By Ed Shepherd
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT
And, they're off!
The soccer teams of the Highline Public Schools played in a four-team jamboree where the Tyee Totems took the crown, with two wins, but the Evergreen Wolverines did respectable, getting a loss but also a comeback tie in the event that kicked off the high school preseason into full stride on the Highline Memorial turf Saturday.
Of teams there, Highline, Mount Rainier, Tyee and Evergreen, each team only played two of the other teams. This is just a primer event, a feel-out process, for coaches to experiment with lineups and players to play in a game-like situation.
"Teams have to have eight practices in before the jamboree," said Justin Kesterson, the Highline District Events Manager, who oversees security and things for all events at the stadium. "Typically, jamborees are before competition, it's more of a tune-up, if you will."
These games do not count toward teams' overall records. Also, games are considerably shorter than a 80-minute regular season game, that includes a halve after 40 minutes of play. In jamboree, games are 20 minutes total, with no halftime break.
The Wolverines open the regular season with a preseason match against host Sammamish on March 17 at 7:30 p.m., then the first Seamount League game for the Wolverines is March 20 against Tyee at 7:30 p.m. at Highline Memorial.
Speaking of the season, and not the jamboree games just yet, the Wolverines' coach, Yeboah Appiah-agyekum, likens this season to come, for his team, to that of a horse racing metaphor.
"At this time, we are a little horse competing against big horses," said Appiah-agyekum, living in the states, but born in Ghana, West Africa. "Hopefully, next year, we transition to a racehorse, a warhorse."
Fans would, surely, like their "thoroughbred" to improve on a sixth-place finish suffered last Seamount League season. But, that's not what their coach says is going to probably happen,at least, not that much improvement, of a sixth to third finish.
"Our team is many freshman," said Appiah-agyekum. "Only two varsity continuing students from last year, which is good. Hopefully, as the season goes, we will be able to build a better side, so we can compete in the future."
So, little steps this season?
"Baby steps," said Appiah-agyekum. "I want to plead with fans, do not get hopes up, this is a year of transition for our team."
The Wolverines' captains understand the team's youthful situation and are going to put their best feet forward to help this team grow this season.
"Young players, young talent," said Wolverines senior captain Jason Meraz, one of the two returning players from last season. "We just have to work with them so Evergreen will have a better future, soccer-wise."
And, to those same kind of words added the other Wolverines captain, senior David Chavez.
"It's great, working with a bunch of new kids, to help them, and, to apply what's been learned to the games," he said.
Against the Pirates, the Wolverines played pretty much even the whole game. The Wolverines' only real setback came with eight minutes remaining in the game when a Pirates player, with the ball, inside the 18-yard box, was pushed down from behind when he was shielding the ball in the danger area of the goal. That mistake led to the Pirates' Gurjit Dhesi, a senior and captain, getting a penalty kick. He made it, shooting a shot into the left-side netting, right to the corner. The shot was perfectly placed so Wolverines' keeper, Sam Serrano, diving, in fact, guessing, the right path of the shot, had little chance to make a save. So it was 1-0, Pirates.
The score stayed that way until 4:45 time on the score clock remained. The Wolverines got the equalizer, then, as freshman, Josue Pedroza, followed up a ball hit to the goal that the Pirates' keeper dove down for, to corral, but could not hold. Pedroza, running in on the loose ball, knocked it into the net from 20-yards out, tying the game, 1-1.
"I just followed the play when the ball was kicked," said Pedroza. "I was there at the right time."
Who told Pedroza to follow the ball?
"Just my coach, he tells me to follow the plays," said Pedroza.
Neither the Pirates nor the Wolverinescould get a goal to win it in the final minutes of play.
The second game for the Wolverines, which was against Tyee, was not so good, as, the Totems scored three goals in that game to the Wolverines' zero scores.
But, nonetheless, a loss, that takes some momentum away from the Wolverines going into regular season games. But, hopefully, it doesn't and it sounds like they know what went wrong. And admitting that one can do better equals good growth.
"We let mistakes get the best of us," said Meraz. "We let them bring us down."
Added Chavez, "They were able to repeat the same play three times, and, score."
Why was that?
"They found our weak side," said Chavez. "Why not take advantage? There was no communication by us on defense."
"We have to push harder harder, and build our confidence," said Appiah-agyekum. "The freshmen lack confidence. We are going to have to work on the freshmen."
