We have worked so hard this year and great things were coming to us. We were 13-0-1 heading into the biggest weekend of the year so far and were finally receiving national recognition. It was a stiff challenge ahead and one we had been waiting for. Just how well would the Blue Devils do at the Gateway City Soccer Classic in Collinsville? In our bracket of 8 teams were 4 teams ranked in the top 50 in the nation. 1 from New York, 2 from Colorado, a 6 time consecutive state champion from Kansas, and a back to back state champion from Missouri. We were going to find out exactly what we were made of.
We opened our bracket with a tough Rockwood Summit team from St. Louis. We played well and got a goal in each half for a 2-0 victory. In the semi-finals, we played against Rockhurst Jesuit from Kansas City. Rockhurst has won back to back Missouri state titles and were a top 25 team in the nation. After an evenly contested first half, Rockhurst came out firing at us. We withstood their best shot and the last 15 minutes of the game we came right after them and just couldn't put one in the back of the net. With the game going to PK's, we were on the horizon of one of our biggest wins in program history. We made 4 PK's and Logan Miller stopped 2 and we picked up that victory. It was the type of victory that we needed to prove to a lot of people, including ourselves, that we really do have a solid team.
In the finals of our bracket stood St. Thomas Aquinas of Overland Park, KS. Aquinas has won 6 consecutive state titles and was ranked #7 in the nation. We played right with them and did a great job on defense against their set pieces, which they are extrememly good at. With 10 minutes remaining, they had a player beat us to the ball at about the 6 yard line and rifle one home,giving them the championship and us our first loss of the season.
Despite losing, I think it set in to our kids that they did belong, but also had work to do. At least I thought it did.
On Tuesday the national rankings came out and we had moved from #47 to #29 and that was great for not only these young men but the program in general. Rankings really mean nothing, but it is nice to have your name included among the nations elite and something QHS has not had happen for a while. As I sit here writing this, I still get irritated at the events that transpired last night.
Last night was the 2nd game of the inter city rivaly with QND. We won the first meeting 2-0 and on paper, should have won this one as well. But lets face it, it is QHS vs QND, and games aren't played on paper. We had beaten QND the last 7 times we had faced them and QND was out to stop that streak. We played very well early in the game but never really mounted any good opportunitites. If we can manage to put in a goal in that first 20 minutes, I think we cruise to an easy victory. However, we didn't and that just gave QND more confidence. At half-time Coach Longo talked about lots of things, but there were two things I said to them that I wanted to get across. First off, I told them that the difference between todays player and the teams myself and the other coaches played on, is that when we were the better team, we didn't let teams hang around. We stepped on their throat and put them out of their misery early. The second thing was, one of these days your going to let a team hang around and they are gonna score on you and your gonna get beat.
Well, 13 minutes into the 2nd half, QND capitalized on a mistake we made and they scored a goal. We were behind for just the 3rd time all year, but this was QND and you know that kids from QND are gonna play hard. We controlled the better part of the play the last 20 minutes, missing 3 or 4 very good goal soring opportunities. The final result, QND 1and QHS 0. Vince Lombardi said it best, "We didn't lose the game; we just ran out of time. "
I looked around at our kids after it was over and I saw two different expressions on their face. Some had the look of disbelief as to what just happened and others were doing everything in their power not to let the tears flow. Losing is tough, but it's even tougher when it is to QND. We had to stand on their field and watch them and their fans celebrate at our expense and also listen to some of their fans chant Overrated.
I never would have imagined this team would lose back to back games this season nor that we would be shut out 3 times in a row. But it has happened and all we can do now is move on. Walt Disney said it best I think, "You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you."
We now need to focus on Rock Island and getting back on the winning path. We have 3 regular season games left before post-season and we are still one heck of a team. Every team faces adversity along the way, and it is how you respond to it that people will remember. "Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time."
I believe that out of this disappointment will rise a better team. "It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness."
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
3 Games, 3 Wins, 3 Shut-outs
First of all, let me say I am way glad we are done with one day road trips for a while. Five in a row is tough on everyone, but made easier when you win. Our week was full of tense moments and interesting developments for sure.
Tuesday saw us again move up in the Adidas/NSCAA region VII rankings to #7. We also for the first time were mentioned in the ESPNRise Illinois rankings, coming in at #5.
On Tuesday we were also on the road for a conference game at U.T.H.S and it was more of a battle than we expected and then some. It started out bad when Ethan Venvertloh was unable to play because of an injury from Saturday. We adjusted to that pretty well, but 5 minutes into the game, Zach Forbes busted open his lip and had to go to the ER for 10 stitches. Being one person down is bad, but being down 2 really puts you in a tough spot. We got a lot of great minutes from kids on our bench and some of them grew up that night. We battled all night and with 4 minutes left in the game, we saw our life pass before our eyes. UTHS hit one off the crossbar that if it were 2 inches lower, would have been a goal. We managed to get to OT and at that time, here comes Zach Forbes back from the ER. Rather than throw him in on defense, we put him up front. Wouldn't you know it, just 1 minute into OT, Zach got the ball on the wing, took it down the field and crossed it to Matt Burrus who got the golden goal winner and improved our WB6 streak to 22 games.
On Friday, we traveled to Springfield High and for the first time all year, had to have a stern talk at half-time. We have told them time and time again about moving the ball, and for whatever reason, we continue to try and dribble through teams. When we move the ball like we are capable, we are a tough team to beat. The 2nd half was much better. Gavin Schaefer and Bronson Melvin each scored for a 2-0 victory.
Saturday we hosted Rock Island Alleman and had no idea what to expect. On Tuesday, they had lost to Moline in OT and maybe they would be better than we initially thought. It wasn't to be as we scored early and often and won 8-0. Better yet, 8 different players scored goals and four others recorded an assist. The 3 victories moved us to 12-0-1.
This upcoming week we host Macomb on Monday before heading to Collinsville for the Gateway City Soccer Classic. The classic will test us in 3 very competitive games. No team in our bracket has more than 1 loss on the season, and at least four teams will be ranked in the top 50 in the nation. In our bracket, there are teams from Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, and New York. Should be a lot fun.
Tuesday saw us again move up in the Adidas/NSCAA region VII rankings to #7. We also for the first time were mentioned in the ESPNRise Illinois rankings, coming in at #5.
On Tuesday we were also on the road for a conference game at U.T.H.S and it was more of a battle than we expected and then some. It started out bad when Ethan Venvertloh was unable to play because of an injury from Saturday. We adjusted to that pretty well, but 5 minutes into the game, Zach Forbes busted open his lip and had to go to the ER for 10 stitches. Being one person down is bad, but being down 2 really puts you in a tough spot. We got a lot of great minutes from kids on our bench and some of them grew up that night. We battled all night and with 4 minutes left in the game, we saw our life pass before our eyes. UTHS hit one off the crossbar that if it were 2 inches lower, would have been a goal. We managed to get to OT and at that time, here comes Zach Forbes back from the ER. Rather than throw him in on defense, we put him up front. Wouldn't you know it, just 1 minute into OT, Zach got the ball on the wing, took it down the field and crossed it to Matt Burrus who got the golden goal winner and improved our WB6 streak to 22 games.
On Friday, we traveled to Springfield High and for the first time all year, had to have a stern talk at half-time. We have told them time and time again about moving the ball, and for whatever reason, we continue to try and dribble through teams. When we move the ball like we are capable, we are a tough team to beat. The 2nd half was much better. Gavin Schaefer and Bronson Melvin each scored for a 2-0 victory.
Saturday we hosted Rock Island Alleman and had no idea what to expect. On Tuesday, they had lost to Moline in OT and maybe they would be better than we initially thought. It wasn't to be as we scored early and often and won 8-0. Better yet, 8 different players scored goals and four others recorded an assist. The 3 victories moved us to 12-0-1.
This upcoming week we host Macomb on Monday before heading to Collinsville for the Gateway City Soccer Classic. The classic will test us in 3 very competitive games. No team in our bracket has more than 1 loss on the season, and at least four teams will be ranked in the top 50 in the nation. In our bracket, there are teams from Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, and New York. Should be a lot fun.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Another great week for Blue Devil Soccer!!!!
The 2009 soccer season has been a pleasant surprise up to this point. Who would have thought that the combined record of our 3 teams would be 23-1-1? That is impressive I think. Not to mention, for the first time since 1995, the Blue Devil varsity team is being mentioned in the Region rankings. Two weeks ago we were #13 in the Adidas/NSCAA region VII rankings and last week we were up to #11. When the rankings come out next Tuesday, we could see a big jump as several teams above us lost last week, including 3 teams from Illinois that were ahead of us.
Now, if you ask coach Longo, he will say that while these rankings are nice to have, he is more concerned about where we finish the season as opposed to what people think about us during the season. I couldn't agree more! However, I think it is a great accomplishment for these young men who have worked so very hard to get our program where it is today. I can only hope that they continue to work hard to stay in the rankings and prove they are truly worthy of being there. Every team is gunning to beat Quincy High and we will need to bring our A game every time.
As for our games last week, it saw us take to the road twice to play two very good teams at the varsity level who both were state runner-up in their respective state and class in 2008. On Tuesday we traveled to Springfield to play Sacred Heart-Griffin and we were a bit undermanned as we played without our sweeper Zach Forbes. Coach Longo always feels that no 1 player is irreplacable and when your number is called, you need to be ready to step in. That is exactly what Jake Killday did for us on Tuesday. Jake had been coming off the bench to play forward for us and was doing well. However, we needed him at sweeper this game and he played great. We moved the ball well against SHG and should have scored 2 or 3 goals in the first half as we missed some golden chances. In the second half, Matt Burrus made a great play in the middle of the field and found Ethan Venvertloh open on the left and Ethan gave us a 1-0 lead with 15 minutes left. The joy lasted about 10 seconds as that is all it took for SHG to come down and tie things up. It was a comedy of errors on our part starting with our forwards and ending with our GK. At least 6 players blew an opportunity to stop that goal from happening and none were up to the task. Rather than sulk about it, we stepped up the pressure and Taylor Nord put us ahead to stay with a goal with about 5 minutes remaining. It was a good road win and only the 2nd loss of the year for SHG, whose other loss was to nationally ranked and defending state Champion Peoria Notre Dame. Our JV won on this night as well 3-0 and it was good for them as their previous game against Moline was not a real good effort and resulted in our only loss thus far in the season.
On Saturday we traveled to Jefferson City to take on the defending Missouri Class 2 state runner-up Helias Crusaders. We tied them 2-2 last year and they were undefeated coming into the game. It took us quite a while to sort things out in this game. Their field was very hard and very fast and we just didn't adjust real well. We also had a hard time staying onside, and it just was one of those games. We battle through the first half scoreless and worse yet, only had 1 shot the entire half, and it wasn't a good one. We almost had to plead with them at halftime to play with more passion and intensity. The 2nd half was much better and with 15 minutes to go in the game, we finally caught their defense sleeping on a throw in and Matt Burrus crossed the ball to a wide open Bronson Melvin who headed it home. It was a great moment, not only because we finally got on the board, but because it was the first career goal for Bronson, who is a FRESHMAN! Our defense played great throughout as usual and Matt Burrus was able to seal the game with a late goal to give us a 2-0 victory and run our record to 9-0-1.
The JV team won 5-1 getting 2 goals from Patrick Bentzinger and single goals from Joe Bevelheimer, Alan Sieck, and TyReek Scott.
The Freshman also played at Helias and improved their record to 8-0-1 with a 2-0 victory.
The varsity will be on the road twice again next week when we go to UTHS on Tuesday and Springfield High on Friday. We also host Rock Island Alleman on Saturday.
It's homecoming week this week so check out the parade on Thursday and catch the football game on Friday. The football team is 4-0 on the season and we are pretty proud of their efforts too.
Now, if you ask coach Longo, he will say that while these rankings are nice to have, he is more concerned about where we finish the season as opposed to what people think about us during the season. I couldn't agree more! However, I think it is a great accomplishment for these young men who have worked so very hard to get our program where it is today. I can only hope that they continue to work hard to stay in the rankings and prove they are truly worthy of being there. Every team is gunning to beat Quincy High and we will need to bring our A game every time.
As for our games last week, it saw us take to the road twice to play two very good teams at the varsity level who both were state runner-up in their respective state and class in 2008. On Tuesday we traveled to Springfield to play Sacred Heart-Griffin and we were a bit undermanned as we played without our sweeper Zach Forbes. Coach Longo always feels that no 1 player is irreplacable and when your number is called, you need to be ready to step in. That is exactly what Jake Killday did for us on Tuesday. Jake had been coming off the bench to play forward for us and was doing well. However, we needed him at sweeper this game and he played great. We moved the ball well against SHG and should have scored 2 or 3 goals in the first half as we missed some golden chances. In the second half, Matt Burrus made a great play in the middle of the field and found Ethan Venvertloh open on the left and Ethan gave us a 1-0 lead with 15 minutes left. The joy lasted about 10 seconds as that is all it took for SHG to come down and tie things up. It was a comedy of errors on our part starting with our forwards and ending with our GK. At least 6 players blew an opportunity to stop that goal from happening and none were up to the task. Rather than sulk about it, we stepped up the pressure and Taylor Nord put us ahead to stay with a goal with about 5 minutes remaining. It was a good road win and only the 2nd loss of the year for SHG, whose other loss was to nationally ranked and defending state Champion Peoria Notre Dame. Our JV won on this night as well 3-0 and it was good for them as their previous game against Moline was not a real good effort and resulted in our only loss thus far in the season.
On Saturday we traveled to Jefferson City to take on the defending Missouri Class 2 state runner-up Helias Crusaders. We tied them 2-2 last year and they were undefeated coming into the game. It took us quite a while to sort things out in this game. Their field was very hard and very fast and we just didn't adjust real well. We also had a hard time staying onside, and it just was one of those games. We battle through the first half scoreless and worse yet, only had 1 shot the entire half, and it wasn't a good one. We almost had to plead with them at halftime to play with more passion and intensity. The 2nd half was much better and with 15 minutes to go in the game, we finally caught their defense sleeping on a throw in and Matt Burrus crossed the ball to a wide open Bronson Melvin who headed it home. It was a great moment, not only because we finally got on the board, but because it was the first career goal for Bronson, who is a FRESHMAN! Our defense played great throughout as usual and Matt Burrus was able to seal the game with a late goal to give us a 2-0 victory and run our record to 9-0-1.
The JV team won 5-1 getting 2 goals from Patrick Bentzinger and single goals from Joe Bevelheimer, Alan Sieck, and TyReek Scott.
The Freshman also played at Helias and improved their record to 8-0-1 with a 2-0 victory.
The varsity will be on the road twice again next week when we go to UTHS on Tuesday and Springfield High on Friday. We also host Rock Island Alleman on Saturday.
It's homecoming week this week so check out the parade on Thursday and catch the football game on Friday. The football team is 4-0 on the season and we are pretty proud of their efforts too.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
What a week!!!!!
This week of soccer was very successful at all levels for QHS and what a what a week it was. The week started off with the inter city rivalry against QND. Our varsity team came out a bit flat but once we got going, it was evident we were the better team. Ethan Venvertloh got us on the board in the first half with a rocket from about 25 yards out that I don't think the QND keeper ever saw until it was too late. Zach Forbes added a goal in the second half on a header to make for the final score of 2-0. Our defense was again stellar and Logan Miller got his 5th shutout of the season. As always, the game was played with a lot of intensity, and we are just bigger, stronger, and faster in more areas and that was the difference. It was our 7th straight victory over QND at the varsity level. The JV also won 2-0 as freshman Bronson Melvin scored both goals.
While the QND game is always a big game, it ALWAYS is the 2nd most important game of the week in the grand scheme of things as we always have a conference game that week as well. Winning against your cross town rival is always great, but winning the conference is something you really set your sights on and on Saturday night we opened the conference season at Moline.
You never know what to expect from kids on their first road trip, especially one that is long. Our JV showed exactly that, as they scored very early in the game, but from that point on didn't play very well and lost 2-1. It was the first loss in 2 years for the JV program and one that I know our young men will learn from.
We really thought that our varsity kids would see what happened with the JV and not let it happen to them. WISHFUL THINKING is all I can say. Less than 3 minutes into the game, Moline scored on a defensive mistake and already we were in a hole and for the first time, trailing in a game. It was time to see what this team is made of. Do we panic and start doing things we don't practice or do we stay the course and plug away? Coach Rick Sanchez of Moline feels this is one of his better teams and they are very talented in several areas.
Well, we stayed with our game plan and didn't get rattled and were able to get the equalizer on a corner kick header by Zach Forbes and then took the lead ten minutes later when Blake Williams re-directed a shot after a corner was cleared. The second half was very interesting to say the least. The game got a little physical, and we found ourselves in a heck of a predicament when one of our players got a red card and so did one of theirs. However, with the playing field being a little smaller than we are normally use to, it created more space for us to do our thing and we capitalized by getting goals from Mitchell Schrage and Ethan Venvertloh to seal the 4-1 win and start the conference off on a good note.
The bad news is, we have to play without a player next week at Springfield SHG and that will be tough. It's a shame that a linesman makes that poor of a decision to eject two players who were pushing each other in the middle of about 10 kids preparing for a restart. Yellow cards yes, but reds was a little over the top we thought. In any case, we have all the confidence in the world that we will be able to step up and rise to the challenge ahead of us over in Springfield.
I was very proud of our young men when we lost one of our players. They were on the field talking about what they were going to do and how they would adjust our system. Since we were winning 2-1 at the time, they opted to stay strong on defense and we removed a forward from our system. We are now 7-0-1 and have given 6 of our 8 opponents their first blemish on their record.
Next weeks games are both on the road. I already mentioned SHG, but on Saturday, we go to Jefferson City Helias who was the class 2 state runner-up last year. Should be another good week.
Our Sophomore/Freshman team remained undefeated and won the Chatham tournament. They are now 7-0-1 after beating Waterloo Gibault 3-1, Chatham Glenwood 3-0, and Springfield High 3-2 in PK's. They will also travel to Jeff City next weekend to play Helias and Jefferson City High.
Overall, our program is now 18-1-2 on the season. Not too shabby.
While the QND game is always a big game, it ALWAYS is the 2nd most important game of the week in the grand scheme of things as we always have a conference game that week as well. Winning against your cross town rival is always great, but winning the conference is something you really set your sights on and on Saturday night we opened the conference season at Moline.
You never know what to expect from kids on their first road trip, especially one that is long. Our JV showed exactly that, as they scored very early in the game, but from that point on didn't play very well and lost 2-1. It was the first loss in 2 years for the JV program and one that I know our young men will learn from.
We really thought that our varsity kids would see what happened with the JV and not let it happen to them. WISHFUL THINKING is all I can say. Less than 3 minutes into the game, Moline scored on a defensive mistake and already we were in a hole and for the first time, trailing in a game. It was time to see what this team is made of. Do we panic and start doing things we don't practice or do we stay the course and plug away? Coach Rick Sanchez of Moline feels this is one of his better teams and they are very talented in several areas.
Well, we stayed with our game plan and didn't get rattled and were able to get the equalizer on a corner kick header by Zach Forbes and then took the lead ten minutes later when Blake Williams re-directed a shot after a corner was cleared. The second half was very interesting to say the least. The game got a little physical, and we found ourselves in a heck of a predicament when one of our players got a red card and so did one of theirs. However, with the playing field being a little smaller than we are normally use to, it created more space for us to do our thing and we capitalized by getting goals from Mitchell Schrage and Ethan Venvertloh to seal the 4-1 win and start the conference off on a good note.
The bad news is, we have to play without a player next week at Springfield SHG and that will be tough. It's a shame that a linesman makes that poor of a decision to eject two players who were pushing each other in the middle of about 10 kids preparing for a restart. Yellow cards yes, but reds was a little over the top we thought. In any case, we have all the confidence in the world that we will be able to step up and rise to the challenge ahead of us over in Springfield.
I was very proud of our young men when we lost one of our players. They were on the field talking about what they were going to do and how they would adjust our system. Since we were winning 2-1 at the time, they opted to stay strong on defense and we removed a forward from our system. We are now 7-0-1 and have given 6 of our 8 opponents their first blemish on their record.
Next weeks games are both on the road. I already mentioned SHG, but on Saturday, we go to Jefferson City Helias who was the class 2 state runner-up last year. Should be another good week.
Our Sophomore/Freshman team remained undefeated and won the Chatham tournament. They are now 7-0-1 after beating Waterloo Gibault 3-1, Chatham Glenwood 3-0, and Springfield High 3-2 in PK's. They will also travel to Jeff City next weekend to play Helias and Jefferson City High.
Overall, our program is now 18-1-2 on the season. Not too shabby.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Interesting week!!!
After an impressive weekend that saw us capture the Midwest Soccer Classic title, we were back in action quickly on Tuesday against Hannibal. Hannibal has become a bit of a rivaly because our kids have grown up playing against Hannibal kids and also because annually, Hannibal has been a very competitive game for us. However, the 2009 game was not a typical QHS vs Hannibal game. We scored early and often and jumped out to a 9-0 first half lead and with the 2nd half cut to just 20 minutes, we ended up winning 10-0 to remain perfect on the season at 4-0. Junior Mitchell Schrage had a tremendous night for us with 4 goals and 2 assists.
While Hannibal may be a rivalry game, our game Friday night vs Belleville East was our most important. We don't get a lot of opportunity to play teams from the St. Louis area, so when we do, we need to make a good impression as this is where we go for regionals now.
We did not play our best game Friday night, but Belleville East had a lot to do with that as well. Belleville East is extremely fast all over the field and we had a hard time adjusting to their pace of play. We got out of what we do best and started playing their game. Both teams had excellent scoring opportunities, but in the end, the game ended in a 0-0 tie and both teams remained undefeated at 4-0-1. We outshot Belleville East 20-9, but we gave up 9 corners and that just can't happen. Somehow I have a feeling these two teams could cross path's someone else this year and we will be ready for them.
On Saturday we played Columbia, IL. who came up for an overnight trip and the coaches had a lot of reasons for concern. Not necessarily because Columbia was that good, but because we are dealing with 14-17 old kids and you never know what to expect from them. We knew coming off an emotional, physical,and intense game from the night before that we would take a bit to get going. However, we didn't anticipate having the struggles we had. Columbia had been beaten by Belleville East 6-0 earlier in the season and on paper we should have had our way, and it looked like we just might as 10 minutes in we scored. However, they countered with a quick restart and tied it 1-1 and the fight was on. The worst thing you can do to a team who you are better than, is to give them confidence and that is exactly what we did.
We played the final 25 minutes of the first half as individuals rather than as a team. Everything we had worked so hard to accomplish seemed to not matter anymore. We are such a good team when we move the ball and work together, but when we don't, it gets ugly. At half-time we talked about working together as a team and we did just that. However, as the game wore on you could see the frustration settle back in as we were working hard and doing good things, but just couldn't put one in the back of the net. Everyone was busting their tail to be the hero, but in doing that, we at times abandoned what we do best. In the end, with 15 minutes remaining, we capitalized on a nice cross and settle and won 2-1. Soccer is a funny game in that the best team doesn't always win the game. We outshot them 24-2 and had 9 corner kicks, but the scoreboard didn't show that type of domination.
Next week starts a tough stretch for us as we host that team from across town and then head to the road next weekend for our conference opener against Moline. Should make for an interesting week so check back in with us after the game on Tuesday vs QND. Game is at Flinn with JV at 5:00 and varsity at 6:30. Both teams are undefeated and it should be a great match.
Our JV team remained undefeated and unscored on after posting wins over Hannibal, Belleville East, and Columbia.
The Sophomore/Freshman team is also undefeated on the season after picking up 3 wins this past weekend. On Friday night, they defeated the Columbia JV 3-0 on two goals from Noah Spake and one goal from Tyler Cannell. On Saturday, they defeated Columbia Rock Bridge 3-1 and Springfield SHG 2-0. Their record is 4-0-1 and they will play in the Chatham tournament next weekend.
While Hannibal may be a rivalry game, our game Friday night vs Belleville East was our most important. We don't get a lot of opportunity to play teams from the St. Louis area, so when we do, we need to make a good impression as this is where we go for regionals now.
We did not play our best game Friday night, but Belleville East had a lot to do with that as well. Belleville East is extremely fast all over the field and we had a hard time adjusting to their pace of play. We got out of what we do best and started playing their game. Both teams had excellent scoring opportunities, but in the end, the game ended in a 0-0 tie and both teams remained undefeated at 4-0-1. We outshot Belleville East 20-9, but we gave up 9 corners and that just can't happen. Somehow I have a feeling these two teams could cross path's someone else this year and we will be ready for them.
On Saturday we played Columbia, IL. who came up for an overnight trip and the coaches had a lot of reasons for concern. Not necessarily because Columbia was that good, but because we are dealing with 14-17 old kids and you never know what to expect from them. We knew coming off an emotional, physical,and intense game from the night before that we would take a bit to get going. However, we didn't anticipate having the struggles we had. Columbia had been beaten by Belleville East 6-0 earlier in the season and on paper we should have had our way, and it looked like we just might as 10 minutes in we scored. However, they countered with a quick restart and tied it 1-1 and the fight was on. The worst thing you can do to a team who you are better than, is to give them confidence and that is exactly what we did.
We played the final 25 minutes of the first half as individuals rather than as a team. Everything we had worked so hard to accomplish seemed to not matter anymore. We are such a good team when we move the ball and work together, but when we don't, it gets ugly. At half-time we talked about working together as a team and we did just that. However, as the game wore on you could see the frustration settle back in as we were working hard and doing good things, but just couldn't put one in the back of the net. Everyone was busting their tail to be the hero, but in doing that, we at times abandoned what we do best. In the end, with 15 minutes remaining, we capitalized on a nice cross and settle and won 2-1. Soccer is a funny game in that the best team doesn't always win the game. We outshot them 24-2 and had 9 corner kicks, but the scoreboard didn't show that type of domination.
Next week starts a tough stretch for us as we host that team from across town and then head to the road next weekend for our conference opener against Moline. Should make for an interesting week so check back in with us after the game on Tuesday vs QND. Game is at Flinn with JV at 5:00 and varsity at 6:30. Both teams are undefeated and it should be a great match.
Our JV team remained undefeated and unscored on after posting wins over Hannibal, Belleville East, and Columbia.
The Sophomore/Freshman team is also undefeated on the season after picking up 3 wins this past weekend. On Friday night, they defeated the Columbia JV 3-0 on two goals from Noah Spake and one goal from Tyler Cannell. On Saturday, they defeated Columbia Rock Bridge 3-1 and Springfield SHG 2-0. Their record is 4-0-1 and they will play in the Chatham tournament next weekend.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
What a weekend!
The start of the 2009 soccer season came on Friday night, and oh what an impressive start. We played McHenry High from the Chicago suburbs in the opening round of the Midwest Soccer Classic held here in Quincy. The first fifteen minutes of the game was pretty even, but from that point on, the floodgates opened and we were all over McHenry for the next 60 minutes. Our passing was crisp and our pressure was high. Mitchell Schrage scored two first half goals and Blake Williams and Zach Forbes added 2nd half goals for a final of 4-0. We played so well that the McHenry coach said, "It's been a couple years since I have seen a team this good!" What a compliment.
Too bad we didn't carry over that same intensity on Saturday morning vs Kirksville. We can think up a lot of different excuses for why we played so poorly. 1) It was 9:30 AM 2)It was Kirksville 3)we were reserving energy for the afternoon game. I don't really know what it was, but I think we learned a lot from it. Gavin Schaefer put us on the board in the first half for a 1-0 half-time lead. However, the start of the 2nd half we exploded for 3 goals in the first 5 minutes and went on to a 5-0 victory. Matt Burrus scored twice and Blake Willams and Taylor Nord also chipped in goals.
The afternoon game for us was a very important game for jhust the 3rd one of the season. Our regional is now down in the St. Louis area and we only play a few teams from down there. Collinsville, while not usually in our regional, plays all the teams that are, so it was a chance to show what we are capable of. Not to mention that last year, they were the only team to beat us in a regualtion game. From the first whistle, we were down their throat. Blake Camacho ripped a shot off the crossbar 20 seconds into the game and we would hit it 2 more times in the first half but could only muster 1 goal from Mitchell Schrage to lead 1-0 at the half. Collinsville had the wind in the 2nd half and they created more. It seemed like we were content to play defense the last 10 minutes of the game and try and pull out a 1-0 win, but Blake Williams scored off a corner kick with under 4 to play. Thinking we had it wrapped up now, we let down and gave up our first goal of the year on a restart. Something that should NEVER happen with our size. With under a minute to play Matt Burrus sealed the game with a nice 1 on 1 goal and a 3-1 victory and TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP!
This week we have 3 games at home, playing Hannibal on Tuesday, Belleville East on Friday and Columbia, IL on Saturday. It will also mark the start of our JV schedule as they will also play Canton, MO on Monday.
Our Sophomore team opened their weekend in fine fashion as well with a road trip to Springfield to take on Normal West and Springfield SH-G. In their first game vs Normal West, they jumped out to a 4-0 half-time lead and never looked back winning 5-1. Freshman Bronson Melvin scored 4 goals and Sophomore Michael Davis added one. Playing their 2nd game of a back to back game, the team played to a scoreless draw with SH-G. It was our 2nd game, but only the first for SH-G, which made a difference. The Sophomores play 3 games this week as well. The play Friday at home vs the Columbia JV, then on Saturday host Columbia, MO Rock Bridge and Springfield SHG
Too bad we didn't carry over that same intensity on Saturday morning vs Kirksville. We can think up a lot of different excuses for why we played so poorly. 1) It was 9:30 AM 2)It was Kirksville 3)we were reserving energy for the afternoon game. I don't really know what it was, but I think we learned a lot from it. Gavin Schaefer put us on the board in the first half for a 1-0 half-time lead. However, the start of the 2nd half we exploded for 3 goals in the first 5 minutes and went on to a 5-0 victory. Matt Burrus scored twice and Blake Willams and Taylor Nord also chipped in goals.
The afternoon game for us was a very important game for jhust the 3rd one of the season. Our regional is now down in the St. Louis area and we only play a few teams from down there. Collinsville, while not usually in our regional, plays all the teams that are, so it was a chance to show what we are capable of. Not to mention that last year, they were the only team to beat us in a regualtion game. From the first whistle, we were down their throat. Blake Camacho ripped a shot off the crossbar 20 seconds into the game and we would hit it 2 more times in the first half but could only muster 1 goal from Mitchell Schrage to lead 1-0 at the half. Collinsville had the wind in the 2nd half and they created more. It seemed like we were content to play defense the last 10 minutes of the game and try and pull out a 1-0 win, but Blake Williams scored off a corner kick with under 4 to play. Thinking we had it wrapped up now, we let down and gave up our first goal of the year on a restart. Something that should NEVER happen with our size. With under a minute to play Matt Burrus sealed the game with a nice 1 on 1 goal and a 3-1 victory and TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP!
This week we have 3 games at home, playing Hannibal on Tuesday, Belleville East on Friday and Columbia, IL on Saturday. It will also mark the start of our JV schedule as they will also play Canton, MO on Monday.
Our Sophomore team opened their weekend in fine fashion as well with a road trip to Springfield to take on Normal West and Springfield SH-G. In their first game vs Normal West, they jumped out to a 4-0 half-time lead and never looked back winning 5-1. Freshman Bronson Melvin scored 4 goals and Sophomore Michael Davis added one. Playing their 2nd game of a back to back game, the team played to a scoreless draw with SH-G. It was our 2nd game, but only the first for SH-G, which made a difference. The Sophomores play 3 games this week as well. The play Friday at home vs the Columbia JV, then on Saturday host Columbia, MO Rock Bridge and Springfield SHG
Monday, August 24, 2009
Season preview
We are 4 days away from our first game and after watching us on Saturday in a make-up Blue/White scrimmage, I think we are ready. In the five years that we have been coaching, I firmly believe that this is the most complete team we have had. We have a team that is primarily made up of Juniors and Seniors who have played a lot of games together in their careers. We lost a great group of kids from our 2008 season, but when I look around at this years group, we seem to have been able to replace our losses. We return 7 starters and 4 players who played a lot of minutes last year as well. That is a strong nucleus to build around for sure.
Defensively we return both goalkeepers from last year in Senior Tony Lantz and Junior Logan Miller. We also return our sweeper backs in Seniors Zach Forbes and Gavin Schaefer. At 6'4 each, Zach and Gavin are both great in the air and are imposing figures anchoring the defense. Junior Connor Winking and Senior Josh Shannon both saw a lot of playing time at defense last year and will fill in nicely as regulars this year. Sophomore Dalton Stark has made the transition to wing fullback and his left foot is a tremendous asset on the left side.
At Midfield, we lost two young men who started for us as Sophomores and will be tough to replace. That being said, we feel that Senior Taylor Nord and Junior Ethan Venvertloh will be more than capable in filling the shoes of the departed. Ethan saw a lot of time as a reserve last year at both forward and Midfield and Taylor has started for us since he was a Sophomore as a forward, but has made the move to midfield and looks like he has played there forever.
Up front, we return 3 young men who were starters for us last year and have shown a great ability to work together. Senior Matt Burrus makes the move from Midfield to forward and his creativity and ball control make us an offensive threat every time he touches the ball. Senior Blake Williams gives us a physical presence that few defenders can match. Blake is big and strong and will score goals doing the dirty work. Junior Mitchell Schrage is the speedster of the group and creates a lot of havoc up top with his speed.
One asset that has been a staple for QHS soccer has been our depth. We have prided ourselves on developing players so that when we lose players to graduation, we have new players that can step in and not miss a beat. In the past, many of these kids were Sophomores, but this years version is Juniors and Seniors. There are only 3 Sophomores on the varsity at this time and the rest are upperclassmen. While the kids mentioned above may be starters for our first game on Friday, there is no guarantee that they will have that position on Saturday. Every year there is always one or two kids who surprise you and become a contributor when maybe you weren't counting on that. This years group is no different. I think we will be tinkering with a lot of different things early on to see who can help us become a better team.
This team has all the potential to make it to the state finals in Naperville. I hope we are playing in November and that I am freezing my tail off.
Defensively we return both goalkeepers from last year in Senior Tony Lantz and Junior Logan Miller. We also return our sweeper backs in Seniors Zach Forbes and Gavin Schaefer. At 6'4 each, Zach and Gavin are both great in the air and are imposing figures anchoring the defense. Junior Connor Winking and Senior Josh Shannon both saw a lot of playing time at defense last year and will fill in nicely as regulars this year. Sophomore Dalton Stark has made the transition to wing fullback and his left foot is a tremendous asset on the left side.
At Midfield, we lost two young men who started for us as Sophomores and will be tough to replace. That being said, we feel that Senior Taylor Nord and Junior Ethan Venvertloh will be more than capable in filling the shoes of the departed. Ethan saw a lot of time as a reserve last year at both forward and Midfield and Taylor has started for us since he was a Sophomore as a forward, but has made the move to midfield and looks like he has played there forever.
Up front, we return 3 young men who were starters for us last year and have shown a great ability to work together. Senior Matt Burrus makes the move from Midfield to forward and his creativity and ball control make us an offensive threat every time he touches the ball. Senior Blake Williams gives us a physical presence that few defenders can match. Blake is big and strong and will score goals doing the dirty work. Junior Mitchell Schrage is the speedster of the group and creates a lot of havoc up top with his speed.
One asset that has been a staple for QHS soccer has been our depth. We have prided ourselves on developing players so that when we lose players to graduation, we have new players that can step in and not miss a beat. In the past, many of these kids were Sophomores, but this years version is Juniors and Seniors. There are only 3 Sophomores on the varsity at this time and the rest are upperclassmen. While the kids mentioned above may be starters for our first game on Friday, there is no guarantee that they will have that position on Saturday. Every year there is always one or two kids who surprise you and become a contributor when maybe you weren't counting on that. This years group is no different. I think we will be tinkering with a lot of different things early on to see who can help us become a better team.
This team has all the potential to make it to the state finals in Naperville. I hope we are playing in November and that I am freezing my tail off.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Blue/White Scrimmage Thoughts
Rain seems to be the theme thus far this season. We have accumulated about 7 inches of rain in the last 4 days and everything is wet and soft. Tonight at the Blue/White scrimmage, we cut the first game a bit short and the second game only got in about 30 minutes before the rain came. Rather than wait out the rain and continue playing, we decided to cancel and not tear up the field.
For those around in recent years, Flinn Stadium has had a few issues and actually looks very good right now. The grass was long and the kids had a tough time adjusting to the taller grass.
The scrimmages allowed us to see a lot of things from a lot of different kids. We had some kids that have looked very good in practices but didn't perform as well tonight. There were also some kids who have looked average in practices, but played really well tonight. If I could bottle up and sell the secret formula, "what makes a high school kid tick," I would be a millionaire.
We have a lot of things to sort out between now and the 28th at the varsity level. I think it is safe to say that 9 players have a pretty strong hold on a starting position right now. There are a couple spots where there is a battle going on. I think the biggest concern is figuring out the kids we can count on to give us those valuable minutes off the bench. In recent years, we played 17-18 kids a game and always had great depth. This year, that doesn't seem to be the case. Our depth lies in defense, which doesn't get subbed for as much. We need to find who those kids are going to be that can sub at the Midfield and forward positions. One day a particular player looks good and the next day they look lost. We are looking for consistency for sure.
We have 6 practices to get it sorted out as next weekend we host the Midwest Soccer Classic with games against McHenry, Kirksville, and Collinsville.
Tonight former Blue Devil Donivan Bradshaw stopped by. It was neat to watch him harrass coach Longo by asking, "if he wanted to touch his state championship ring?" Maybe this is the year where we can get one too.
For those around in recent years, Flinn Stadium has had a few issues and actually looks very good right now. The grass was long and the kids had a tough time adjusting to the taller grass.
The scrimmages allowed us to see a lot of things from a lot of different kids. We had some kids that have looked very good in practices but didn't perform as well tonight. There were also some kids who have looked average in practices, but played really well tonight. If I could bottle up and sell the secret formula, "what makes a high school kid tick," I would be a millionaire.
We have a lot of things to sort out between now and the 28th at the varsity level. I think it is safe to say that 9 players have a pretty strong hold on a starting position right now. There are a couple spots where there is a battle going on. I think the biggest concern is figuring out the kids we can count on to give us those valuable minutes off the bench. In recent years, we played 17-18 kids a game and always had great depth. This year, that doesn't seem to be the case. Our depth lies in defense, which doesn't get subbed for as much. We need to find who those kids are going to be that can sub at the Midfield and forward positions. One day a particular player looks good and the next day they look lost. We are looking for consistency for sure.
We have 6 practices to get it sorted out as next weekend we host the Midwest Soccer Classic with games against McHenry, Kirksville, and Collinsville.
Tonight former Blue Devil Donivan Bradshaw stopped by. It was neat to watch him harrass coach Longo by asking, "if he wanted to touch his state championship ring?" Maybe this is the year where we can get one too.
Ready for a game
You get to a point during the pre-season when the kids get tired of doing the same old thing every day. They get to practice and we do ball touches and conditioning. Some days we scrimmage, but then that is against the same kids as the time before. We do shooting and other various drills, but even that gets old. The kids are ready for a game! On Thursday night we have the Blue/White scrimmage and even though they will be scrimmaging against the same old team they always scrimmage against, they at least will be on Flinn Stadium and that in itself will be different.
I have yet to see the fire in practice to convince me that we are ready for our first game, but I think that we need to play that first game. I know that sounds strange, but there comes a time when you need to play somebody besides yourself to get a true evaluation of yourself. In Kentucky and Indiana, teams are allowed to schedule scrimmages prior to the start of their season. I think that would be beneficial to a lot of teams.
We are just over a week away from the first game and it's not like we are starting off with a group of patsies. We open with McHenry High from the Chicago area in the 1st round of the tournament we host and end that weekend against traditional power Collinsville. We will know exactly where we stand after that weekend and will then know what we need to work on.
This week the coaches have taken the time to talk to the Soph's - Sr's about where we see them in our program. We have always believed in the honest approach and hope that the kids relay exactly what was said when they get home. I think most of the young men deep down know where they stand, accepting it is a whole different story. Coach Longo always tells the kids, "don't worry about where you want to be, but focus on where you are at." I think those are very good words to go by. There are only so many spots on a field. We are very fortunate to have a strong program top to bottom and with that comes a lot of competition for playing time. Sometimes it's not a case of the player not being a good player, but more about them not being "good enough" to beat out a player in front of them. We have kids on our team who will struggle to find minutes at the varsity level, but would be good enough to be a starter on 70% of the teams we play. This is why our program has been very consistent from year to year.
Will try to post something tonight after the Blue/White. It starts at 5:30 and admission is Free. Come on out!!!
I have yet to see the fire in practice to convince me that we are ready for our first game, but I think that we need to play that first game. I know that sounds strange, but there comes a time when you need to play somebody besides yourself to get a true evaluation of yourself. In Kentucky and Indiana, teams are allowed to schedule scrimmages prior to the start of their season. I think that would be beneficial to a lot of teams.
We are just over a week away from the first game and it's not like we are starting off with a group of patsies. We open with McHenry High from the Chicago area in the 1st round of the tournament we host and end that weekend against traditional power Collinsville. We will know exactly where we stand after that weekend and will then know what we need to work on.
This week the coaches have taken the time to talk to the Soph's - Sr's about where we see them in our program. We have always believed in the honest approach and hope that the kids relay exactly what was said when they get home. I think most of the young men deep down know where they stand, accepting it is a whole different story. Coach Longo always tells the kids, "don't worry about where you want to be, but focus on where you are at." I think those are very good words to go by. There are only so many spots on a field. We are very fortunate to have a strong program top to bottom and with that comes a lot of competition for playing time. Sometimes it's not a case of the player not being a good player, but more about them not being "good enough" to beat out a player in front of them. We have kids on our team who will struggle to find minutes at the varsity level, but would be good enough to be a starter on 70% of the teams we play. This is why our program has been very consistent from year to year.
Will try to post something tonight after the Blue/White. It starts at 5:30 and admission is Free. Come on out!!!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
indoor Practice
6 inches of rain kind of puts a damper on things when you play an outdoor sport and that is exactly what happened in about a 12 hour period here in Quincy. We decided to stay inside rather than go out and tear up the field (but it didn't stop the band from going out there and marching around). We practiced inside Baldwin Gym and didn't get a whole lot accomplished. We did some condition and a little bit of ball work, but other than that, there wasn't much else.
Tuesday's practice will be the last one before school officially starts. It is also the day we are going to hand out uniforms to the kids. I will post some pictures if I get around to it.
Tuesday is also the night we are going to tell Jr.'s and Soph's where we see them as of right now in the program. Sr.'s were talked to on Monday night and Freshman on Wednesday. We will have 3 teams as always Varsity and JV, but this year we will have a Sophomore team that will be made up of freshman and Sophomores. We went this route because we have 26 Jr.'s and Sr.'s and not really enough Freshman to field a deep team. If you go to www.qhssoccer.net and click on schedules on the left you can see what type of schedule the teams are playing this year.
On a sour note, Sophomore Allan Sieck got word that he has a broken foot and will miss some time. That is too bad as he was really having a strong showing and was pushing for minutes at the varsity level. We now need someone else to step up and show they are ready to fill in. No doubt in my mind that this will be a challenge several will step up to.
Tuesday's practice will be the last one before school officially starts. It is also the day we are going to hand out uniforms to the kids. I will post some pictures if I get around to it.
Tuesday is also the night we are going to tell Jr.'s and Soph's where we see them as of right now in the program. Sr.'s were talked to on Monday night and Freshman on Wednesday. We will have 3 teams as always Varsity and JV, but this year we will have a Sophomore team that will be made up of freshman and Sophomores. We went this route because we have 26 Jr.'s and Sr.'s and not really enough Freshman to field a deep team. If you go to www.qhssoccer.net and click on schedules on the left you can see what type of schedule the teams are playing this year.
On a sour note, Sophomore Allan Sieck got word that he has a broken foot and will miss some time. That is too bad as he was really having a strong showing and was pushing for minutes at the varsity level. We now need someone else to step up and show they are ready to fill in. No doubt in my mind that this will be a challenge several will step up to.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
First week thoughts
So much for the daily blogs I was going to do. Time get's away from you when you are having fun. I will try and update daily as the season moves on.
After 6 total practices we are finally starting to see a bit more intensity from the boys. I often wonder if maybe we just do too much in the way of soccer. They play a fall season, followed by 2 indoor sessions, club teams in the spring, and high school team camps in the summer. Not to mention we start on the 12th and nour first game is the 28th.
We worked the kids very hard and some kids you can tell are in tremendous shape. I would have to say that for the first time, the majority of the kids we are looking at for the varsity team are in very good condition. We did the blitz on Saturday after 70 minutes of scrimmage and not 1 kid dropped out, which is impressive in itself. The blitz is a 16-18 minute conditioning drill. In that time, they run forwards and backwards for 4 minutes each and then do hills for 4 minutes forwards and 4 minutes backwards. We culminate it with about a 300 yard sprint that they had 1:30 to finish. Not only did everyone finish it in plenty of time, but I have to say I walked away from that drill so impressed by several of our boys. Gavin Schaefer last year would have struggled to get through the drill and would have used all 1:30 to make that ending run. On Saturday he never struggled and did the final run in under 50 seconds. Matt Burrus and Zach Forbes went to the back of the group and ran with the kids who were struggeling, encouraging them the entire way. What a great thing to see.
The older kids on the team are taking the younger ones under their wing a teaching them the way things are done and what the espectations are. I see the younger kids very intent to learn and listen to what the older kids have to say. A true sence of TEAM is evident. Our kids have gone from cheering kids on who don't make a run in time to now running it with them. Soccer is a team sport and when one person struggles, the whole team struggles. If we are going to be as successful as I think we can be, we have to work together and be there for each other.
This team has all the ability in the world to make it to the final 4 in Naperville in November. However, without hard work, we will never reach our goals.
Blue/White scrimmage is this Thursday at 5:30. Hope people can make it out.
After 6 total practices we are finally starting to see a bit more intensity from the boys. I often wonder if maybe we just do too much in the way of soccer. They play a fall season, followed by 2 indoor sessions, club teams in the spring, and high school team camps in the summer. Not to mention we start on the 12th and nour first game is the 28th.
We worked the kids very hard and some kids you can tell are in tremendous shape. I would have to say that for the first time, the majority of the kids we are looking at for the varsity team are in very good condition. We did the blitz on Saturday after 70 minutes of scrimmage and not 1 kid dropped out, which is impressive in itself. The blitz is a 16-18 minute conditioning drill. In that time, they run forwards and backwards for 4 minutes each and then do hills for 4 minutes forwards and 4 minutes backwards. We culminate it with about a 300 yard sprint that they had 1:30 to finish. Not only did everyone finish it in plenty of time, but I have to say I walked away from that drill so impressed by several of our boys. Gavin Schaefer last year would have struggled to get through the drill and would have used all 1:30 to make that ending run. On Saturday he never struggled and did the final run in under 50 seconds. Matt Burrus and Zach Forbes went to the back of the group and ran with the kids who were struggeling, encouraging them the entire way. What a great thing to see.
The older kids on the team are taking the younger ones under their wing a teaching them the way things are done and what the espectations are. I see the younger kids very intent to learn and listen to what the older kids have to say. A true sence of TEAM is evident. Our kids have gone from cheering kids on who don't make a run in time to now running it with them. Soccer is a team sport and when one person struggles, the whole team struggles. If we are going to be as successful as I think we can be, we have to work together and be there for each other.
This team has all the ability in the world to make it to the final 4 in Naperville in November. However, without hard work, we will never reach our goals.
Blue/White scrimmage is this Thursday at 5:30. Hope people can make it out.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
First Night Practice
Usually after the first morning session, reality has set in the kids come back with some enthusiasm for the evening session. Evening sessions generally are low on the conditioning side and more work with the ball. Let's just say, that wasn't the case on this night.
The kids were working hard but not at the level that was expected of them. This team has all the potential in the world to be something special and thus our expectation level is very high of them. Midway through practice, during a 7 v 7 drill, Coach Longo stopped them and told them that, "You made 17 consecutive passes and not one player said another players name." We really encourage our kids to talk on the field and communicate, which is why we ask them to say the persons name they pass it to as much as possible.
After this suttle hint and warning, they proceeded to go right back out and again not using names. That was it for ball work for a while, we were gonna run. For how long, "Til I get tired of watching you run," said Longo.
Practice was better after the short attention getter and we accomplished everything we wanted to get out of the first night
Let's hope the boy's come out ready to go this morning. Lot's to work on and more condition awaits.
The kids were working hard but not at the level that was expected of them. This team has all the potential in the world to be something special and thus our expectation level is very high of them. Midway through practice, during a 7 v 7 drill, Coach Longo stopped them and told them that, "You made 17 consecutive passes and not one player said another players name." We really encourage our kids to talk on the field and communicate, which is why we ask them to say the persons name they pass it to as much as possible.
After this suttle hint and warning, they proceeded to go right back out and again not using names. That was it for ball work for a while, we were gonna run. For how long, "Til I get tired of watching you run," said Longo.
Practice was better after the short attention getter and we accomplished everything we wanted to get out of the first night
Let's hope the boy's come out ready to go this morning. Lot's to work on and more condition awaits.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
First Day Morning Practice
Well, the first morning is over and as always, some kids came prepared and in shape and others look like they haven't done anything since last October. 52 kids were there and ready to go and a total of 56 will be trying out after the morning session. This is a good number of players to choose from. Coach Longo announced that because it doesn't look like we will have a lot of numbers at the freshman level, we will be having a Freshman/Sophomore team this year as opposed to just a Freshman team.
Practice today was a little on the slow and lethargic side, as I think it has been every year we have been doing this. For some, reality set in that they are out of shape and some were not use to being up and moving at 7:30 AM.
The morning session consisted of a lot of conditioning and some ball work. We puched the kids hard and many rose to the occasion.
We did some shooting drills and you can see just how far this group has come as compared to the first group that we had 5 years ago. I'm not sure our keepers had much of a chance to stop very many shots in the early going as several shots were finding the upper and lower corners.
The freshman group only goes once a day and I imagone that some are wondering what in the world they got themselves into. They did some shooting as well and we constantly have to remind them that at this level we need to work on doing things the right way rather than what the easiest way may be. No different than every other freshman group we have had.
Practice again tonight from 6-8 and more ball work will happen. Will update later this evening.
Practice today was a little on the slow and lethargic side, as I think it has been every year we have been doing this. For some, reality set in that they are out of shape and some were not use to being up and moving at 7:30 AM.
The morning session consisted of a lot of conditioning and some ball work. We puched the kids hard and many rose to the occasion.
We did some shooting drills and you can see just how far this group has come as compared to the first group that we had 5 years ago. I'm not sure our keepers had much of a chance to stop very many shots in the early going as several shots were finding the upper and lower corners.
The freshman group only goes once a day and I imagone that some are wondering what in the world they got themselves into. They did some shooting as well and we constantly have to remind them that at this level we need to work on doing things the right way rather than what the easiest way may be. No different than every other freshman group we have had.
Practice again tonight from 6-8 and more ball work will happen. Will update later this evening.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
As I sit and reflect at all the kids I've coached since 1987, I see many different things from decade to decade. It's interesting to see how kids react to coaching over the years. What I did in "87" would never work with the kids of "09" and the things I do with the "09" would have NEVER worked with the kids of "87". It's all good, but THINGS are different and I think over the years that is why I continue to coach.
Kids in the late 80's worked harder because they didn't have the travel opportunities that kids have now. They had travel soccer but not even close to what kids have today. Late 80's would have at the most 2 tournaments, where today they can do up to 4 if not 5 tournament and 10 league games. The competition is so much better because soccer has come a long way since then.
Weights have more impact on kids today then the 80's. Kids are bigger, stronger but not necessarily faster. We have indoor soccer now which give kids a chance to play year-round. In the 80's we had Hoc-Soc. For those who can remember it was in the gym at the high school and it was AWESOME! I would kill to set that contraption up and play one more weekend.
The three class system (1A, 2A, & 3A) gives more of a chance to win and play at the State Tournament. Myself, I love the 1A and 2A which is old school but good school. Don't know if we will every see that again.
As for the parents, I will leave that alone except for one thing. Let the coaches coach and let the kids play! Sit back and watch, enjoy but most of all let the moment and thrill of watching your child play be something to remember for a lifetime. Because before you know it, they are done and move onto to another chapter of their life and you want them to enjoy it as much as yourself.
Coach Longo
Kids in the late 80's worked harder because they didn't have the travel opportunities that kids have now. They had travel soccer but not even close to what kids have today. Late 80's would have at the most 2 tournaments, where today they can do up to 4 if not 5 tournament and 10 league games. The competition is so much better because soccer has come a long way since then.
Weights have more impact on kids today then the 80's. Kids are bigger, stronger but not necessarily faster. We have indoor soccer now which give kids a chance to play year-round. In the 80's we had Hoc-Soc. For those who can remember it was in the gym at the high school and it was AWESOME! I would kill to set that contraption up and play one more weekend.
The three class system (1A, 2A, & 3A) gives more of a chance to win and play at the State Tournament. Myself, I love the 1A and 2A which is old school but good school. Don't know if we will every see that again.
As for the parents, I will leave that alone except for one thing. Let the coaches coach and let the kids play! Sit back and watch, enjoy but most of all let the moment and thrill of watching your child play be something to remember for a lifetime. Because before you know it, they are done and move onto to another chapter of their life and you want them to enjoy it as much as yourself.
Coach Longo
Saturday, August 1, 2009
3 Decades of Blue Devil Soccer
In the fall of 1974, Blue Devil soccer began under the leadership of Mario Camacho. Mario coached for 4 years and I can only imagine as he watches his grandson Blake play as a current Blue Devil, the pride he must feel inside knowing he was the person who started this successful program.
35 years later, I find myself looking at this years coaching staff and one thing jumps out at me. Head coach Matt Longo has coached in 3 different decades (80's, 90's, 00's) and not only is that interesting, but what I think is even more interesting is that 5 of the coaches in the program also played for coach Longo. Even more interesting to me is that there is a coach that represents each decade as well. I, coach Eric Stratman, played for Coach Longo in his first 2 years (87 & 88) and right out of the shoot we were successful. In 1987, we advanced to the state tournament losing in the Elite 8 in PK's to Naperville North.
Coach Travis Dinkheller and Coach Ron Bridal both played in the early 90's and were both part of the best season by the Blue Devils. In their senior year, they were 20-1-2 and only gave up 7 goals all year. That is a great stat for both of them since Coach Dink was a defender and Coach Bridal the goalkeeper.
Coach Andy Hoskins played for the Blue Devils in 1996 and was part of what many thought might be the last ever for Coach Longo as he resigned after that season. In 10 seasons at the helm, the Blue Devils were 163-39-33 and had three elite 8 appearances.
However, in 2004 Coach Longo returned to lead the Blue Devils and coach Ryne Schrage was part of the first two seasons and played a major part in rebuilding a program that had struggled in recent years. Prior to coach Longo returning in 2004, the Blue Devils had won just 8 games combind in the previous two seasons
In 2004, the Blue Devils doubled that total with 16 wins and order was restored in Blue Devil soccer nation. Since returning, QHS is 81-29-9.
It may seem strange to some, but as players for Coach Longo, never in our wildest dreams would we have thought that one day we would coach with him. It is so funny to watch the expressions and comments of current players and we all remember the times when we too made those same expressions and comments. Not a week goes by where a Longoism (an expression only Matt Longo would use) fly's out and the coaches look at each other and just laugh, remembering a day when we likely heard that as a player.
Coach Longo will always be Coach Longo to every one of us that played for him. However, every one of guys who now coach with him can also call him a very close friend. Just don't expect us Coach Longo, to tell everything we did and said when we played for you. Those stories are best left for your retirement years when you can't fire us!
35 years later, I find myself looking at this years coaching staff and one thing jumps out at me. Head coach Matt Longo has coached in 3 different decades (80's, 90's, 00's) and not only is that interesting, but what I think is even more interesting is that 5 of the coaches in the program also played for coach Longo. Even more interesting to me is that there is a coach that represents each decade as well. I, coach Eric Stratman, played for Coach Longo in his first 2 years (87 & 88) and right out of the shoot we were successful. In 1987, we advanced to the state tournament losing in the Elite 8 in PK's to Naperville North.
Coach Travis Dinkheller and Coach Ron Bridal both played in the early 90's and were both part of the best season by the Blue Devils. In their senior year, they were 20-1-2 and only gave up 7 goals all year. That is a great stat for both of them since Coach Dink was a defender and Coach Bridal the goalkeeper.
Coach Andy Hoskins played for the Blue Devils in 1996 and was part of what many thought might be the last ever for Coach Longo as he resigned after that season. In 10 seasons at the helm, the Blue Devils were 163-39-33 and had three elite 8 appearances.
However, in 2004 Coach Longo returned to lead the Blue Devils and coach Ryne Schrage was part of the first two seasons and played a major part in rebuilding a program that had struggled in recent years. Prior to coach Longo returning in 2004, the Blue Devils had won just 8 games combind in the previous two seasons
In 2004, the Blue Devils doubled that total with 16 wins and order was restored in Blue Devil soccer nation. Since returning, QHS is 81-29-9.
It may seem strange to some, but as players for Coach Longo, never in our wildest dreams would we have thought that one day we would coach with him. It is so funny to watch the expressions and comments of current players and we all remember the times when we too made those same expressions and comments. Not a week goes by where a Longoism (an expression only Matt Longo would use) fly's out and the coaches look at each other and just laugh, remembering a day when we likely heard that as a player.
Coach Longo will always be Coach Longo to every one of us that played for him. However, every one of guys who now coach with him can also call him a very close friend. Just don't expect us Coach Longo, to tell everything we did and said when we played for you. Those stories are best left for your retirement years when you can't fire us!
Friday, July 31, 2009
High School Success = Coaching Success
If you are a follower of Quincy Blue Devil Soccer, you will likely remember what many consider to be the best team ever. In 1995, the QHS boy's soccer team was an impressive 25-3-1 and finished 4th in the state of Illinois. That team scored 160 goals that year and one of the major components from that team was all-stater Donivan Bradshaw. In 3 years as a varsity player, Bradshaw was all-conference 3 times, All-State in 1995 and finished his career with 87 goals and 45 assists, good enough for 2nd place all time among scorers at QHS. His three year varsity record was 61-6-7. In 1994, he was a major component to a team that was undefeated during the regular season, scoring 108 goals and allowing just 7.
Donivan continued his playing career at Division 1 University of Tulsa as a 4-Year Starting Forward, where he was a 2-time Offensive Player of the Year. He earned All Conference Western Athletic Conference honors 3 years and was 2-time Mid-West All American in 97 & 98. He ranks 5th on TU’s Career goals list with 37 and 6th on the career scoring chart with 84 points.
Fast Forward 14 years from his high school playing days and you see Donivan coaching soccer at Bishop Kelley High School in Tulsa, OK. You see a young man who laces up the boots and regularly gets involved with the players and leads by example. In January of 2007, he took over a program that had just come off winning a state championship and had big shoes to fill. Not only has he filled those shoes, but he has added to the legacy of Bishop Kelley Soccer.
This past Spring, Donivan led Bishop Kelley to their 3rd State Championship with a 17-1 record and was named by the NSCAA as the Oklahoma coach of the Year, a very prestigious honor. In 2008, they finished 2nd in the state with a 16-2 record. Overall, Donovan has a 44-8 record as a coach.
It is easy to see that hard work on the field as a player translates into success in the future. Congratulations Donivan!!!
Donivan continued his playing career at Division 1 University of Tulsa as a 4-Year Starting Forward, where he was a 2-time Offensive Player of the Year. He earned All Conference Western Athletic Conference honors 3 years and was 2-time Mid-West All American in 97 & 98. He ranks 5th on TU’s Career goals list with 37 and 6th on the career scoring chart with 84 points.
Fast Forward 14 years from his high school playing days and you see Donivan coaching soccer at Bishop Kelley High School in Tulsa, OK. You see a young man who laces up the boots and regularly gets involved with the players and leads by example. In January of 2007, he took over a program that had just come off winning a state championship and had big shoes to fill. Not only has he filled those shoes, but he has added to the legacy of Bishop Kelley Soccer.
This past Spring, Donivan led Bishop Kelley to their 3rd State Championship with a 17-1 record and was named by the NSCAA as the Oklahoma coach of the Year, a very prestigious honor. In 2008, they finished 2nd in the state with a 16-2 record. Overall, Donovan has a 44-8 record as a coach.
It is easy to see that hard work on the field as a player translates into success in the future. Congratulations Donivan!!!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
The First Post
Quincy Blue Devil Soccer is going high tech. We already have a website www.qhssoccer.org and we also have a facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Quincy-IL/Quincy-Blue-Devil-Soccer/105665054311 and now we will have our own blogging site.
You can check this site daily for updates on QHS Blue Devils soccer. We will share insights from practices and games as well as having discussions with players and quotes from players. We will also have interesting facts from alumni and interviews.
The 2009 season promises to be an exciting one. Practice officially starts on August 12th, but check back daily until that time as we will have something new for all of you to read in anticipation of the upcoming season.
This is an informative site that is not in any way, shape, or form officially supported by Quincy High School or the Quincy Public Schools. It is a site devoted to sharing information. The information posted on this blog will be 100% truthful and the opinion of the author. If you don't like what we write, don't read it.
You can check this site daily for updates on QHS Blue Devils soccer. We will share insights from practices and games as well as having discussions with players and quotes from players. We will also have interesting facts from alumni and interviews.
The 2009 season promises to be an exciting one. Practice officially starts on August 12th, but check back daily until that time as we will have something new for all of you to read in anticipation of the upcoming season.
This is an informative site that is not in any way, shape, or form officially supported by Quincy High School or the Quincy Public Schools. It is a site devoted to sharing information. The information posted on this blog will be 100% truthful and the opinion of the author. If you don't like what we write, don't read it.
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