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Congratulations to BC on their win at Airport last night. It was a very hard fought match. I will say though, I don't see the necessity in showcasing your statistics over Airport in the last 20 years. As coaches as respected and dedicated as BC is, I don't think that is very classy.


Sam,

Let me explain my reason for posting the statistics I did last night following the match.

As a proud alumnus of Brookland-Cayce High School, a soccer player for the Bearcats in the 1980s, and a boys soccer coach at B-C since 1990, I take great pride in "Bearcat Soccer". Many of our Alumni read the SCSoccer.com Message Board and this just keeps them in the loop.

Now, on a personal note since you are in your first season with the Airport boys soccer program.

I grew up in the Cayce/West Columbia community and reside there today, I am always keen to see the Lexington School District Two schools (Airport and B-C) succeed academically and in athletics. Being a third-generation "Bearcat" and having been involved with B-C soccer in some form or fashion for almost 30 years, I take personal pride in the rivalry with Airport.

I was on the last team that lost to the Eagles twice in one year (1986) and that was a B-C team that started nine freshmen, including me. Since then, we have only lost one time to our sister school and that was a 1-0 loss at The Cage in 2002. There was one tie in a non-region contest in 1987. Everything else has been a "W" for the Maroon & Black.

Overall, B-C leads the series 48-13-4 (.769) and that dates back to the inaugural season of “Bearcat Soccer” in 1973-74. Since 1991 when my brother, Kevin, was elevated from Junior Varsity coach to Varsity coach, the tally reads 27-1-0!

And, you are darn right that I take great pride in those numbers!

There has been a lot of work by a lot of people that has gone into building “Bearcat Soccer” into a respected program on an annual basis. We have good kids and many of them grow up with the program as ball boys and during their time with the B-Team and JV squads. It means a lot to them to represent BCHS in a classy manner – on and off the pitch (i.e., four consecutive NSCAA Team Academic Awards). Maybe more importantly it means a lot to their families because they sincerely see the value that having a program their son/daughter/brother/sister can associate themselves with is a quality extra curricular activity that is a privilege and not a right. We ask a lot of our boys in this program and, in turn, try to provide them with the utmost prep soccer experience. The soccer pitch is just another classroom and venue to teach some of life’s lessons. Having pride in something you care deeply about is a learning tool as well.

I wish Airport High School and yourself nothing but the best in boys soccer. You have the program on the right track – and it’s a solid program (50-52-1 since 2005 under three coaches). We basically have the same type of kids and demographics but the one constant that AHS has never had in boys soccer is stability and any kind of tenure of quality leadership. I hope that you find the situation at AHS agreeable and that you can build your program a little more each year. In the end, everyone wins when there is quality competition in whatever field you are working in and your players deserve that opportunity. It’s up to the adults – even Athletic Directors that only think there is football, basketball, and baseball at AHS – to provide that type of environment.

In closing, I would like to add just a little advice. As valuable as club soccer is to a player’s development there is a time and a place for everything. I’m sure you are proud of coaching with Columbia United FC, just as I am as a board member with the Congaree Rapid Soccer Association. However, when it’s high school soccer season, concentrate on AHS and not CUFC.