From Today's Record Courier: A glance at the history of Rootstown Soccer
Rootstown boys soccer program a legacy of success
Melissa Dilley
about 9 hours ago
By Melissa Dilley
Record-Courier correspondent
ROOTSTOWN - Of the nine seniors on Rootstown’s varsity soccer team this year, all have been playing since age 4 and none of them could imagine not being able to represent their school.
But 15 years ago, all 14 players on the team were grateful to be given a chance to play soccer past middle school, because until then, there was no team.
•••
Finding the Funds
The Portage County League didn’t recognize soccer as a league sport until 1995. Which left the Rootstown team that began in 1994 one year without funding or organized play.
Since the sport wasn’t a priority for the schools, Rootstown’s first head soccer coach, Marc Streem, and numerous parents and dedicated players helped form and fund a team.
For the first year, the team had to pay for everything from jerseys, goal posts and soccer balls, to less obvious things like paint for lines, lights for the field and busses to get to games.
Current Rootstown head coach Charlie Voth said when the idea of having soccer in Rootstown first came to light, many community members weren’t interested in spending the money on a sport many had never paid attention to previously.
“Compared to football, soccer was a bad word,” Voth said. “It just wasn’t accepted at first.”
To raise money to support the team, parents and students volunteered at the Cleveland Browns’ concession stand and took donations. Over the course of the year, Streem said the team made enough to support itself.
•••
Making the team
The team had players, fans, money to fund play and coaches who had never coached high school soccer. Since soccer wasn’t quite as popular prior to the 1990s, Streem and his sidekicks had played football in high school and had only begun coaching when their sons took up youth soccer.
“I had no idea what soccer was about,” said Ron Feciuch, who served as an assistant coach for the program’s early years. “I started getting all these books and videos to learn how to play.”
While the coaches had only had youth coaching experience, the players were better off. The program had a little over 20 players, who Feciuch said had played in traveling soccer and in elementary and middle school.
Luckily, Rootstown wasn’t the only team just starting out. Crestwood, Streetsboro and Waterloo were all new teams that year and the season kicked off with a scrimmage to highlight them.
That season, the four teams played against one another and against other soccer programs throughout Portage and Trumbull counties.
At the end of the season, the four Portage County teams played in a championship game. It came down to Rootstown and Crestwood. The first winner of the matchup was Rootstown.
For years, the rivalry between the two pioneer teams would continue to flourish, meeting up six more times to battle for the league championship.
By 2006, the old Portage County League merged with teams of several other leagues to form the Portage Trail Conference. Because of this, Crestwood and Rootstown were no longer rivals.
Streem, who has coached at Crestwood for the last nine years, said he thinks it’s a bit ironic to be there after starting the program at Rootstown.
“Rivalries have changed because of the big teams, but I still enjoy being able to go to Rootstown and coach there from a personal standpoint because the people there are really great,” he said.
•••
Keeping the tradition
Today, not only is the Rootstown soccer team supported by the school, it is a premiere team in the PTC, having claimed multiple PCL and PTC championships and many prestigious record-setting players.
“(The founders of the program) are constantly looking at it and are sort of amazed at where we were and where we are. It’s been a very, very fun journey,” said Streem.
While this year’s seniors said they couldn’t imagine their life without soccer and they don’t know anyone who had to go through high school without the opportunity to play, they don’t take it for granted.
They say they have heroes like Michael Boland, who holds the school record for scoring 106 career goals, and Ryan Streem, a fallen player who lives on in the hearts of those on the team who never even met him.
Senior Kyle Dreger said he works hard every day to live up to those who started the team and have kept it going so he has the opportunity to play.
Dreger said he and his teammates are constantly ensuring they keep their play at a high level and that their sportsmanship is top notch. They want the younger players to remember them as their heroes the way the current players remember those who came before them.
Voth said whenever the players aren’t giving their all, he just reminds them how much better the behavior was of all those who couldn’t take playing soccer for granted because they remember when it didn’t exist.
“We always tell them (previous players) didn’t act that way when they were playing,” Voth said. “We have a tradition and we try to top that and move on.”
Posted via email from Jeremy's posterous
Melissa Dilley
about 9 hours ago
By Melissa Dilley
Record-Courier correspondent
ROOTSTOWN - Of the nine seniors on Rootstown’s varsity soccer team this year, all have been playing since age 4 and none of them could imagine not being able to represent their school.
But 15 years ago, all 14 players on the team were grateful to be given a chance to play soccer past middle school, because until then, there was no team.
•••
Finding the Funds
The Portage County League didn’t recognize soccer as a league sport until 1995. Which left the Rootstown team that began in 1994 one year without funding or organized play.
Since the sport wasn’t a priority for the schools, Rootstown’s first head soccer coach, Marc Streem, and numerous parents and dedicated players helped form and fund a team.
For the first year, the team had to pay for everything from jerseys, goal posts and soccer balls, to less obvious things like paint for lines, lights for the field and busses to get to games.
Current Rootstown head coach Charlie Voth said when the idea of having soccer in Rootstown first came to light, many community members weren’t interested in spending the money on a sport many had never paid attention to previously.
“Compared to football, soccer was a bad word,” Voth said. “It just wasn’t accepted at first.”
To raise money to support the team, parents and students volunteered at the Cleveland Browns’ concession stand and took donations. Over the course of the year, Streem said the team made enough to support itself.
•••
Making the team
The team had players, fans, money to fund play and coaches who had never coached high school soccer. Since soccer wasn’t quite as popular prior to the 1990s, Streem and his sidekicks had played football in high school and had only begun coaching when their sons took up youth soccer.
“I had no idea what soccer was about,” said Ron Feciuch, who served as an assistant coach for the program’s early years. “I started getting all these books and videos to learn how to play.”
While the coaches had only had youth coaching experience, the players were better off. The program had a little over 20 players, who Feciuch said had played in traveling soccer and in elementary and middle school.
Luckily, Rootstown wasn’t the only team just starting out. Crestwood, Streetsboro and Waterloo were all new teams that year and the season kicked off with a scrimmage to highlight them.
That season, the four teams played against one another and against other soccer programs throughout Portage and Trumbull counties.
At the end of the season, the four Portage County teams played in a championship game. It came down to Rootstown and Crestwood. The first winner of the matchup was Rootstown.
For years, the rivalry between the two pioneer teams would continue to flourish, meeting up six more times to battle for the league championship.
By 2006, the old Portage County League merged with teams of several other leagues to form the Portage Trail Conference. Because of this, Crestwood and Rootstown were no longer rivals.
Streem, who has coached at Crestwood for the last nine years, said he thinks it’s a bit ironic to be there after starting the program at Rootstown.
“Rivalries have changed because of the big teams, but I still enjoy being able to go to Rootstown and coach there from a personal standpoint because the people there are really great,” he said.
•••
Keeping the tradition
Today, not only is the Rootstown soccer team supported by the school, it is a premiere team in the PTC, having claimed multiple PCL and PTC championships and many prestigious record-setting players.
“(The founders of the program) are constantly looking at it and are sort of amazed at where we were and where we are. It’s been a very, very fun journey,” said Streem.
While this year’s seniors said they couldn’t imagine their life without soccer and they don’t know anyone who had to go through high school without the opportunity to play, they don’t take it for granted.
They say they have heroes like Michael Boland, who holds the school record for scoring 106 career goals, and Ryan Streem, a fallen player who lives on in the hearts of those on the team who never even met him.
Senior Kyle Dreger said he works hard every day to live up to those who started the team and have kept it going so he has the opportunity to play.
Dreger said he and his teammates are constantly ensuring they keep their play at a high level and that their sportsmanship is top notch. They want the younger players to remember them as their heroes the way the current players remember those who came before them.
Voth said whenever the players aren’t giving their all, he just reminds them how much better the behavior was of all those who couldn’t take playing soccer for granted because they remember when it didn’t exist.
“We always tell them (previous players) didn’t act that way when they were playing,” Voth said. “We have a tradition and we try to top that and move on.”
Posted via email from Jeremy's posterous