and long crosses, Taylor emphasized outfighting them in the air.
“We knew their strategy was to send the ball in the air to the far post,” he said. “I preached to them that if we win the ball in the air we would win the game.”
Almost lost in the suspense surrounding the second half was George Plakorus’ odd goal six minutes into the game. Rock Bridge’s early anxiousness led to numerous Hickman free kicks. Plakorus sent one — a line drive that was meant for forward Matthew Baker — a little left of where Baker meant to head it. He inadvertently blocked goalie Brady Wulff’s line of sight, allowing Plakorus’ kick to roll uncontested into the far left corner. At the other end of the field, Wilson was confused by what he’d seen.
“I was like, ‘Is anybody going to get that?’ ” he said. “I saw the other goalie standing still. I was amazed. I did not expect it to go in.”
After the first 10 minutes, and especially in the second half, Rock Bridge Coach Kyle Austin felt his team outplayed the Kewpies.
“We created a number of opportunities for ourselves,” he said. “We had two balls on our forwards’ feet inside the 18 and neither one could make good solid contact. Ironically, we played better this time against them than over at our place when we beat them.”
As time passed, the Bruins became progressively frustrated, leading to an extremely physical second half. At one point Wilson was bodyslammed out of bounds as he collected the ball.
“We talked about that a halftime,” Taylor said. “I said, ‘The last 20 minutes they’re going to be coming at you, and you need to keep your composure because you can’t give them free pieces outside the box.’ ”
Fourth-seeded Hickman bottled the momentum it gained from a 7-0 quarterfinal victory over Smith-Cotton on Saturday. Taylor hopes that his team does not drain all of it before the district final against second-seeded Jefferson City at 6 p.m. tomorrow. The Jays (10-5-3) beat Troy Buchanan 1-0 last night in the semifinals.
This article was published on page B1 of the Wednesday, November 4, 2009 edition of The Columbia Daily Tribune. Click here to Subscribe.
New Hickman soccer coach leads Kewpies to district championship
Tuesday, November 3, 2009 8:03 p.m. CST
BY Mark Levitt
COLUMBIA — Hickman soccer coach Adam Taylor let out an exuberant cheer as he ran on the field jumping and spinning in circles, celebrating his team’s 1-0 victory Tuesday in the Class 3, District 9 semifinals at Hickman.
The win was a special one for Taylor. He and his team have been through a season full of change, highlighted by the resignation of former coach Larry Thornburg in the beginning of October. At the time, Taylor was an assistant on the coaching staff.
Senior forward George Plakorus, who scored the winner for Hickman, said it took some time for the team to adjust to its new coach.
“We had to go through the realization that he’s (Thornburg) not the coach anymore,” Plakorus said. “It took us a couple of practices to get used to the fact that coach Taylor is now our coach, and we need to pay attention and listen to what he has to say.”
Plakorus said he and his teammates were stunned when they first heard the news of Thornburg’s resignation. At the time, Taylor, 25, gathered the team and told them they had the control to determine the way the rest of the season played out.
“I just told them let’s move forward, whatever happened, happened,” Taylor said. “Whatever happens from this point on is the team you guys are going to make yourselves.”
The style of Hickman’s attack changed with its coach. Plakorus said Taylor incorporated more passing and movement. Players were also given more freedom to shoot the ball in more situations. Plakorus said he thinks the changes have improved the team.
Taylor said the hardest part about the switch from assistant to head coach were the little aspects. He now has to handle substitutions and decide when to do which drills during practices.
“There’s a lot of things you don’t do as an assistant coach that you do as a head coach,” Taylor said. “It’s a whole different world.”
Taylor brought his own coaching style to the Kewpies. Plakorus said that while the coach may be a big yeller during matches, he has a calm demeanor throughout practices. Taylor gives positive feedback, even when his players make mistakes.
While his demeanor may be calm, the young coach is a bundle of energy on the sidelines. At one point during the second half of Hickman’s victory over Rock Bridge on Tuesday, Taylor sprinted full speed down the sideline to contest a call he felt was wrong.
He refused to sit still throughout the match. He crouched. He stood up. He crossed his arms. He paced along the sideline. His body didn’t allow him to relax on the bench.
As the clock ticked down to under six minutes in the game, Taylor moved a few yards from his bench and crouched down by himself. He held on to his hair as Rock Bridge had opportunity after opportunity to score.
“I’m a young guy, but that’ll make you old, those last six minutes,” Taylor said. “We kept our composure.”
Taylor is the coach on an interim basis. He doesn’t know if he will hold the position beyond this year. But with a district championship game to be played Thursday, he’s not worrying about his future.
“We haven’t talked about that part of it yet,” Taylor said. “We’re focused on 2009 right now.”
BY Mark Levitt
COLUMBIA — Hickman soccer coach Adam Taylor let out an exuberant cheer as he ran on the field jumping and spinning in circles, celebrating his team’s 1-0 victory Tuesday in the Class 3, District 9 semifinals at Hickman.
The win was a special one for Taylor. He and his team have been through a season full of change, highlighted by the resignation of former coach Larry Thornburg in the beginning of October. At the time, Taylor was an assistant on the coaching staff.
Senior forward George Plakorus, who scored the winner for Hickman, said it took some time for the team to adjust to its new coach.
“We had to go through the realization that he’s (Thornburg) not the coach anymore,” Plakorus said. “It took us a couple of practices to get used to the fact that coach Taylor is now our coach, and we need to pay attention and listen to what he has to say.”
Plakorus said he and his teammates were stunned when they first heard the news of Thornburg’s resignation. At the time, Taylor, 25, gathered the team and told them they had the control to determine the way the rest of the season played out.
“I just told them let’s move forward, whatever happened, happened,” Taylor said. “Whatever happens from this point on is the team you guys are going to make yourselves.”
The style of Hickman’s attack changed with its coach. Plakorus said Taylor incorporated more passing and movement. Players were also given more freedom to shoot the ball in more situations. Plakorus said he thinks the changes have improved the team.
Taylor said the hardest part about the switch from assistant to head coach were the little aspects. He now has to handle substitutions and decide when to do which drills during practices.
“There’s a lot of things you don’t do as an assistant coach that you do as a head coach,” Taylor said. “It’s a whole different world.”
Taylor brought his own coaching style to the Kewpies. Plakorus said that while the coach may be a big yeller during matches, he has a calm demeanor throughout practices. Taylor gives positive feedback, even when his players make mistakes.
While his demeanor may be calm, the young coach is a bundle of energy on the sidelines. At one point during the second half of Hickman’s victory over Rock Bridge on Tuesday, Taylor sprinted full speed down the sideline to contest a call he felt was wrong.
He refused to sit still throughout the match. He crouched. He stood up. He crossed his arms. He paced along the sideline. His body didn’t allow him to relax on the bench.
As the clock ticked down to under six minutes in the game, Taylor moved a few yards from his bench and crouched down by himself. He held on to his hair as Rock Bridge had opportunity after opportunity to score.
“I’m a young guy, but that’ll make you old, those last six minutes,” Taylor said. “We kept our composure.”
Taylor is the coach on an interim basis. He doesn’t know if he will hold the position beyond this year. But with a district championship game to be played Thursday, he’s not worrying about his future.
“We haven’t talked about that part of it yet,” Taylor said. “We’re focused on 2009 right now.”
Win over Rock Bridge advances Hickman to district boys soccer final
Hickman senior James Moesel, center, takes the ball past a group of Rock Bridge players in the Kewpies' 1-0 victory Tuesday in the Class 3 District 9 semifinals at Hickman. ¦ CHELSEA SEKTNAN/MissourianBY Kevin Deane
COLUMBIA — All Hickman wanted was a rematch. On Tuesday, the fourth-seeded Kewpies got one and took advantage, hanging on to beat top-seeded Rock Bridge 1-0 in the Class 3, District 9 semifinals at Hickman. The Kewpies had lost to the Bruins 2-1 on Sept. 30.
Tuesday's winner came when HIckman senior George Plakorus scored from a free kick in the eighth minute on a botched cross to fellow senior, Matt Baker.
Rock Bridge forward C J Ross tries to push the ball past Hickman midfielder Matthew Baker and forward Taylor Cox in the Kewpies' 1-0 victory Tuesday in the Class 3 District 9 semifinals at Hickman.
“I noticed in other games that he (Baker) would make his run to the near post,” Plakorus said.
“So that is where I tried to put it to where, even if he missed it, it was on the goal. I guess he went to hit it, but he missed, and the keeper couldn’t get to it far-post. It’s good to get lucky.”
Hickman coach Adam Taylor didn’t think the goal enough to give his team a victory. Since he took over as head coach on Oct. 2, Taylor has added an extra forward to put pressure on the opposing teams and get some extra scoring opportunities.
“When coach Taylor took over he just gave us a little more freedom to shoot,” Plakorus said. “And that’s why he put that extra guy up top. It gives him more shots and more chances to finish.”
The extra pressure from the Kewpies in the first half was a completely different scenario for junior Rock Bridge goalkeeper, Brady Wulff. In the first matchup, Wulff didn’t face a single shot until the 38th minute. He faced five in the first nine minutes of Tuesday’s game.
Rock Bridge also created a lot of the Kewpies early opportunities with fouls. Rock Bridge coach Kyle Austin said it was something that hurt his team early on.
“They (Hickman) utilized their strengths and found feet and their skill players ran at us,” Austin said. “We had trouble with them for the first 10 minutes, but we gave up a few free kicks in our third (of the field), and it ultimately led to the goal. It was a kind of unlucky, soft goal, but sometimes a goal like that is all it takes.”
Taylor said the Kewpies' main goal was to score first and let the Bruins try to catch up.
“I preached to them for two straight days, and they ran the style of play I asked them to tonight,” Taylor said. “I told them that we had to score first and whenever that whistle blew, our goal was to score as quickly as possible, Fortunately we got that goal, and held on all night.”
Hickman almost didn’t get their shot at redemption, though. Going into the seeding meeting, the Kewpies and Troy Buchanan were deadlocked for the third seed, with Troy Buchanan ultimately getting the nod.
Austin said he was a little disappointed when they drew Hickman, thinking the Kewpies were better than Troy Buchanan. But with no head-to-head meetings or common opponents, it was hard to judge.
“Watching Troy play a couple times and playing Hickman and watching them play a couple of other times, I felt that Hickman was the vastly superior team,” Austin said, “But my opinion counts for only one of the five in the seeding meeting.”
Taylor said he thinks that drawing the lower seed and getting to play the extra game against Smith-Cotton (a 7-0 victory) was ultimately a big advantage for his team. Instead of coming out cold against the Bruins, his team got to warm up and get the feel for district competition.
“I was glad to take it (the No. 4 seed) so we could play Saturday, and get some extra momentum,” Taylor said. “It worked to our advantage. We got to feel district play first while they (the Bruins) got to wait for us. You can’t determine the voting because you can’t vote for yourself, but I was happy with it. "
Austin said he was happy with the way his team played, and that there was no shame in losing to Hickman, and thought they were a better team than their record or seed showed.
“They played some tough competition all season-long and hung tough, even with the coaching change and everything they went through. I always said I thought they were one of the better teams in the district, and here everybody has a chance.”
After the emotional win, Taylor said he still expects more in the district final on Thursday.
“I’m really proud of the guys, and they’ve fought hard the past couple of weeks, but we are in no means done.” Taylor said. “We have bigger things ahead of us. We’ll celebrate a little tonight, and even though its cliché, we’ll be back to working on things tomorrow.”
The Kewpies will face off against Jefferson City in the MSHSSA Class 3, District 9 championship
at 6 p.m. on Thursday at Robert M. Lemone Field at Hickman.
Rock Bridge forward C J Ross tries to push the ball past Hickman midfielder Matthew Baker and forward Taylor Cox in the Kewpies' 1-0 victory Tuesday in the Class 3 District 9 semifinals at Hickman.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Kewps Turn Up Pressure
Tigers have no answers vs. Hickman.
By Andrew Wagaman
Sunday, November 1, 2009
__________________________________________________________________
SOCCER
Class 3 District 9
YESTERDAY
Hickman 7, Smith-Cotton 0
TUESDAY
Hickman at Rock Bridge,
5 p.m..
___________________________________________________________________
What was Hickman goalie Chuck Wilson thinking about for most of the Class 3 District 9 quarterfinal game versus Smith-Cotton?
“Probably day-dreaming about what he was going to dress up as for Halloween tonight,” forward George Plakorus said.
Wilson had little else to do in the Kewpies’ 7-0 victory. His teammates managed to keep the ball about 80 yards away from him for nearly all 80 minutes. While doing so, they managed to take advantage of ample opportunities.
“We wanted to dominate this game from start to finish to give our guys some confidence going into Tuesday night,” Coach Adam Taylor said. “It was a good opportunity to show what we can do.”
Plakorus scored one goal and provided a perfectly placed corner kick that allowed Brian Willcox to get Hickman on the scoreboard in the third minute of the game. It was sweet redemption after being at the center of a penalty-kick collapse against Camdenton.
“I tried to fly” the corner kick “over the PK spot, far enough out where the goalie couldn’t get it,” Plakorus said. “Brian was there to head it in. It was a big confidence boost after missing that penalty kick.”
The Kewpies scored just once more in the first half, on forward Connor Hollrah’s goal, but they quarantined the action to the area in and around the Tigers’ box. There was no urgency to score, because Smith-Cotton had no chance of clearing the ball past midfield.
“I think Coach said we had 15 opportunities to score in the first half,” Plakorus said. “We just outworked them.”
It was only a matter of time before Hickman’s shots started finding the back of the net, and Colin Janicek scored twice in the first 10 minutes of the second half. Less tenacious pressure let the Tigers attack every once in a while, which, by opening up the field, created easier opportunities for the Kewpies.
“I feel we got a little lackadaisical in the second half at times,” Taylor said. “Even though the scoreboard showed differently, we played better in the first half.”
Plakorus, who scored the fifth goal in the 51st minute, felt he and his teammates had a better grasp of how to attack the Tigers after a 2-0 win over them earlier in the season.
“We knew we need to keep the ball, switch across the field and attack along the sides,” he said.
With the victory, Hickman (10-8-2) advanced to the semifinals Tuesday against top-seeded Rock Bridge. Despite all the controversy surrounding former Coach Larry Thornburg’s resignation in the middle of the season, the Kewpies have prevailed and are playing exactly how they want to be as the postseason begins.
“We’ve come together as a unit and are starting to play good soccer,” Taylor said. “We are moving the ball a lot better than previously. This is the time when we wanted to play our best soccer, and I feel like today was one of the best games we’ve played this year.”
Hickman will need to sustain its momentum against the Bruins, who beat them twice this season. More important, according to Taylor, is keeping their heads in the game. It is safe to say that Tuesday night Wilson will not be day-dreaming about Halloween.
“We need to stay disciplined,” Taylor said. “Whenever we allow goals, it is due to a mental mistake.”
This article was published on page B7 of the Sunday, November 1, 2009 edition of The Columbia Daily Tribune. Click here to Subscribe.
By Andrew Wagaman
Sunday, November 1, 2009
__________________________________________________________________
SOCCER
Class 3 District 9
YESTERDAY
Hickman 7, Smith-Cotton 0
TUESDAY
Hickman at Rock Bridge,
5 p.m..
___________________________________________________________________
What was Hickman goalie Chuck Wilson thinking about for most of the Class 3 District 9 quarterfinal game versus Smith-Cotton?
“Probably day-dreaming about what he was going to dress up as for Halloween tonight,” forward George Plakorus said.
Wilson had little else to do in the Kewpies’ 7-0 victory. His teammates managed to keep the ball about 80 yards away from him for nearly all 80 minutes. While doing so, they managed to take advantage of ample opportunities.
“We wanted to dominate this game from start to finish to give our guys some confidence going into Tuesday night,” Coach Adam Taylor said. “It was a good opportunity to show what we can do.”
Plakorus scored one goal and provided a perfectly placed corner kick that allowed Brian Willcox to get Hickman on the scoreboard in the third minute of the game. It was sweet redemption after being at the center of a penalty-kick collapse against Camdenton.
“I tried to fly” the corner kick “over the PK spot, far enough out where the goalie couldn’t get it,” Plakorus said. “Brian was there to head it in. It was a big confidence boost after missing that penalty kick.”
The Kewpies scored just once more in the first half, on forward Connor Hollrah’s goal, but they quarantined the action to the area in and around the Tigers’ box. There was no urgency to score, because Smith-Cotton had no chance of clearing the ball past midfield.
“I think Coach said we had 15 opportunities to score in the first half,” Plakorus said. “We just outworked them.”
It was only a matter of time before Hickman’s shots started finding the back of the net, and Colin Janicek scored twice in the first 10 minutes of the second half. Less tenacious pressure let the Tigers attack every once in a while, which, by opening up the field, created easier opportunities for the Kewpies.
“I feel we got a little lackadaisical in the second half at times,” Taylor said. “Even though the scoreboard showed differently, we played better in the first half.”
Plakorus, who scored the fifth goal in the 51st minute, felt he and his teammates had a better grasp of how to attack the Tigers after a 2-0 win over them earlier in the season.
“We knew we need to keep the ball, switch across the field and attack along the sides,” he said.
With the victory, Hickman (10-8-2) advanced to the semifinals Tuesday against top-seeded Rock Bridge. Despite all the controversy surrounding former Coach Larry Thornburg’s resignation in the middle of the season, the Kewpies have prevailed and are playing exactly how they want to be as the postseason begins.
“We’ve come together as a unit and are starting to play good soccer,” Taylor said. “We are moving the ball a lot better than previously. This is the time when we wanted to play our best soccer, and I feel like today was one of the best games we’ve played this year.”
Hickman will need to sustain its momentum against the Bruins, who beat them twice this season. More important, according to Taylor, is keeping their heads in the game. It is safe to say that Tuesday night Wilson will not be day-dreaming about Halloween.
“We need to stay disciplined,” Taylor said. “Whenever we allow goals, it is due to a mental mistake.”
This article was published on page B7 of the Sunday, November 1, 2009 edition of The Columbia Daily Tribune. Click here to Subscribe.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Cruel Twist of Fate for Hickman
Cruel twist of fate for Hickman
Kewps miss OT chances, tumble in penalty kicks.
By Matt Harris
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Photo by Don Shrubshell
Camdenton’s Jeron Sinclair scored in the 52nd minute in a game against Hickman Tuesday night. Rayder Bennett pictured. The Lakers went on to win the game 2-1 (3-1 penalty kicks). Photo Caption..
George Plakorus gazed as his penalty kick swung wide of the right post, turned on his heel and trudged towards his teammates at midfield.
The miss marked the bottom of a slow descent for the Hickman senior forward in a 2-1 loss to Camdenton after a 3-1 result on penalty kicks.
Three minutes earlier, Plakorus stutter-stepped and buried a shot that appeared to even the score at 2 on penalty kicks after the teams grappled to a 1-1 draw through two overtimes.
The stutter-step was the problem.
Under state rules, a player that stops his forward movement before striking a kick must attempt it again. After a brief conference, officials ruled that Plakorus halted and made him take another try.
“Apparently, you can’t interrupt your motion,” he said. “I didn’t stop. I kept moving forward. It’s a legal kick.”
Two kicks later, senior Matt Baker clanked a shot off the cross bar, giving the Lakers the win.
The gaffe was a cruel turn for Plakorus, who tied the game on his first goal of the season in the 76th minute of regulation after collecting a punt by Kewpies goalie Chuck Wilson, dribbling to his left and booting a low line drive past a splaying Ryan Moriearty from 18 yards out.
“It’s kind of late,” Plakorus said of the goal, “but better late than never, right?”
Hickman Coach Adam Taylor agreed with the bittersweet assessment.
“That was a great lift for us,” he said. “It was something the seniors needed for senior night. I didn’t want them to lose. Unfortunately, that’s what happened.”
Aside from Plakorus’ strike, Hickman (9-8-2) struggled to capitalize on its scoring chances against a team whose defensive tactics provided Taylor’s club with ample opportunities.
On two occasions, forward Connor Hollrah had the makings of an easy tally but couldn’t close the account.
His best chance came in the 35th minute, when Baker found room behind the Lakers’ pressing backs and swerved a cross onto Hollrah’s foot 7 yards in front of the net. The junior put too much behind his attempt and sent it sailing over the top of the net.
“They were leaving our wings,” Taylor said of his team’s offensive woes. “Their backs were pushing up too far, and we weren’t taking advantage of that. We’ve got to do better at that. It’s going to be tough to win games 1-0 at this level.”
Hickman’s backline faced a strain of its own: an opportunistic Lakers’ counterattack that lobbed in long balls and sent Matt Norris and Jeron Sinclair rushing forward to lead the onslaught.
“Their game plan was just kick and run,” Wilson said. “It’s hard to get the ball when they’re just coming over your head. We were trying to keep it in front of us as much as we could.”
Problems clearing the ball from the penalty area and leaving ample space between the midfield and backline finally converged in the 52nd minute.
Wilson bobbled a pass back from defender Logan Forsythe at the top of the penalty box after a long boot from Camdenton. As Wilson tried to snare the ball, Norris swooped in, took it off Wilson’s hands and slipped it into the back of the net to put Camdenton ahead 1-0.
“I had my hand on the ball,” Wilson said,” and they just kicked it out of my hand. I thought it should have been a call.”
After Plakorus knotted the score, Hickman seized control of the action in extra time, choking up the midfield with bodies and sending charge after charge towards the Lakers’ net.
Baker bulled his way into the box, getting off a shot that was turned aside in the 86th minute and set up a corner kick. On the corner, a rebound found its way onto Plakorus’ foot only to be sent wide right.
While his team filed off the pitch, Taylor said the loss served as an example of what can happen if a team doesn’t seize on the good fortune it creates.
“That’s the kind of team that’s going to beat you on the counterattack, and that’s exactly what happened,” he said. “You can never trust the PK system, so you got to beat a team like that in regulation.”
This article was published on page B3 of the Wednesday, October 28, 2009 edition of The Columbia Daily Tribune. Click here to Subscribe.
Kewps miss OT chances, tumble in penalty kicks.
By Matt Harris
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Photo by Don Shrubshell
Camdenton’s Jeron Sinclair scored in the 52nd minute in a game against Hickman Tuesday night. Rayder Bennett pictured. The Lakers went on to win the game 2-1 (3-1 penalty kicks). Photo Caption..
George Plakorus gazed as his penalty kick swung wide of the right post, turned on his heel and trudged towards his teammates at midfield.
The miss marked the bottom of a slow descent for the Hickman senior forward in a 2-1 loss to Camdenton after a 3-1 result on penalty kicks.
Three minutes earlier, Plakorus stutter-stepped and buried a shot that appeared to even the score at 2 on penalty kicks after the teams grappled to a 1-1 draw through two overtimes.
The stutter-step was the problem.
Under state rules, a player that stops his forward movement before striking a kick must attempt it again. After a brief conference, officials ruled that Plakorus halted and made him take another try.
“Apparently, you can’t interrupt your motion,” he said. “I didn’t stop. I kept moving forward. It’s a legal kick.”
Two kicks later, senior Matt Baker clanked a shot off the cross bar, giving the Lakers the win.
The gaffe was a cruel turn for Plakorus, who tied the game on his first goal of the season in the 76th minute of regulation after collecting a punt by Kewpies goalie Chuck Wilson, dribbling to his left and booting a low line drive past a splaying Ryan Moriearty from 18 yards out.
“It’s kind of late,” Plakorus said of the goal, “but better late than never, right?”
Hickman Coach Adam Taylor agreed with the bittersweet assessment.
“That was a great lift for us,” he said. “It was something the seniors needed for senior night. I didn’t want them to lose. Unfortunately, that’s what happened.”
Aside from Plakorus’ strike, Hickman (9-8-2) struggled to capitalize on its scoring chances against a team whose defensive tactics provided Taylor’s club with ample opportunities.
On two occasions, forward Connor Hollrah had the makings of an easy tally but couldn’t close the account.
His best chance came in the 35th minute, when Baker found room behind the Lakers’ pressing backs and swerved a cross onto Hollrah’s foot 7 yards in front of the net. The junior put too much behind his attempt and sent it sailing over the top of the net.
“They were leaving our wings,” Taylor said of his team’s offensive woes. “Their backs were pushing up too far, and we weren’t taking advantage of that. We’ve got to do better at that. It’s going to be tough to win games 1-0 at this level.”
Hickman’s backline faced a strain of its own: an opportunistic Lakers’ counterattack that lobbed in long balls and sent Matt Norris and Jeron Sinclair rushing forward to lead the onslaught.
“Their game plan was just kick and run,” Wilson said. “It’s hard to get the ball when they’re just coming over your head. We were trying to keep it in front of us as much as we could.”
Problems clearing the ball from the penalty area and leaving ample space between the midfield and backline finally converged in the 52nd minute.
Wilson bobbled a pass back from defender Logan Forsythe at the top of the penalty box after a long boot from Camdenton. As Wilson tried to snare the ball, Norris swooped in, took it off Wilson’s hands and slipped it into the back of the net to put Camdenton ahead 1-0.
“I had my hand on the ball,” Wilson said,” and they just kicked it out of my hand. I thought it should have been a call.”
After Plakorus knotted the score, Hickman seized control of the action in extra time, choking up the midfield with bodies and sending charge after charge towards the Lakers’ net.
Baker bulled his way into the box, getting off a shot that was turned aside in the 86th minute and set up a corner kick. On the corner, a rebound found its way onto Plakorus’ foot only to be sent wide right.
While his team filed off the pitch, Taylor said the loss served as an example of what can happen if a team doesn’t seize on the good fortune it creates.
“That’s the kind of team that’s going to beat you on the counterattack, and that’s exactly what happened,” he said. “You can never trust the PK system, so you got to beat a team like that in regulation.”
This article was published on page B3 of the Wednesday, October 28, 2009 edition of The Columbia Daily Tribune. Click here to Subscribe.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Kewps settle in after turmoil
Kewps settle in after turmoil
Midseason change doesn’t faze Hickman.
By Steve Walentik
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Midseason change doesn’t faze Hickman.
By Steve Walentik
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Photo by Parker Eshelman :
Adam Taylor took over as Hickman’s soccer coach after Larry Thornburg resigned in the middle of the season.
It’s been two weeks since the Hickman boys soccer season was thrown into upheaval by Coach Larry Thornburg’s resignation in the wake of a Sept. 30 loss to crosstown rival Rock Bridge.
But his departure really hasn’t been the disturbance that it could have been.
The Kewpies dropped their first game without Thornburg on the bench but have won three of four since Adam Taylor took over as the interim coach. Their latest victory was a 2-0 shutout of Glendale yesterday at LeMone Field.
“It was a change, that’s for sure, but I think we’ve adapted pretty well,” senior forward Taylor Cox said. “It could have caused a lot of distractions, but we didn’t let it get to us that much, which is good.”
Some players said the change was welcome after Hickman’s 4-4-2 start. Thornburg’s system put an emphasis on getting the ball to the wings and using crossing passes to generate scoring opportunities. The Kewpies scored fewer than two goals in six of their first 10 games, including the 2-1 defeat to the Bruins.
“I think all the guys were looking for something, to make some changes at that point,” senior midfielder Matt Baker said. “But we were all unsure of what we were going to do with the whole coaching thing. Now that we’ve had a few weeks, things have kind of settled down.”
The Hickman players have started to adjust to Taylor, who coached many of them on the junior varsity team over the past three seasons.
“He gives us more positive feedback and tries not to put us down but helps us along the way,” senior forward George Plakorus said. “He lets us learn from our mistakes, and we feel more free.”
Taylor has tinkered with Hickman’s plan of attack, putting another forward on the field in an effort to generate more scoring chances.
“The first couple games I watched, I just didn’t feel like we were going to the goal enough and wanted to try to get some more shots on goal,” Taylor said.
It hasn’t paid immediate dividends. The Kewpies only managed one goal in Friday night’s loss to visiting Kickapoo.
But Hickman fared better in yesterday’s game against Glendale, dominating the possession and putting steady pressure on its opponent. The Kewpies found the net in the 37th minute when sophomore Alex Holliday finished off a cross from Plakorus at the far post, and they took a 1-0 lead into intermission.
The defense and goalkeeper Chuck Wilson turned back every Falcons scoring chance. Hickman added an insurance goal with about eight minutes remaining when Colin Janicek fired the ball into the penalty area, Glendale goalie Jordan Pitts misplayed it and it came to Baker, who drove it into the net.
“We have twice as many shots as we did when we had Coach Thornburg, so we’re just going to get more chances,” Cox said. “We’re just not quite finishing right now.”
The Kewpies have two weeks to work on that before opening district play Nov. 2. They’ve already dropped games against district foes Jefferson City and Rock Bridge, but both defeats came by one goal.
“Our No. 1 goal is to be ready when playoffs start,” Taylor said, “so these kind of games are good work and good tests for us.”
Reach Steve Walentik at 573-815-1788 or e-mail swalentik@columbiatribune.com.
This article was published on page B7 of the Sunday, October 18, 2009 edition of The Columbia Daily Tribune. Click here to Subscribe.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Inmates running asylum?
By Rus Baer
Sunday, October 4, 2009
There was one varsity player on the Hickman boys soccer team who did not play in Wednesday’s 2-1 loss at Rock Bridge.
That one player not playing led to Larry Thornburg resigning his position as the Kewpies head coach in the middle of his third season.
After a meeting with Hickman Athletic Director Doug Mirts on Friday morning, Thornburg stepped down as the Kewpies coach, effective immediately.
During a telephone interview yesterday morning, Thornburg explained in detail his abrupt resignation.
“This is what led to the resignation,” Thornburg said. “Following the Rock Bridge game on Wednesday night, I got an e-mail from the athletic director. There was one player that I had not played at all in the Rock Bridge game, and Doug Mirts in his e-mail said that the parents of that player wanted to meet with me Friday morning at 8 o’clock in his office.”
Thornburg responded that he would be unable to attend the meeting at 8, but he relayed to Mirts the specific reasons for why that player did not play against the Bruins.
Thornburg said that none of the reasons were related to discipline but were based entirely on the player’s performance and ability.
“I had my good reasons as a coach why that player didn’t get any playing time,” Thornburg said. “His parents were not happy with my answer, I guess.
“Rock Bridge has a very skilled, very athletic team, and I just felt like I had some players I needed to have in there if we were going to have the best chance to win.”
Mirts still wanted to meet with Thornburg before the team departed for a tournament in Collinsville, Ill., at noon on Friday. Later that morning, Thornburg met with Mirts.
“At that time, he told me that the parents were very unhappy,” Thornburg said. “The parents were going to start going over his head with their complaints, and it was going to get ugly if we didn’t handle the situation right now.”
Thornburg said he was informed by Mirts that more than 50 percent of the varsity parents had complained to him about the coaching their sons were receiving.
“They did not like my coaching style,” Thornburg said, before relaying some of the reasons given. “Their player was afraid to play in a game because he might make a mistake. Their player did not understand what I was asking him to do in practice or games.
“Doug said that because of the majority no-confidence vote, he wanted me to resign.”
Faced with the news that a majority of the parents and players did not want him as Hickman’s coach, Thornburg decided to step down immediately.
“I agreed, that with more than 50 percent of the parents of that attitude, I said, ‘I resign.’ ”
Mirts did not want to get into specifics about the meeting but said he did not ask Thornburg to resign.
“We discussed that aspect,” Mirts said. “At some point, I asked, ‘Where are we going with this?’ Those were all parts of the discussion. He decided to resign. That was where things ended up. That was his feeling on that.”
Thornburg also has some feelings on the coaching climate in Columbia. A soccer coach for more than 30 years at varying levels, Thornburg believes parental involvement has become a growing problem at the high school level.
“It’s a parent problem, in my opinion, because of the nature of soccer in Columbia,” Thornburg said. “With all the competitive teams that play in Central Missouri, starting young the kids are told to kick the ball and do this and score goals. When you get them in high school, they’ve been doing that for seven, eight, nine years, and you ask them to do something different, and there’s a lot of resistance. And if anybody sits on the bench, they’re not used to sitting on the bench, and the parents are going to raise Cain.
“That’s my interpretation of what’s gone on for the last three years I’ve been at Hickman.”
It’s an interpretation that continues to build credence. Hickman is still looking to replace baseball Coach Bobby Chick, who resigned in August after his first season as head coach, and last spring Rock Bridge girls soccer Coach Kelly Gates resigned five games into the season.
Hickman assistants Adam Taylor and Conrad Hake coached the Kewpies to the consolation championship this weekend at the Gateway City Soccer Classic.
POLLING PLACES: A few more coaching changes might be in order, because neither Columbia soccer team has cracked the state rankings put together by the coaches association.
The same four area teams continued to receive votes in the rankings that were released Friday, with Jefferson City holding the seventh spot in Class 3, Helias No. 6 in Class 2 and Southern Boone No. 10 in Class 1.
Moberly did not crack the top 10 in Class 2 but is receiving votes.
Reach Rus Baer at 573-815-1787 or e-mail rbaer@columbiatribune.com.
This article was published on page B3 of the Sunday, October 4, 2009 edition of The Columbia Daily Tribune. Click here to Subscribe.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
There was one varsity player on the Hickman boys soccer team who did not play in Wednesday’s 2-1 loss at Rock Bridge.
That one player not playing led to Larry Thornburg resigning his position as the Kewpies head coach in the middle of his third season.
After a meeting with Hickman Athletic Director Doug Mirts on Friday morning, Thornburg stepped down as the Kewpies coach, effective immediately.
During a telephone interview yesterday morning, Thornburg explained in detail his abrupt resignation.
“This is what led to the resignation,” Thornburg said. “Following the Rock Bridge game on Wednesday night, I got an e-mail from the athletic director. There was one player that I had not played at all in the Rock Bridge game, and Doug Mirts in his e-mail said that the parents of that player wanted to meet with me Friday morning at 8 o’clock in his office.”
Thornburg responded that he would be unable to attend the meeting at 8, but he relayed to Mirts the specific reasons for why that player did not play against the Bruins.
Thornburg said that none of the reasons were related to discipline but were based entirely on the player’s performance and ability.
“I had my good reasons as a coach why that player didn’t get any playing time,” Thornburg said. “His parents were not happy with my answer, I guess.
“Rock Bridge has a very skilled, very athletic team, and I just felt like I had some players I needed to have in there if we were going to have the best chance to win.”
Mirts still wanted to meet with Thornburg before the team departed for a tournament in Collinsville, Ill., at noon on Friday. Later that morning, Thornburg met with Mirts.
“At that time, he told me that the parents were very unhappy,” Thornburg said. “The parents were going to start going over his head with their complaints, and it was going to get ugly if we didn’t handle the situation right now.”
Thornburg said he was informed by Mirts that more than 50 percent of the varsity parents had complained to him about the coaching their sons were receiving.
“They did not like my coaching style,” Thornburg said, before relaying some of the reasons given. “Their player was afraid to play in a game because he might make a mistake. Their player did not understand what I was asking him to do in practice or games.
“Doug said that because of the majority no-confidence vote, he wanted me to resign.”
Faced with the news that a majority of the parents and players did not want him as Hickman’s coach, Thornburg decided to step down immediately.
“I agreed, that with more than 50 percent of the parents of that attitude, I said, ‘I resign.’ ”
Mirts did not want to get into specifics about the meeting but said he did not ask Thornburg to resign.
“We discussed that aspect,” Mirts said. “At some point, I asked, ‘Where are we going with this?’ Those were all parts of the discussion. He decided to resign. That was where things ended up. That was his feeling on that.”
Thornburg also has some feelings on the coaching climate in Columbia. A soccer coach for more than 30 years at varying levels, Thornburg believes parental involvement has become a growing problem at the high school level.
“It’s a parent problem, in my opinion, because of the nature of soccer in Columbia,” Thornburg said. “With all the competitive teams that play in Central Missouri, starting young the kids are told to kick the ball and do this and score goals. When you get them in high school, they’ve been doing that for seven, eight, nine years, and you ask them to do something different, and there’s a lot of resistance. And if anybody sits on the bench, they’re not used to sitting on the bench, and the parents are going to raise Cain.
“That’s my interpretation of what’s gone on for the last three years I’ve been at Hickman.”
It’s an interpretation that continues to build credence. Hickman is still looking to replace baseball Coach Bobby Chick, who resigned in August after his first season as head coach, and last spring Rock Bridge girls soccer Coach Kelly Gates resigned five games into the season.
Hickman assistants Adam Taylor and Conrad Hake coached the Kewpies to the consolation championship this weekend at the Gateway City Soccer Classic.
POLLING PLACES: A few more coaching changes might be in order, because neither Columbia soccer team has cracked the state rankings put together by the coaches association.
The same four area teams continued to receive votes in the rankings that were released Friday, with Jefferson City holding the seventh spot in Class 3, Helias No. 6 in Class 2 and Southern Boone No. 10 in Class 1.
Moberly did not crack the top 10 in Class 2 but is receiving votes.
Reach Rus Baer at 573-815-1787 or e-mail rbaer@columbiatribune.com.
This article was published on page B3 of the Sunday, October 4, 2009 edition of The Columbia Daily Tribune. Click here to Subscribe.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Hickman boys soccer coach resigns
By Rus Baer
Posted October 2, 2009 at 7:11 p.m.
Two days after coaching the Hickman boys soccer team to a 2-1 loss at Rock Bridge on Wednesday, Larry Thornburg resigned his position effective immediately.
Two Columbia Public School officials confirmed the resignation Friday.
In Thornburg’s third season, the Kewpies were 4-4-2 entering a tournament tonight in Collinsville, Ill. Hickman assistant Adam Taylor was expected to fill the head coaching position on an interim basis.
Thornburg was hired as Hickman's third boys soccer coach following the 2006 season. The Kewpies went 10-7-1 in 2007 and 9-8-1 last year before falling in the Class 3 District 9 title game to Jefferson City.
Thornburg is the second Hickman coach to resign this school year. Baseball Coach Bobby Chick resigned in August following his first season in charge. Hickman has yet to fill that opening.
Thornburg is also the second high school soccer coach in Columbia to resign this year in the middle of a season. Rock Bridge girls soccer Coach Kelly Gates resigned five games into the season last spring. Marc VanDover replaced Gates and led the Bruins to a district title.
Posted October 2, 2009 at 7:11 p.m.
Two days after coaching the Hickman boys soccer team to a 2-1 loss at Rock Bridge on Wednesday, Larry Thornburg resigned his position effective immediately.
Two Columbia Public School officials confirmed the resignation Friday.
In Thornburg’s third season, the Kewpies were 4-4-2 entering a tournament tonight in Collinsville, Ill. Hickman assistant Adam Taylor was expected to fill the head coaching position on an interim basis.
Thornburg was hired as Hickman's third boys soccer coach following the 2006 season. The Kewpies went 10-7-1 in 2007 and 9-8-1 last year before falling in the Class 3 District 9 title game to Jefferson City.
Thornburg is the second Hickman coach to resign this school year. Baseball Coach Bobby Chick resigned in August following his first season in charge. Hickman has yet to fill that opening.
Thornburg is also the second high school soccer coach in Columbia to resign this year in the middle of a season. Rock Bridge girls soccer Coach Kelly Gates resigned five games into the season last spring. Marc VanDover replaced Gates and led the Bruins to a district title.
One hot minute
Game turns on Bruins goal, save of Hickman penalty kick in 73rd.
By David Briggs
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Rock Bridge’s boys soccer team is not short on experience. The Bruins start eight seniors while another four provide depth to a squad expected to contend for the Class 3 District 9 title.
Photo by Nick King
Rock Bridge’s Danny Baird, center, celebrates his game-winning goal with teammate Rhys Mc- Cracken in the Bruins’ 2-1 victory. The 73rd-minute goal was the first of junior Baird’s varsity career.
BOYS SOCCER AT SELLS FIELD
Last night
Rock Bridge 2, Hickman 1
Just don’t forget about the underclassmen.
Last night, it was a pair of varsity greenhorns delivering the biggest plays in Rock Bridge’s 2-1 victory over Hickman at Sells Field.
Junior Danny Baird, a lifelong midfielder turned defender this season, scored his first career goal to put the Bruins ahead in the 73rd minute before junior goalie Brady Wulff saved the game moments later. After a foul high in the box set up a Kewpies penalty kick, the first-year goalie dove left and made what Coach Kyle Austin called the season’s “signature save.”
Perfect timing, too. The clutch displays came not only in the crosstown clash but helped push the Bruins (6-5) above .500 for the first time this season.
“Just a great win,” Wulff said. “It’s a big district game, so it gets us off to a good start.”
The night ultimately pivoted on that single one-minute sequence in the final minutes.
As the 73rd minute came, neither side had wrested away any lasting advantage.
Senior Josh Litofsky keyed a strong Rock Bridge start — the Bruins had five of their 12 shots in the opening 10 minutes — with a score off a corner kick in the fourth minute. But the pace had long been tempered by the time Hickman’s Colin Janicek answered early in the second half.
The game winning play, too, began innocuously enough with a throw in on a set Rock Bridge often practiced but rarely mastered.
“Maybe one in 100 times it works perfectly,” Austin said.
Senior Travis Salvo launched the ball from near the right corner to forward Josh Hulen atop the box opposite the near post. Normally, the ball is cleared away in traffic. But this time, Hulen was able to post up and bump a pass to Baird a few yards in front of the goal.
Baird took the bouncing ball from the air, aimed straight and hoped he’d kept it low enough.
He did … barely. The ball ricocheted down and past the goal line.
Rock Bridge’s bench erupted while Baird sprinted in joy to the far 18-yard box.
“It was probably the most pumped I’ve ever been in my life,” said Baird, who was moved to Rock Bridge’s defense before his first full varsity year. “Probably the biggest goal I’ve ever scored.”
“To step up and have a goal like that against your district rival and to have that be your first goal on varsity?” Austin said. “I can’t even imagine what’s going through his head.”
Yet the celebration lasted less than a minute as a foul sent junior midfielder Matt Baker in for a penalty kick.
On the sideline, Austin waved frantically trying to get Wulff’s attention. He almost always left decisions on penalty kicks up to his goalies, and said he would feel particularly comfortable doing so with Wulff.
“He’s just a great goalkeeper,” Austin said. “He’s got great natural instincts and great reaction time.”
But Austin remembered Baker had gone to the right during Hickman’s shootout win over Rock Bridge last season. The Bruins’ second-year coach had a feeling he would do so again.
“I was yelling frantically trying to get his attention,” Austin said. “I’m waving trying to point which direction he’s going. To his credit, he didn’t tip it if he saw me.”
“I saw him,” Wulff said.
The scouting report held true. Baker lined the ball to the low right corner, where the diving Wulff lay in wait. The junior’s third tough save of the night secured Rock Bridge’s first victory over Hickman since October 2007.
Hickman, meanwhile, fell to 4-4-1. Coach Larry Thornburg said he was proud of his team’s effort.
“We play possession soccer and we’ve been working on that all year,” Thornburg said. “This was the best game we’ve had yet. Rock Bridge has a heck of a team of athletes and it’s extremely hard to possess the ball on guys that are quick and strong, so I was really happy with the way my guys possessed the ball.”
Reach David Briggs at dbriggs@columbiatribune.com.
Photo by Nick King
Hickman’s Logan Forsythe slides under Rock Bridge’s Rhys McCracken as Forsythe’s teammate James Moesel trails in the second half last night. Rock Bridge’s 2-1 win put the Bruins (6-5) above .500 for the first time this season. Hickman fell to 4-4-1.
Hickman’s Logan Forsythe slides under Rock Bridge’s Rhys McCracken as Forsythe’s teammate James Moesel trails in the second half last night. Rock Bridge’s 2-1 win put the Bruins (6-5) above .500 for the first time this season. Hickman fell to 4-4-1.
By David Briggs
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Rock Bridge’s boys soccer team is not short on experience. The Bruins start eight seniors while another four provide depth to a squad expected to contend for the Class 3 District 9 title.
Photo by Nick King
Rock Bridge goalie Brady Wulff gives the bench a thumbs-up after blocking a Hickman penalty shot in the second half. The save came moments after Rock Bridge took the lead in the 73rd minute. Rock Bridge Coach Kyle Austin called it the season’s “signature save.”
Rock Bridge goalie Brady Wulff gives the bench a thumbs-up after blocking a Hickman penalty shot in the second half. The save came moments after Rock Bridge took the lead in the 73rd minute. Rock Bridge Coach Kyle Austin called it the season’s “signature save.”
Photo by Nick King
Rock Bridge’s Danny Baird, center, celebrates his game-winning goal with teammate Rhys Mc- Cracken in the Bruins’ 2-1 victory. The 73rd-minute goal was the first of junior Baird’s varsity career.
BOYS SOCCER AT SELLS FIELD
Last night
Rock Bridge 2, Hickman 1
Just don’t forget about the underclassmen.
Last night, it was a pair of varsity greenhorns delivering the biggest plays in Rock Bridge’s 2-1 victory over Hickman at Sells Field.
Junior Danny Baird, a lifelong midfielder turned defender this season, scored his first career goal to put the Bruins ahead in the 73rd minute before junior goalie Brady Wulff saved the game moments later. After a foul high in the box set up a Kewpies penalty kick, the first-year goalie dove left and made what Coach Kyle Austin called the season’s “signature save.”
Perfect timing, too. The clutch displays came not only in the crosstown clash but helped push the Bruins (6-5) above .500 for the first time this season.
“Just a great win,” Wulff said. “It’s a big district game, so it gets us off to a good start.”
The night ultimately pivoted on that single one-minute sequence in the final minutes.
As the 73rd minute came, neither side had wrested away any lasting advantage.
Senior Josh Litofsky keyed a strong Rock Bridge start — the Bruins had five of their 12 shots in the opening 10 minutes — with a score off a corner kick in the fourth minute. But the pace had long been tempered by the time Hickman’s Colin Janicek answered early in the second half.
The game winning play, too, began innocuously enough with a throw in on a set Rock Bridge often practiced but rarely mastered.
“Maybe one in 100 times it works perfectly,” Austin said.
Senior Travis Salvo launched the ball from near the right corner to forward Josh Hulen atop the box opposite the near post. Normally, the ball is cleared away in traffic. But this time, Hulen was able to post up and bump a pass to Baird a few yards in front of the goal.
Baird took the bouncing ball from the air, aimed straight and hoped he’d kept it low enough.
He did … barely. The ball ricocheted down and past the goal line.
Rock Bridge’s bench erupted while Baird sprinted in joy to the far 18-yard box.
“It was probably the most pumped I’ve ever been in my life,” said Baird, who was moved to Rock Bridge’s defense before his first full varsity year. “Probably the biggest goal I’ve ever scored.”
“To step up and have a goal like that against your district rival and to have that be your first goal on varsity?” Austin said. “I can’t even imagine what’s going through his head.”
Yet the celebration lasted less than a minute as a foul sent junior midfielder Matt Baker in for a penalty kick.
On the sideline, Austin waved frantically trying to get Wulff’s attention. He almost always left decisions on penalty kicks up to his goalies, and said he would feel particularly comfortable doing so with Wulff.
“He’s just a great goalkeeper,” Austin said. “He’s got great natural instincts and great reaction time.”
But Austin remembered Baker had gone to the right during Hickman’s shootout win over Rock Bridge last season. The Bruins’ second-year coach had a feeling he would do so again.
“I was yelling frantically trying to get his attention,” Austin said. “I’m waving trying to point which direction he’s going. To his credit, he didn’t tip it if he saw me.”
“I saw him,” Wulff said.
The scouting report held true. Baker lined the ball to the low right corner, where the diving Wulff lay in wait. The junior’s third tough save of the night secured Rock Bridge’s first victory over Hickman since October 2007.
Hickman, meanwhile, fell to 4-4-1. Coach Larry Thornburg said he was proud of his team’s effort.
“We play possession soccer and we’ve been working on that all year,” Thornburg said. “This was the best game we’ve had yet. Rock Bridge has a heck of a team of athletes and it’s extremely hard to possess the ball on guys that are quick and strong, so I was really happy with the way my guys possessed the ball.”
Reach David Briggs at dbriggs@columbiatribune.com.
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