Prep soccer keeps growing - and that’s good
May 28th, 2008, 2:37 pm · Post a Comment · posted by phayes
Once upon a time, the power-that-was in Illinois prep soccer was Granite City. Period. No comma. Granite was the be-all, end-all of high school soccer. The Warriors won the first boys state championship in 1972 and once had a string of five consecutive state titles. As soccer’s popularity grew, so did the talent pool. With successful recreation programs such as the one in Collinsville, it didn’t take long before that success reached the prep level. Collinsville High joined Granite City as a downstate power. And Chicago caught up quickly as well. Then came strong soccer club programs, such as the Granite City Elks, Collinsville United and eventually Metro out of Edwardsville, which led to EHS becoming a state title contender neary every year in both boys and girls soccer.
Prep soccer is still growing - for both boys and girls. As examples, just look at what happened in the recent Class A playoffs. When Marquette Catholic faced Olney in the semifinals of the Columbia Sectional Tournament, it won - but not in a walkover. MCHS dominated much of the play, but had to stay focused, lest Olney see an opening and pull an upset. A couple years ago, it would have been a laugher, but not anymore. Then there’s Columbia, which edged Marquette in the sectional title game 2-1 on a last-minute goal. The Eagles went on to grab third place in the state tournament and came close to making it to the title game. They dominated play against eventual champion Rochester in a semifinal, but came up short 1-0. They rolled over Chicago Herscher 4-0 in the consolation match. It was the most goals given up in a match all season by the Chicago team.
Recent changes in the club soccer makeup in St. Louis could continue to spread the soccer wealth through improved training. The club team scene is where much, if not most, of the serious training takes place for post-rec league players. That’s what’s needed in areas such as Olney and other areas starving for more soccer.
The beautiful game continues to grow in the U.S. - and that’s a good thing.
