Trending
In addition to leading his u-16 FC814 girls Team Energy to a championship in the Great Lakes Conference National Classic League, winning the PAWest u-15 girls state championship, and being a finalist in the national President's Cup Tournament, coach Marc Frye was recently chosen by the PAWest Soccer Association as the Classic Girls Coach of the Year.
He will receive the honor at its annual banquet on Feb. 3.
"This is a team award as much as an individual award,'' Frye said. "Without the success of the girls' efforts you don't get this award. The girls had to win the games on the field."
Frye is only the second coach from this area to garner the award. Coach Maurice "Mo'' Taylor was named Boys Classic Coach of the Year after his Blazers team won the 2018 Pa. State Cup championship.
Team Energy will be in Tampa, Fla., Feb. 24-26 for the PRO Round of the National Playoff Series for the United States Youth Soccer National Championship. The Energy, who finished in first place in their bracket, will begin by playing another first-place team. There are eight teams in the champions round, eight teams in second-place play and eight teams in third-place play.
If they win their first game, they automatically qualify for the USYS Championships in Orlando, Fla., in July at the Wide World of Sports Complex. If Team Energy loses its first game, they go into the Wild Card pool and must win every game they play here. Their can be no ties.
Frye said they should know before the end of January who they will be playing. Their opponent could be from anywhere in the country .
Summit leagues
Summit Indoor Soccer Director Mike Alianiello has soccer booming for its second indoor league session, which begins Jan. 26. Alianiello said he had an all-time high 123 teams signed up to play in his second session. Teams are coming in from Ebensburg, Northern Bedford, DuBois, Martinsburg, Cambria County, Tyrone, State College and Huntingdon.
There will be u-8 boys, u-9 boys, u-10 girls, u-11 boys, u-13 boys, u-14 boys, u-14 girls, u-16 girls, u-16 boys, u-17 boys, u-19 boys, u-19 girls, along with men's open -- which has 14 teams registered -- and over-30, which has six teams registered.
His 7 vs. 7 tournament was held on Jan. 13 for high school girls and junior high school girls. Altoona won the high school girls top division with Latrobe winning the junior high school girls bracket. The high school and junior high boys will be played on Jan. 20-21, along with the over-30 bracket.
The new turf court installed this year has worked out well, with slower play and more foot skills involved than the old fast multi-purpose tile surface.
Tom Schmitt writes a monthly soccer column for the Mirror.