1.) Rock Bridge
2.) Hickman
3.) Jefferson City
4.) Sedalia Smith Cotton
5.) Washington
All Games will be played at Sedalia Smith Cotton's home field.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
2010 Boys State Soccer Polls - Class 3 (October 15)
1.) SLUH
2.) CBC
3.) Chaminade
4.) Rockhurst
5.) Oakville
6.) Park Hill
7.) DeSmet
8.) Lee's Summit
9.) Eureka
10.)Lafayette
11.)Vianney
12.)Rock Bridge
13.)Park Hill South
14.)Jefferson City
15.)Lee's Summit North
2.) CBC
3.) Chaminade
4.) Rockhurst
5.) Oakville
6.) Park Hill
7.) DeSmet
8.) Lee's Summit
9.) Eureka
10.)Lafayette
11.)Vianney
12.)Rock Bridge
13.)Park Hill South
14.)Jefferson City
15.)Lee's Summit North
Rock Bridge soccer team thinking about districts
By Blair Weaver
October 14, 2010 | 11:01 p.m. CDT
COLUMBIA - As the season starts to dwindle, the Rock Bridge boys soccer team begins to shift their focus on to district play.
After Thursday’s game against Waynesville, the Bruins only have three games left in the regular season, including next week’s big game against Jefferson City. Rock Bridge defeated Waynesville 4-0, with goals by juniors Austin Powell, Matt Kelly and Kory McDonald, and sophomore Tyler Bales. Bales is Rock Bridge’s junior varsity leading scorer but was pulled up to play varsity from last weekend’s tournament. In goal, Brady Wulff and Jonas Gassman, for the last 12 minutes, were responsible for the shutout.
With a season record of 18-4, expectations are set high for upcoming district play.
“All we want to do is just come out and win. We’re going to continue the way we’ve been playing and we’re going to try to push every game,” head coach Kyle Austin said.
Last year, the Bruins got as far as the district semifinals. They battled against rival Hickman but came up short 1-0. This year, it’s about getting that bad taste out of their mouth from last year and doing what needs to be done to advance even farther this year. With districts just a couple weeks away, the thought of it is no longer just in the back of their minds and preparations are now in action.
“We’ve really been trying to focus on our defense. We’re trying to find ways we can slow the game down and really work on set pieces,” Austin said. “We’re trying to get a lot of players more experience in games instead of just relying on 12 players. Instead, we’re about 17 or 18 deep.”
As of October 1, Rock Bridge is ranked 13th in the state, just two above Hickman.
“It’s nice to be recognized, but I told my team that it means very little, as long as we’re winning,” Austin said. “I’d much rather have a state title than a state rank.”
The Bruins’ next game at Jefferson City on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
October 14, 2010 | 11:01 p.m. CDT
COLUMBIA - As the season starts to dwindle, the Rock Bridge boys soccer team begins to shift their focus on to district play.
After Thursday’s game against Waynesville, the Bruins only have three games left in the regular season, including next week’s big game against Jefferson City. Rock Bridge defeated Waynesville 4-0, with goals by juniors Austin Powell, Matt Kelly and Kory McDonald, and sophomore Tyler Bales. Bales is Rock Bridge’s junior varsity leading scorer but was pulled up to play varsity from last weekend’s tournament. In goal, Brady Wulff and Jonas Gassman, for the last 12 minutes, were responsible for the shutout.
With a season record of 18-4, expectations are set high for upcoming district play.
“All we want to do is just come out and win. We’re going to continue the way we’ve been playing and we’re going to try to push every game,” head coach Kyle Austin said.
Last year, the Bruins got as far as the district semifinals. They battled against rival Hickman but came up short 1-0. This year, it’s about getting that bad taste out of their mouth from last year and doing what needs to be done to advance even farther this year. With districts just a couple weeks away, the thought of it is no longer just in the back of their minds and preparations are now in action.
“We’ve really been trying to focus on our defense. We’re trying to find ways we can slow the game down and really work on set pieces,” Austin said. “We’re trying to get a lot of players more experience in games instead of just relying on 12 players. Instead, we’re about 17 or 18 deep.”
As of October 1, Rock Bridge is ranked 13th in the state, just two above Hickman.
“It’s nice to be recognized, but I told my team that it means very little, as long as we’re winning,” Austin said. “I’d much rather have a state title than a state rank.”
The Bruins’ next game at Jefferson City on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Rock Bridge soccer earns shutout in win over Kewps
By Nick Snow
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Coach Kyle Austin said his Rock Bridge boys soccer team didn’t play its best.
That’s a little hard to believe, considering the Bruins (17-4) had just beaten Hickman 4-0 on Sells Field to sweep the regular-season series.
“It feels good to beat them,” Rock Bridge midfielder Ty Griggs said. “I play with a lot of those guys on a club team, so this gives me a chance to represent my school. There’s always a little bit of a rivalry, but that’s what makes it fun. We enjoy beating Hickman.”
Hickman (15-5-1) flexed its muscle early, attacking with a fury over the first 10 minutes. But the Bruins weathered the storm with a couple of great saves by Brady Wulff.
“Brady is our senior captain for a reason,” Austin said. “Not only is he very vocal, he leads by his play. Any time we have him back there, we know its going to take the other team’s best effort to win. He’s playing at another level, and I know assistant coach Alex Nichols — who works with him in practice — has been very impressed with the way he has played.”
After getting stuffed by Hickman goalkeeper Chuck Wilson earlier in the half, Matt Kelly got Rock Bridge started by blasting a free kick into the upper right corner.
The Kewpies had a couple of chances late — including a shot through the box by Andy Atkins — but with 8 seconds left, Eli Sherman found Kelly for a breakaway to give Rock Bridge a 2-0 halftime lead.
“That was a huge goal at the time,” Austin said. “It was a great job by Eli, and it allowed Matt to slide into position. That goal really changed the game. We were able to take that and build on that momentum at halftime.”
Wilson couldn’t haul in a bouncer in traffic with 33:38 left in the game. From there, Rock Bridge’s Ryan Taylor was in the right place at the right time, knocking the ball into the net on the rebound.
“We’ve been flopping back and forth between Spencer Mills and Chuck all year,” Hickman Coach Adam Taylor said. “Tonight, it was Chuck’s turn. He’s a senior, so I wanted to give him one more chance to beat Rock Bridge.”
The Bruins tacked on one more with 15 minutes left. With several defenders on him, Griggs took a shot while falling down. Somehow, the ball squirted through the defense and into the net.
“Eli Sherman worked hard to get the ball to Trevor Davis,” Griggs said. “Trevor gave me a great pass, and I just took a shot and hoped for the best. We know that Hickman is going to come back hard if we see them in districts. We just have to keep looking forward.”
Rock Bridge will host Waynesville tomorrow, while Hickman will travel to Lincoln Prep tomorrow.
“We’ve got to go back to work,” Taylor said. “We’ve got about a week and a half before districts start. We really didn’t play that bad. Hopefully, this will make us more intense for the rest of the season. We know that now is the time to push ourselves.”
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Coach Kyle Austin said his Rock Bridge boys soccer team didn’t play its best.
That’s a little hard to believe, considering the Bruins (17-4) had just beaten Hickman 4-0 on Sells Field to sweep the regular-season series.
“It feels good to beat them,” Rock Bridge midfielder Ty Griggs said. “I play with a lot of those guys on a club team, so this gives me a chance to represent my school. There’s always a little bit of a rivalry, but that’s what makes it fun. We enjoy beating Hickman.”
Hickman (15-5-1) flexed its muscle early, attacking with a fury over the first 10 minutes. But the Bruins weathered the storm with a couple of great saves by Brady Wulff.
“Brady is our senior captain for a reason,” Austin said. “Not only is he very vocal, he leads by his play. Any time we have him back there, we know its going to take the other team’s best effort to win. He’s playing at another level, and I know assistant coach Alex Nichols — who works with him in practice — has been very impressed with the way he has played.”
After getting stuffed by Hickman goalkeeper Chuck Wilson earlier in the half, Matt Kelly got Rock Bridge started by blasting a free kick into the upper right corner.
The Kewpies had a couple of chances late — including a shot through the box by Andy Atkins — but with 8 seconds left, Eli Sherman found Kelly for a breakaway to give Rock Bridge a 2-0 halftime lead.
“That was a huge goal at the time,” Austin said. “It was a great job by Eli, and it allowed Matt to slide into position. That goal really changed the game. We were able to take that and build on that momentum at halftime.”
Wilson couldn’t haul in a bouncer in traffic with 33:38 left in the game. From there, Rock Bridge’s Ryan Taylor was in the right place at the right time, knocking the ball into the net on the rebound.
“We’ve been flopping back and forth between Spencer Mills and Chuck all year,” Hickman Coach Adam Taylor said. “Tonight, it was Chuck’s turn. He’s a senior, so I wanted to give him one more chance to beat Rock Bridge.”
The Bruins tacked on one more with 15 minutes left. With several defenders on him, Griggs took a shot while falling down. Somehow, the ball squirted through the defense and into the net.
“Eli Sherman worked hard to get the ball to Trevor Davis,” Griggs said. “Trevor gave me a great pass, and I just took a shot and hoped for the best. We know that Hickman is going to come back hard if we see them in districts. We just have to keep looking forward.”
Rock Bridge will host Waynesville tomorrow, while Hickman will travel to Lincoln Prep tomorrow.
“We’ve got to go back to work,” Taylor said. “We’ve got about a week and a half before districts start. We really didn’t play that bad. Hopefully, this will make us more intense for the rest of the season. We know that now is the time to push ourselves.”
Rock Bridge and Hickman soccer players friends and competitors
By Blair Weaver
October 12, 2010 | 11:25 p.m. CDT
COLUMBIA — The players on the Hickman and Rock Bridge boys soccer teams are competitors on the field, but are close friends off the field.
Rock Bridge seniors Brady Wulff, Ryan Taylor and Danny Baird have been close friends with Hickman's Andy Atkins, Colin Janicek and Alex Holliday for about five or six years. They all play on the Columbia Pride, a club team in Columbia.
“It’s a lot different playing against them,” Taylor said. "I have a lot of respect for them on and off the field. I have to get it out of my mind that we’re friends when we play against each other."
They talk to each other a little on the field, but for the 80-minutes of the game, the focus is on bringing their school a win. Rock Bridge prevailed Tuesday night securing a 4-0 victory over visiting Hickman. Matt Kelly had two first-half goals for the Bruins, while Taylor and Ty Griggs scored in the second half.
“It’s a pain playing against them. They’re great guys to play with, but when you play against them, you know that they’re going to give 100 percent,” Atkins said. “We all go hard, it’s the same intensity, but I’m more cordial to them than any other player. It’s definitely nice to talk to them before and after the game though.”
The players know the ins and outs of how the others play, which works to their advantage both as teammates and as opponents. No one is just another player. They are players that they’ve cheered on, encouraged and traveled to out-of-town tournaments with.
“It’s definitely more competitive on the field against them. Once the season is over, there’s always bragging going on about who won during the season,” Taylor said. “It’s business on the field, but jokes off the field.”
October 12, 2010 | 11:25 p.m. CDT
COLUMBIA — The players on the Hickman and Rock Bridge boys soccer teams are competitors on the field, but are close friends off the field.
Rock Bridge seniors Brady Wulff, Ryan Taylor and Danny Baird have been close friends with Hickman's Andy Atkins, Colin Janicek and Alex Holliday for about five or six years. They all play on the Columbia Pride, a club team in Columbia.
“It’s a lot different playing against them,” Taylor said. "I have a lot of respect for them on and off the field. I have to get it out of my mind that we’re friends when we play against each other."
They talk to each other a little on the field, but for the 80-minutes of the game, the focus is on bringing their school a win. Rock Bridge prevailed Tuesday night securing a 4-0 victory over visiting Hickman. Matt Kelly had two first-half goals for the Bruins, while Taylor and Ty Griggs scored in the second half.
“It’s a pain playing against them. They’re great guys to play with, but when you play against them, you know that they’re going to give 100 percent,” Atkins said. “We all go hard, it’s the same intensity, but I’m more cordial to them than any other player. It’s definitely nice to talk to them before and after the game though.”
The players know the ins and outs of how the others play, which works to their advantage both as teammates and as opponents. No one is just another player. They are players that they’ve cheered on, encouraged and traveled to out-of-town tournaments with.
“It’s definitely more competitive on the field against them. Once the season is over, there’s always bragging going on about who won during the season,” Taylor said. “It’s business on the field, but jokes off the field.”
Injury doesn't slow down Rock Bridge goalkeeper Brady Wulff
By Blair Weaver
October 9, 2010 | 7:53 p.m. CDT
COLUMBIA — Brady Wulff, a senior goalkeeper for the Rock Bridge soccer team, doesn’t let anything get in the way of success. Not even a metal rod in his leg.
The summer before Wulff’s sophomore year, he was playing in the USA Cup for an under-18 club team as a 15-year-old. His team was playing against Sweden in the U-19 division. Wulff was in goal, and in the second half went out in a one-on-one situation against a much bigger player, resulting in an injury that would keep him out for the entire upcoming season.
“I’ve never broken a bone before,” Wulff said. "At first all I felt was overwhelming pain, and I figured it was broken. But after the pain died down, all I could think about was how I will probably have to sit out the whole season and watch from the bench."
Since it was such a bad break, Wulff had to get a metal rod put in his leg to prevent him from breaking the bone again. The rod is about the length of his shin.
“I can get the rod taken out at any time, but I plan on playing soccer till I die, so I don’t see any point in taking it out,” Wulff said. "So I’ll probably leave it in forever.”
Wulff said he can feel the rod sometimes if he tweaks his ankle. He also has to carry a special card from his doctor when travels because the rod will set off metal detectors at airports.
After playing goalkeeper for the Bruins' C team and junior varsity as a freshman, there were high hopes for Wulff for his sophomore year. Until he got injured.
“He was in line to at least vie for the starting varsity goalkeeping position, or at least going to be our starter,” Rock Bridge coach Kyle Austin said. “I know it was devastating to him because he worked hard all summer to get back for his sophomore year.”
Because of the broken bone, Wulff was kept out, but he said the constant support from family, teammates and coaches kept him going. Although he couldn’t participate on the field, Wulff was still an involved member of the team, attending every practice and acting as team manager.
Wulff came back motivated for his junior year and earned All-District and All-Region honors.
“He struggled at times, especially early on,” Austin said. “He had to adjust to the speed of the game, let in a few goals that at this point I would never expect to be let in, but as the season got going, he kept getting stronger and stronger and was playing at his best, if not the best goalie in the area.”
Wulff said he had few doubts about getting back on the field once he was allowed to play.
“Soccer is my life, and there is no way I was going to let an injury stop me,” Wulff said. “At one point I was told I might not be able to play again, but we kept working it, and I got cleared to play in January.”
For Wulff, the biggest obstacle was getting his confidence back. He said he found he was second-guessing himself early on.
“My biggest motivation was getting back on the horse. Soccer is such a big part of my life, and it really ate me up that I couldn’t play. I felt like I let my team down,” Wulff said. “My injury still restricts me, but it’s made me more of an aggressive player. I now have the mentality of knowing that I could get hurt any time, and I never know when my last game can be.”
Wulff seems to be having an even more successful season as a senior.
“Brady makes every single save you expect any goalie to make, then he also makes those one or two special saves that are a sign of a great goalkeeper,” Austin said. “He takes pride in everything he does and is such a perfectionist that sometimes you have to remind him that he is a goalie and every once in a while a goal will go in.”
October 9, 2010 | 7:53 p.m. CDT
COLUMBIA — Brady Wulff, a senior goalkeeper for the Rock Bridge soccer team, doesn’t let anything get in the way of success. Not even a metal rod in his leg.
The summer before Wulff’s sophomore year, he was playing in the USA Cup for an under-18 club team as a 15-year-old. His team was playing against Sweden in the U-19 division. Wulff was in goal, and in the second half went out in a one-on-one situation against a much bigger player, resulting in an injury that would keep him out for the entire upcoming season.
“I’ve never broken a bone before,” Wulff said. "At first all I felt was overwhelming pain, and I figured it was broken. But after the pain died down, all I could think about was how I will probably have to sit out the whole season and watch from the bench."
Since it was such a bad break, Wulff had to get a metal rod put in his leg to prevent him from breaking the bone again. The rod is about the length of his shin.
“I can get the rod taken out at any time, but I plan on playing soccer till I die, so I don’t see any point in taking it out,” Wulff said. "So I’ll probably leave it in forever.”
Wulff said he can feel the rod sometimes if he tweaks his ankle. He also has to carry a special card from his doctor when travels because the rod will set off metal detectors at airports.
After playing goalkeeper for the Bruins' C team and junior varsity as a freshman, there were high hopes for Wulff for his sophomore year. Until he got injured.
“He was in line to at least vie for the starting varsity goalkeeping position, or at least going to be our starter,” Rock Bridge coach Kyle Austin said. “I know it was devastating to him because he worked hard all summer to get back for his sophomore year.”
Because of the broken bone, Wulff was kept out, but he said the constant support from family, teammates and coaches kept him going. Although he couldn’t participate on the field, Wulff was still an involved member of the team, attending every practice and acting as team manager.
Wulff came back motivated for his junior year and earned All-District and All-Region honors.
“He struggled at times, especially early on,” Austin said. “He had to adjust to the speed of the game, let in a few goals that at this point I would never expect to be let in, but as the season got going, he kept getting stronger and stronger and was playing at his best, if not the best goalie in the area.”
Wulff said he had few doubts about getting back on the field once he was allowed to play.
“Soccer is my life, and there is no way I was going to let an injury stop me,” Wulff said. “At one point I was told I might not be able to play again, but we kept working it, and I got cleared to play in January.”
For Wulff, the biggest obstacle was getting his confidence back. He said he found he was second-guessing himself early on.
“My biggest motivation was getting back on the horse. Soccer is such a big part of my life, and it really ate me up that I couldn’t play. I felt like I let my team down,” Wulff said. “My injury still restricts me, but it’s made me more of an aggressive player. I now have the mentality of knowing that I could get hurt any time, and I never know when my last game can be.”
Wulff seems to be having an even more successful season as a senior.
“Brady makes every single save you expect any goalie to make, then he also makes those one or two special saves that are a sign of a great goalkeeper,” Austin said. “He takes pride in everything he does and is such a perfectionist that sometimes you have to remind him that he is a goalie and every once in a while a goal will go in.”
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Seniors keep Rock Bridge soccer team laughing
By Blair Weaver
October 5, 2010 | 10:14 p.m. CDT
COLUMBIA — The Rock Bridge boys soccer team’s seven seniors have managed to balance a winning record of 13-4 while thoroughly enjoying themselves this season.
Rock Bridge defeated Helias 4-2 in overtime penalty kicks Tuesday evening at Rock Bridge. The suspense-filled victory made senior night that much better.
Rock Bridge coach Kyle Austin said he is so close to this group of players that next year will be different without them.
“They’re just a goofy group of boys. They’re a real 'have fun' group off the field but have the ability to intensely focus on the field,” Austin said. “They’re the most fun group I’ve ever coached. They’re very comfortable with who they are.”
The seven seniors include Trevor Davis, Amin El Darrat, Jonathon Gunter, Patrick Knutson, and three captains, Danny Baird, Ryan Taylor and goalkeeper Brady Wulff.
“What I’ll miss most about this group is their attitude,” Austin said. “I’ll miss all of their little pranks, the ‘Boomtown’ chants and their joking around off the field.”
From Brady Wulff and Ryan Taylor wearing a cowboy hats and chewing straw in their mouths at school, to Wulff coming into senior night wearing a ski mask, the seniors have always seemed to enjoy themselves and keep the coaches laughing.
From practical jokes on bus rides to joking around at practices, Austin says his team won’t be quite the same next year.
“They all get along so well. They’re all such wholesome kids and come from great families,” Austin said. “Everyone at school loves them; every teacher loves them. They have such a natural draw to them.”
Austin laughed and pointed to the back of the senior night handout to a picture of shirtless boys with ‘Boomtown’ painted on their chests, doing funny poses in the net.
“This pretty much sums them up,” Austin said. “You can’t say they haven’t had fun this year because that’s all that they’ve had."
October 5, 2010 | 10:14 p.m. CDT
COLUMBIA — The Rock Bridge boys soccer team’s seven seniors have managed to balance a winning record of 13-4 while thoroughly enjoying themselves this season.
Rock Bridge defeated Helias 4-2 in overtime penalty kicks Tuesday evening at Rock Bridge. The suspense-filled victory made senior night that much better.
Rock Bridge coach Kyle Austin said he is so close to this group of players that next year will be different without them.
“They’re just a goofy group of boys. They’re a real 'have fun' group off the field but have the ability to intensely focus on the field,” Austin said. “They’re the most fun group I’ve ever coached. They’re very comfortable with who they are.”
The seven seniors include Trevor Davis, Amin El Darrat, Jonathon Gunter, Patrick Knutson, and three captains, Danny Baird, Ryan Taylor and goalkeeper Brady Wulff.
“What I’ll miss most about this group is their attitude,” Austin said. “I’ll miss all of their little pranks, the ‘Boomtown’ chants and their joking around off the field.”
From Brady Wulff and Ryan Taylor wearing a cowboy hats and chewing straw in their mouths at school, to Wulff coming into senior night wearing a ski mask, the seniors have always seemed to enjoy themselves and keep the coaches laughing.
From practical jokes on bus rides to joking around at practices, Austin says his team won’t be quite the same next year.
“They all get along so well. They’re all such wholesome kids and come from great families,” Austin said. “Everyone at school loves them; every teacher loves them. They have such a natural draw to them.”
Austin laughed and pointed to the back of the senior night handout to a picture of shirtless boys with ‘Boomtown’ painted on their chests, doing funny poses in the net.
“This pretty much sums them up,” Austin said. “You can’t say they haven’t had fun this year because that’s all that they’ve had."
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