By Ed Shepherd, SPORTS CORRESPONDENT
03/14/2015

And, they're off!

Local, high school, soccer teams kicked off its playing season with the 2015 Highline Public Schools Jamboree Saturday.

The Tyee Totems were the only team to win both its games, but, the Evergreen Wolverines did respectable, getting a loss, but, also, a comeback tie, in action at Highline Memorial.

Of teams there, Highline, Mount Rainier, Tyee, Evergreen, each team only played two of the other teams. And, that's fine, this was not a tournament of any sort, the crown, for first, is very little, even, more of a hat than anything else, as the Totems coach knew by calling this 'a good test,' afterward.

And, that's justit, this is just a primer event, a feel-out process, for coaches to experiment with line-ups, and, players to play in a game-like situation. Games are 20 minutes long, not, 80 minutes, like regular season soccer games. And, there are no halves in jamboree.

"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."

The Wolverines open the regular season with a preseason match against, host, Sammamish, on March 17, at 7:30 pm, then, the first Seamount League game for the Wolverines is March 20, against Tyee, at 7:30 pm, at Highline Memorial.

Wolverines Building For Future, Today

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."

Wolverines' fans would, surely, like their 'horse' to improve on a sixth-place finish suffered last Seamount League season. That might happen, but, great improvement, to first, or, second, is looking at the season with the wrong glasses. They need to take off the rose-colored specs.

"Our team is many freshman," said Appiah-agyekum. "Only two varsity continuing students from last year...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, from that disclosed perspective of their coach, who views his team as a little horse in the race against bigger, faster, stronger, quicker, horses.

"Young players, young talent," said Wolverines' captain, senior, Jason Meraz, one of the two returning players from last season for the Wolverines. "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."

A Nice Follow-Through

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 flagrantly pushed down from behind. That led to the Pirates' Gurjit Dhesi, a senior, and, captain on the Pirates, getting a penalty kick. He made it, shooting a shot, into the left-side netting, right to the corner. The shot was perfectly placed, with pace, so, Wolverines' keeper, Sam Serrano, diving, in fact, guessing, the right path of the shot, had little chance to make a save. So, 1-0, Pirates.

The score stayed that way until 4:45 time on the score clock remained in this jamboree style, shortened game. 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."
Just a great start to a high school soccer career is what that was for Pedroza, and, who tells him to go in on rebounds like that?

"Just my coach, he tells me to follow the plays," said Pedroza.

And, neither, the Pirates nor the Wolverines, could get a goal to win it in the final, few, minutes of play.

An Opportunity To Learn From Weakness

The second game for the Wolverines, which was against Tyee, was not so good, as, the Totems scored three goals in that game. The good news of that is that, these games were, really, meant, as learning experiences, or, a 'tune-up,' as Kesterson aforementioned. Learning can come, and, jamboree losses don't count against a team's overall mark, as, earlier stated.

So, why not carry that good momentum of the comeback tie against the Pirates into the game against the Totems?
"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 freshman lack confidence. We are going to have to work on the freshman."

But, this Wolverines' loss to the Totems is not going to be on the minds of the Wolverines for long, except, for learning purposes, surely, seeing the weaknesses and fixing those mistakes, per coaching help. The Wolverines will remember the Pirates' game a lot more, coming back to tie from being a goal down, which is a good thing for any soccer team to achieve. It's hard to score goals in soccer. And, coming back? Even harder. And, it's especially difficult, coming back, in a jamboree, time-shortened match. But, the Wolverines did that, so, confidence can be gained, in that way.

"We can build on that Highline game for future games," said Meraz.

The Highline AD Gets Props

Coach Appiah-agyekum wanted to give gratitude remarks to the Highline School District, and, one person, in particular, was mentioned.

"We practice here everyday in the stadium (Highline Memorial) this past try-outs time and practices leading up to this preseason," said Appiah-agyekum. "In past seasons, we've had to practice on the dirt field at Evergreen. We had never had more than 40 kids coming to try-outs, but, this year, 60-plus. It has been an incentive for kids coming out for try-outs, for quality kids coming onto the field. Thats' a step in a good direction. And, the Highline School District's Terri McMahan has helped, being very pivotal in our shift from dirt to turf."