TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Pasco Soccer Team Inexperienced

ADVERTISEMENT

By BART O'CONNELL Tribune correspondent

Published: November 6, 2007

DADE CITY - The soccer fields at the north end of Burks Park, tucked behind thick trees along State Road 52, are where great expectations begin for Pasco High's players.

The past four seasons, it's been easy to see why the Pirates have been among the county's most successful teams, with seven playoff wins, including five the past two seasons.

But autumn afternoons at the park have been different this year. Now the fields are full of unproven talent, players who have waited their turn to join the varsity squad that up until this year had been loaded with two-and three-year starters and a wealth of experience.

Only four players on this team started last year, a testament to the challenge Coach Barry Grayling faces to continue the tradition he's built.

Sure, he has a handful of returning stars to lean on, including forward Joe Montelongo, twin midfielders Trent and Cody Sumner, and defender Ryan Lowery - all seniors and college prospects. But with the rest of the starting lineup still very much undecided, this team is in the rare position of having to prove itself.

"You could say were at a building stage again, and we'll see who steps up to the plate and performs," Grayling said. "I've got all my rosters, I've just got to pick who's going to play - starting 11. But you know me, I'm one game at a time and I don't give those secrets away to anybody."

One player who won't surprise anyone is Montelongo, who had 31 goals and 16 assists last season. But even he is pretty sure this year's squad doesn't compare to last year's.

The biggest question marks are on defense and at goalkeeper, where junior Jacob Pollock will replace longtime starter Jose "King Luis" Hernandez.

"We're going to miss him a lot, and the defense. We lost some good defenders," Montelongo said. "It's going to be tough for me this year. They'll probably double up on me. I can handle it."

Offensively, Montelongo believes the Pirates will continue to be strong. They outscored opponents 115-26 last year. Senior Alex Hollander, who's played club soccer with Montelongo for eight years, is the most likely candidate to play with Montelongo up front, but he had just one goal last season in a reserve role.

Pasco is very strong in the midfield with the Sumner brothers, two above-average scorers and defenders. Now they'll be asked to take on the role of leaders as well.

"Everyone has to start working together, and we have to start getting our passes and everything together so we can gain chemistry," Trent Sumner said. "If we can get our chemistry together and get everybody working together, we should be able to get some things done."

The rest of the spots are likely to be decided from a pool of almost 60 players who tried out for three days to make the varsity team. But Grayling left almost all the freshmen and sophomores at the junior varsity level, keeping a relatively small roster and opting not to have a crowded bench.

Though most who become starters are in for a drastically new experience, Grayling is confident that the talent he's assembled in the program will be enough to keep the winning tradition going.

"They've all played before, and every one of them plays competitive, so they all know how to play the game," he said. "It's just about putting them all together."

Bart O'Connell can be reached at boconnell@pop.tampatrib.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT