SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Junior Varsity Soccer Gold Hill MS girls are 37-0-1 over the past three years

Lady Bulldogs challenged to keep winning streak alive
Fort Mill Times
February 29, 2012
by Jason Chisari

http://www.fortmilltimes.com/2012/02/29/1914951/lady-bulldogs-challenged-to-keep.html

Very nice team this year. Top offensive player is the daughter of Winthrop women's soccer coach Spencer Smith. The Fort Mill School District has four middle schools and all the students that attend Gold Hill are zoned for Fort Mill HS. If Fort Mill did not have a middle school soccer program, virtually all of these girls would be on the Fort Mill girls JV team.

That 37-0-1 really stands out when you look at the fact that they have played several high school JV teams, especially the first couple of years where there were fewer middle school teams! They have also brought home the hardware from the IRMO JV tourny as well.

WOW... do not care what level you play 37-0 is awesome

While impressive, don't think it necessarily translates to success at the HS level. Middle school soccer is a joke, they need to just get rid of it. Most of the JV teams in the state have a lot of middle schoolers, who are usually the top players on the team. If you are good, especially on the girls side, you will be playing varsity your freshman year on most occasions. Obviously, if you go to a Wando, Mauldin, etc. probably not or if the varsity squad returned most of the team. But middle school soccer and JV soccer do not help players develop for the most part-not saying always. Very few good coaches at that level and very few good players.

Just out of curiosity, how many of the girls who started this win streak are currently playing varsity for the high school? How many are starting?

TSO,

I agree with many of your points, they are certainly valid. The best JV players on most teams in the state are 7th & 8th graders. Programs of the size and pedigree of Wando and Mauldin are the exception.

GHMS is fortunate to have a very good coach who knows the game and pushes the girls to play the right way and succeed. Of the 11 starters on the FM varsity this year, five of them were prominent players in "the streak" (one junior, four sophomores).

I think 11 of the 20 girls on the FM 2012 roster (1 junior, 8 sophs, 2 frosh) played on the GHMS team over the past three years. But again, as I mentioned in another thread, this is not the strongest team that Fort Mill has fielded in the past 10 years either.

While I would also say that some of the points are very valid, I would also urge looking at it another way.

These girls played and beat many JV teams as a middle schoolers only team and then as the core of the JV team as Freshmen they came home from IRMO with a 1st and second place finishes against some much larger schools with very solid programs (not gonna name drop but the tourny site show the records, and yeah they won it as 8th graders too).

Yes many of them would have been on JV as 7th graders but would they have been moved to varsity as freshmen? Not likely, let's see last year FM went to the finals with 1 Freshman (and 4 add ons for playoff, two of who could likely played varsity all year bit got way more playing time on JV (like almost every min of every game).

Look at this year we lose 14 players from the team and will still have what should be a good team (not sure how good till much later this year) becasue we have a large core of player who have been a team for 3 or more years. If the 5 or 6 girls returned who were on the team last year maybe only 3 or 4 make the team then you push down a few freshmen to JV making the JV stronger. Instead this year we had to "rob" from JV to make up for the lost players.

My point FM is better for having this middle school program (look at NF across town they have been building up with these middle school kids too). They have players learning skills and team work for two years from a good coach who had them ready to step up in HS if needed. Oh and lets not forget the positive role this kind of program play for the development of the kids as people not just soccer players.

IMHO we would be better off if all middle schools offered the kids this chance, then maybe JV play would get better everwhere and thus better development of player into varsity. Oh no I am not going to even touch the CLUB vs HS things just saying more play=better play most of the time.

You know what is funny... everytime something goes out about middle school soccer or JV somebody has to bash, or down play the importance. If you do not believe in it, why say anything?

Part of the urban legend that surrounds Byrnes football, "coach so and so, went to the pee wee football teams and got them to play the same system the HS plays". Guess middle school does not matter to them?!?!?!? PEE WEE people.

The kids should be proud, unless they were beating younger kids. If it is heads up competition, then great!

Does it mean they will make the Olympic team, NO. Did they go 37-0, I guess since that fact is not being disputed, means, they did. Congrats.


How about the team bonding, and the school spirit it grows. How much is that worth???? Tons, in my opinion. Go play Woodruff, and or Polk Co. NC, in any sport and you will see. You are in for as much fight as they have the abilitiy to bring. I guess that all just happened at the High school?!?!?

As far as High school success, give me a 100 kids trying to make varsity over 20 ANY day, any year.

Congrats to Gold Hill MS girls team. Period.

Why in the world does UNC have a JV basketball team? I guess they do not know what they are doing?

A definite congrats to GHMS....

I would love to have a quality coach working with players feeding into my high school program. Unfortunately it is not offered by the RH school district.

GHMS is playing Sullivan MS this year so while the district as a whole is not doing it, it looks like some parents in RH are getting on the band wagon for their kids! Maybe every one in Clover and FM having it will drive more of the RH parents to push for it.