With the second season of competitive co-ed soccer
for the James E. Bazzell Middle School is in the books, attention turns to the
2019 season and beyond. This Saturday, a scrimmage between the middle school
team and the first-year high school JV team will cap the 2018 season and lay a
foundation for the future.
This year at Bazzell Middle School, 18
players and a team manager took part in the rising sport in Allen County.
Looking back, coach Emily Williams noted that the Patriots’ season included
several notable moments.
“We played in six games and finished with a
record of 2 wins and 4 losses,” noted Williams. “Highlights of our season
include our 7-4 victory over Logan County and our 10-0 win over Barren County.
We received a third-place trophy in our first tournament, the Scotties Classic,
and attended the USA vs. Mexico game in Nashville.”
This year’s middle school team included
eighth-graders Giancarlo Del Valle, Brayden Green, Amariah Lush, Roni Morales,
Aaron Shain, Maci Sizemore, Alexa Solomon, and Adrian Vanderstroom.
Seventh-grade team members are Jack Celsor, Thomas Hall, Renick Jones, Ethan
Nabors, Brionna Retzlaff, Austin Savage, Kynleigh Schultz, Isabel Sizemore,
Emma Vick, and Blade Workman. Jaxon Baldwin served as a team manager. Jeff
Workman served as a volunteer assistant coach with the team.
Williams explains that her team is seeing
improvement as the program grows. The result has been stronger performances on
the field and lessons learned from watching the game played at a very high
level.
“Last year was a foundational year for us
and there were challenges associated with start-up that we had to overcome
since it was the inaugural season of a brand-new program,” Williams explained.
“This year were able to build upon that foundation and see growth. Something
new we did this year was enter the Scotties Classic tournament in Glasgow,
where we beat Barren County and won third place overall. We also took the
entire team to Nashville to watch the USA men’s national team take on Mexico.
It was an incredible bonding experience for the team as well as an opportunity
to for them to learn by watching soccer at a professional level. “
With the season over, Williams encourages
her players to stay in condition and continue to look for ways to improve their
skills and learn the game.
“Several players are interested in playing
other school sports in the off season, which I highly encourage to keep them in
condition,” Williams said. “It’s also important for them to watch soccer and
work on their footwork at home. Soccer is a great sport because all it takes to
practice is a ball and a little bit of space.”
Next spring, Williams will host open field
dates and tryouts for the 2019 team.
“In middle school we will have open field
days and tryouts in May,” Williams noted. “The team will be set before this
school year ends so we can fundraise over the summer and be ready to begin
practice after the dead period in July. Any student who will be in seventh or
eighth grade next year, male or female, is welcome to try out for the team.
Depending on numbers, we may hold an additional tryout for students who will be
in sixth grade next year.”
For the community and potential future
players, the middle school Patriots and the high school JV team will play in a
red vs. blue scrimmage on Saturday, October 20 at the field behind the
Allen County Primary Center.
“The purpose of our scrimmage is to show the
community what our program is about and give the players the opportunity to
play on our home field,” Williams said. “We will also use this time to
acknowledge our eighth graders who will be moving up to the high school next
year. This game will be an excellent chance for future Patriots to watch and
learn about soccer without having to travel outside of Allen County.”
Saturday’s scrimmage will start at 11:30.
Attendees are encouraged to bring a lawn chair.