THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 24, 1995 TAG: 9503220145
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 147 lines
WHILE ONE PLAYER can't make or break a team, he sure can make a difference.
That's why Churchland - and Tommy Carter - is the coaches' pick to win the Southeastern District boys soccer championship.
Carter - an All-Group AAA honorable mention midfielder - led the Truckers to last year's Eastern Region tournament after winning the district's regular-season crown.
The senior will again be called upon if Churchland is to repeat.
A mad scramble figures to ensue behind Churchland.
In the seven-team district - Norcom does not play boys soccer - any one of four teams is looking to capture the title.
Following is a look at the race in a predicted order of finish:
Churchland
Coach: Duke Conrad
Last year's record: 10-6-1 overall, 5-1 in the district. First in the district, second in tournament. Ranked seventh in last year's final South Hampton Roads coaches' poll.
Top returners: Tommy Carter, Sr., midfield; Carter Chapman, Sr. defender; Sean Paige, Sr., forward; Chris Hartman, Sr. defender; David Tynch, Jr., sweeper; William Moore, Jr., midfielder; Robert Davis, Jr., forward; Brendan Fagan, Jr., defender; Wesley Buntz, So., keeper.
Top newcomers: Andy Kovalcik, Sr., midfielder; Andreas Bech, Sr., defender; Landon Moore, So., midfielder.
Strength: Phsycal style of play with some proven talent.
Weakness: Unproven keeper and lack of leadership.
The scoop: The Truckers will suffer from the loss of senior keeper Chad Quigley, whose eligibility is yet to be determined. Buntz started on the forward line last year, but will be asked to move back into the net to replace Quigley. Carter is the leading returning scorer and will look to get help from Paige, William Moore and Davis. Bech is an exchange student from Denmark who should help with the defense.
``We have some real fine talent, but whether or not they can pick up the slack from our losses is yet to be seen,'' Conrad said. ``We lost five of our top six scoring threats.
``Another problem is that nobody is stepping up to take a leadership role and you have to have that.''
Deep Creek
Coach: Jamie Fraser
Last year's record: 8-6, 4-2 (third in the district) and ranked No. 8 in last year's final poll.
Top returners: Andre Gomez, Sr., stopper; Sean Gomez, Jr., sweeper; Andy Langston, Sr., midfielder; Steve Verdi, Jr., defender; Joe Verdi, Jr., defender; Brad Watson, Sr., forward.
Top newcomers: Guy Auguste, Fr., forward; Charlie Raney, Fr., midfielder; Keith Singler, Fr., forward; Jeremy Shockley, Fr., forward.
Strength: Fullbacks and overall defense.
Weakness: Inexperienced front line.
The scoop: The Hornets have much of their defense returning, giving Fraser hopes that his team will be able to hold down opponents' offenses while his front line matures.
``We're going to need several freshmen to fill some voids,'' Fraser said. ``But the good thing is that this is one of the best freshman classes I've ever seen.''
Great Bridge
Coach: Ed Welliver.
Last year's record: 2-7-3, 2-1-3 (fourth in the district) and ranked No. 9 in last year's final poll.
Top returners: Mike Arbogast, Sr., forward; Jason Smithdeal, Sr., defender.
Top newcomers: Jason Sweatman, Jr., defender; Kevin Manning, Fr., defender.
Strength: Defense.
Weakness: Uncertainty about keeper and front line.
The scoop: The Wildcats have moved Arbogast from sweeper to the front line and he has proven to have a nose for the goal. Smithdeal was a utility player last year who will probably concentrate on defense, getting help in the backfield from South Carolina transfer Sweatman. Manning will also contribute.
``Last year, we couldn't put one in the net and lost a lot of games by one goal and had a few ties,'' Welliver said. ``I thought our defense would be weak this year, but it has been surprisingly good.''
Western Branch
Coach: Ricky Bright.
Last year's record: 5-6-3, 3-1-2 (second in the district and district tournament winner).
Top returners: Mo Mizuno, Sr., sweeper; Daniel Dussia, Jr., keeper; Kenny Sloane, Jr., midfield; Steve Collett, So., stopper.
Top newcomers: Israel Macias, Jr., midfielder, Lenny Weinstein, So., midfielder.
Strength: Youth and conditioning.
Weakness: Depth and inexperience.
The scoop: Macias is a foreign exchange student from Spain who will likely press forward when he has the chance.
``He's got tremendous speed and endurance and we hope he'll move up to score some,'' Bright said. ``We could be pretty good with our starters, but we'll have trouble bringing people off the bench.''
Wilson
Coach: Terrance Green (first year).
Last year's record: 7-5-2, 1-3-2 (sixth in the district).
Top returners: Orion King, Jr., midfielder; Ade Patton, So., midfielder; Juwann Harrell, So., defender; Joe Jarmon, Sr., defender.
Top newcomers: Tai Sato, Sr., midfielder or sweeper; Christian Nakagawa, Sr., defender; Emir Tesnjak, Sr., forward; Tim Loulies, So., keeper.
Strength: Defense and size.
Weakness: Inexperience.
The scoop: The Presidents probably lead the league in foreign exchange students and all will help this year's effort.
Sato is from Japan and Green says he'll probably be the team's best player. Nakagawa is from Brazil, while Tesnjak is from Croatia. Loulies is a transfer from Portsmouth Christian.
``We're inexperienced, me and some of the players,'' Green said. ``We have a pretty good defense and we're going to have to play it to stay in games.''
Indian River
Coach: Peter Olanitori (first year).
Last year's record: 0-7, 0-6 (seventh in the district).
Top returners: Hau Ngo, So., striker; A.J. Zanta, Sr., keeper; Adam Daniels, So., striker; Eric Thames, So., defender; Jason Perry, Jr., defender; Jeff Ferrell, Jr., defender; Richie Geronimo, So., striker.
Top newcomers: Keston Smith, Fr., striker; Kai Dierkesmann, Fr., defender; Karl Smith, Fr., striker.
Strength: Speedy front line.
Weakness: Trouble with staying home on defense.
The scoop: ``The kids want too much to run out of their positions and I have to stop practice and tell them to go back,'' Olanitori said. ``Hopefully, they will learn to stay home and if they do, we'll be pretty good.''
Oscar Smith
Coach: Tyrone Pantophlet (first year).
Last year's record: 3-7-3, 1-2-3 (fifth in the district).
Top returners: David Turner, Sr., keeper; J.D. McClelland, Sr., sweeper; Randy Steffey, So., midfielder; Eldin Smith, Jr., stopper.
Top newcomers: Eric Dunnigan, Fr., midfielder; JoJo Borges, So., striker.
Strength: Speed, quickness and defense.
Weakness: Inexperience.
The scoop: ``We've got some good qualities, but we've got a lot of guys who haven't played much at this level,'' Pantophlet said. ``Our defense will have to hold us together for a while.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photos by GARY C. KNAPP
Tommy Carter, a senior at Churchland High, led the Truckers to last
year's Eastern Region tournament.
David Tynch, left, plays the sweeper position and Robert Davis is a
forward for Churchland High School's soccer team.
by CNB