Nice Q&A article on the B-C girls soccer team by Jim McLaurin of The State newspaper that appeared in this past Thursday's (5/19) Neighbors section.
BROOKLAND-CAYCE
Ken Smith is listed in the S.C. High School League book as the head coach of the Brookland-Cayce High School Bearcats, who last week won their first state 3A title in girls soccer. He says that is because there was room for only one name. Lauren Eudy is as much the head coach as he.
Q: Usually, having two head coaches does not work.
A: There's always an exception to the rule. When they asked me, I had coached the (boys) soccer team at Airport for 16 years. I knew there was a difference between coaching girls and boys, and I was smart enough to know that I couldn't coach girls by myself.
Q: Why Lauren Eudy?
A: I knew Lauren, I knew her family, and...I knew she had played at B-C and Erskine. My one condition was that they hire Lauren to coach along with me because she knows her stuff, she knows how to handle girls. She's just been awesome.
Q: What is the division of labor?
A: We read each other well. We are in this for the girls. We love coaching, and we love kids, but everything we do is to help the girls be better, and we understand that.
Q: To what do you attribute your team's succes?
A: One, they're a great bunch of kids. They are truly good student athletes. No. 2, the love soccer. They play hard, practice hard, and have gotten themselves in shape. No. 3, I guess Coach Eudy and I have had some positive effect, as far as being able to put people in the right places. You have to have good kids, and you have to play as a team. They know what it takes and they do it.
Q: Do the players ever get mixed signals from you and Coach Eudy? How do you keep them from getting confused?
A: I'm surey they do. I don't really have an answer for that. I guess they sort that out themselves. I think they know where we're coming from and what we're trying to accomplish. If they do get mixed signals, they can figure out what we want done.
Q: The team made a great run, with mostly juniors. Most teams that successful are senior-heavy.
A: It's a large junior class, but even juniors need leadership from seniors. We had good senior leadership. Brittany Burnett, Amy Johnson and Mallory Phillips were our seniors. Amy and Mallory were our co-captains. Brittany was hurt quite a bit this year. They finally figured out that what they were giving her was the wrong medicine, and she didn't start feeling better until about the last week of the season. It put her behind the 8-ball as far as getting playing time because at the level we play, if you don't feel good, other teams are going to take advantage of you. All three are honor graduates and come from great families. They are all-around good kids you'd be proud to have as daughters.
Q: Coaches hate to single out kids, but Christian Patton had a great season. She finished as the highest scoring player in 3A in the state.
A: I haven't even seen the final stats, but Christian will be the first one to admit that in order for her to score the goal, somebody has to get her the ball. It took a lot of her teammates getting her the ball and drawing defenders away so she has a chance.
Q: Was this team good enough at the beginning of the year to set its sights on a state championsip?
A: We set our sights on a state championship the last three years. Ever since we started coaching here, that has been our goal.
Q: With the Heise brothers (boys coach Kevin and twin Kyle, who's involved with the program), soccer sits pretty high the B-C athletic hierarchy. What kind of support did you get from them and from the boys program?
A: They are without a doubt the ring-leaders of the whole operation, and none of this would have been possible without their help and support. We traveled together to away games, and there's a great admiration between the guys and girls teams. They pull for each other, big-time. Some of them date each other. It's one big soccer family.
Q: There will be other championships, but not another first one. It's special for the girls, of course, but how special is it for a coach to have his or her name on that "first" plaque?
A: I hope you're right, but only time till answer that question. It's quite an honor. I know for Lauren, being a B-C graduate, I was so happy for the seniors and Lauren because of their connection. I was part of the first championship (in track) at Airport in 1969. I was there in another era, but it was a big deal, because it was Airport's first one. I still have a great rapport with the kids on that team, and I feel special about this one, too, because of what it means for the B-C program.
CO-COACHES
Lauren Eudy and Ken Smith
VARSITY ROSTER
Bradleigh Birchmore (FR), Brittany Burnett (SR), Meredith Calcina (JR), Krista Coleman (JR), Emily DeFrance (JR), Randall Dominguez (FR), Latoy Dickson (FR), Cayla Fralick (FR), Amy Johnson (SR), Angelica Johnston (FR), Vivi Koutrakos (JR), Frances Mann (JR), Christian Patton (JR), Camille Petty (JR), Mallory Phillips (SR), Emily Logan Setzler (JR), Nicole Simmons (FR), Amanda Steffen (FR), Ashton Tatum (JR).
