By Ed Shepherd
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

Jamboree!

It's the unofficial start of many high school sports season, and soccer's no exception.

The Mount Rainier boys soccer team participated in that very beginning stage of things, playing shortened games, beating Highline, 1-0, and, losing to Tyee, 1-0, on the Highline Memorial turf Saturday.

"Testing out some stuff," said Rams' coach Steve Mohn of these jamboree games that are a considerably shorter time frame -- 20 minutes -- than the 80 minutes of regular season games. And there are no halftimes in jamboree.

"Teams have to get in eight practices before the jamboree. They, typically, have jamborees before competition, more of a tune-up, if you will," said Justin Kesterson, the Highline District Events Manager, who oversees security and all other things for Highline Memorial events.

Coach Mohn, whose Rams team does not play in the Seamount League like Tyee, Highline and Evergreen, who all were at this jamboree, but does play in the 4A South Puget Sound League's Northwest Division, gave his take on jamboree.

"Jamboree is a good time to see what comes to the table, it gives me an opportunity to look at newer players," said Mohn.

The regular season, officially, begins for the Rams on March 17, against the Rogers Rams of Puyallup, in a game that will carry some early season incentive despite it being a non-league game at 7:30 p.m. on the Highline Memorial turf.

"We lost in districts to Rogers last season, the game to go to the state tournament," said Mohn, who has a long resume of playing soccer at a high level, in college, and semi-pro, including the U-23 Seattle Sounders. He became coach, two years ago, for the Des Moines area school that overlooks Puget Sound.
And the way the Rams lost that game to Rogers was nothing short of excruciating.

"We led, 1-0, and they scored with four minutes left," said Mohn, a 2003 graduate of nearby high school, Thomas Jefferson, in Federal Way.

And, then, the Rams had a chance to beat Rogers with very little time on the clock, but...
"And then we hit the crossbar. I thought, for sure, that shot was going in."

So, that tie, 1-1, after the two, 40-minute halves of regulation, meant overtime, of which neither team scored in it, either. And, then, the most painful way for any soccer team to lose a game took the Rams' season from them so quickly.

"Lost in a shoot-out," said Mohn, almost looking, grimmacing, like he was reliving that time, as, were two of his captains, standing beside him, seniors, Steven Chu and Avery Bento. The two were saying things, like, 'Yeah,' depressingly, as, their coach rehashed the sad ending.

But, this season is going to be different, presumably, starting with a win over Rogers, coming up, this Tuesday.

"With our freshman, there is a lot of potential," said Chu of the Rams, who have five frosh on their 24-man roster. "With our starting lineup, we have, it will, positively, influence the incoming freshmen."

"We have a really good group of returning guys, but added some guys this year, too," said Avery, who spoke of freshmen entering the fold, as, well as the 14 returners to the Rams' roster. "If we work on getting the chemistry right in training, I think, we will go very far this year."

The Rams not only return a lot of players, but, many of those started games last season.

"Eleven guys, with a lot of starting time, coming back," said Mohn, adding the nice depth of classes factor, too, on the 2015 roster. "We have a good group. Five freshman, five sophomores, five juniors..."
And, there are eight listed seniors on the roster as well.

"We are pretty well balanced," said Mohn.

Mohn spoke of his captains' roles, as, returning leaders, on the team.

"They have very good character," said Mohn. "They lead the team, they have good leadership skills to help the incoming guys."

And, good skills on the ball?

"Oh, yeah," said Mohn.

The Rams began their two-game jamboree playoff against Highline. That was a good game, for the Rams, who scored a goal, late, in the 20-minute match, to go on to win it, 1-0.

For the goal, Briskans Shibale, a sophomore, a non-starter last season, scored. But, he had help, as Mohn explained things.

"Good ball from Avery, getting the assist," said Mohn.

Standing right there, Bento, replied, "Thank you."

"Yeah, it was," said Mohn, back to Bento.

So, the build-up of the goal by Shibale started with Bento, getting in a pass to the 18-yard box.

"I won the ball from a defender, (the ball) fell to me," said Bento, a midfielder on the Rams. "I curled the ball around a defender. Briskans did the rest."

Then, it was time for game two of the jamboree, and, the Rams did lose that one, 1-0, to the Tyee Totems, who have been a pretty good team in the recent past, for 2A. They were in the 2A state final two years ago, in fact. But, in this game, Mohn didn't see this schedule of time on the field as anything much more than Kesterson aforementioned, calling this jamboree a 'tune-up.'

"We are looking to do right things," said Mohn. "All our starters in the second game were almost a new lineup. Just trying new things out."

Shibale was not a starter last season, but he proved himself well in this jamboree with the goal against the Pirates.

"He was a substitute, not a starter, on the team last year," said Mohn. "He's improved a lot."

Mohn, then, added after this testing of the teams' players to rise up in a game-like situation as, jamboree is that type of scenario, "We look forward to the season, it's good to see what we have."

After the Rogers' game, the Rams, then, play Tyee at Highline Memorial at 7:30 p.m. Next, on the 20th, the Rams go up versus Thomas Jefferson, at Federal Way Stadium, at 5:30 pm before the Rams' first league match is at home against Federal Way at Highline Memorial on the 24th at 5:30 pm.