Louisburg’s A.J. Bair (left) and Zack Hill fight for the ball while Kevin Sitek backs up the play during Friday’s scrimmage at Wildcat Stadium. (Photo by Andy Brown / andybrown@miconews.com)
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Alumni give Wildcats first game action
Scrimmage gives York a glimpse at what his team brings
By Andy Brown, andybrown@miconews.com
The Louisburg soccer team hasn’t had much time to get much scrimmaging in at practice, mainly due to the team’s youth.
The Wildcats, which had the program’s best finish last season after they made a trip to the state quarterfinals, lost much of their team to graduation. The number of departures forced coach Ben York to focus more on fundamentals.
His new team got their first taste of game action Friday at Wildcat Stadium when it faced off with several alumni members from previous years. Although the varsity and alumni only squared off for one half, York believes it got a lot accomplished.
“It went alright,” York said. “The reason we come out and play against the older guys is because it gives us more of a game feel and the players like to go after those older guys a little bit because they have something to prove. It is nice to get a quality look at what we have. We still have a lot to work on.”
The junior varsity and varsity players took to the field in the second half, and it gave York a chance to see where his varsity lineup will shake out for the start of the season.
“It is not like last year where from day one we were playing at a top level,” York said. “When you have a team that is mature, and has been playing for a long time, that can happen. These guys are young and a lot of them are playing together for the first time. We don’t normally do a lot of scrimmaging during practice. I got to see some people in different positions and now I have to get it sorted out to see where I can put guys.”
The Wildcats, who opened their season Tuesday on the road against Fort Scott, also have some mainstays in the lineup as well. Jamison Parkhill, Stephen McTeer, Anthony Juarez, Woody Watson, Daniel Wilson and others return some varsity experience from a year ago.
While trying to figure out a starting lineup, York realizes he might be forced to put guys where they aren’t comfortable, but he knows it is best for the team.
“We have a lot of talent on this team that are just pure soccer players, and not kids that all they think they are going to play is defense,” York said. “We may have kids on our team that have grown up with their rec or club team and only played forward, and the best position on this team for them might be in the back.
“Usually once we start having success, and they understand the big picture of things, they understand that is how it goes. We have a lot of talented kids, and I think they will put the effort in no matter where they are at.”
The Wildcats’ first home game is Thursday against Gardner-Edgerton, and results from Tuesday’s match with Fort Scott will be in Friday’s Weekend edition.
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The Wildcats, which had the program’s best finish last season after they made a trip to the state quarterfinals, lost much of their team to graduation. The number of departures forced coach Ben York to focus more on fundamentals.
His new team got their first taste of game action Friday at Wildcat Stadium when it faced off with several alumni members from previous years. Although the varsity and alumni only squared off for one half, York believes it got a lot accomplished.
“It went alright,” York said. “The reason we come out and play against the older guys is because it gives us more of a game feel and the players like to go after those older guys a little bit because they have something to prove. It is nice to get a quality look at what we have. We still have a lot to work on.”
The junior varsity and varsity players took to the field in the second half, and it gave York a chance to see where his varsity lineup will shake out for the start of the season.
“It is not like last year where from day one we were playing at a top level,” York said. “When you have a team that is mature, and has been playing for a long time, that can happen. These guys are young and a lot of them are playing together for the first time. We don’t normally do a lot of scrimmaging during practice. I got to see some people in different positions and now I have to get it sorted out to see where I can put guys.”
The Wildcats, who opened their season Tuesday on the road against Fort Scott, also have some mainstays in the lineup as well. Jamison Parkhill, Stephen McTeer, Anthony Juarez, Woody Watson, Daniel Wilson and others return some varsity experience from a year ago.
While trying to figure out a starting lineup, York realizes he might be forced to put guys where they aren’t comfortable, but he knows it is best for the team.
“We have a lot of talent on this team that are just pure soccer players, and not kids that all they think they are going to play is defense,” York said. “We may have kids on our team that have grown up with their rec or club team and only played forward, and the best position on this team for them might be in the back.
“Usually once we start having success, and they understand the big picture of things, they understand that is how it goes. We have a lot of talented kids, and I think they will put the effort in no matter where they are at.”
The Wildcats’ first home game is Thursday against Gardner-Edgerton, and results from Tuesday’s match with Fort Scott will be in Friday’s Weekend edition.