The 2nd Annual Sampson County Soccer Jamboree was held this past Saturday at Clinton High School. Featuring 12 teams from around the region, hundreds of players, coaches, and fans swarmed the Clinton Dark Horse Soccer Complex and the practice fields surrounding it as the all-day event unfolded, providing coaches a team a general idea of what areas need addressing prior to the start of the season next week.

For the most part, bright and clear skies greeted those in attendance, allowing hot temperatures to play one more part in providing some challenges for the teams to figure out. Toward the end of the day, some rain showers did make their way over the school, but one of the organizers of the event, Clinton head coach Brad Spell, said that didn’t cause any issues on a day that he described as “smooth.”

“The jamboree went well,” Spell said. “There was a lot of pregame set up to get it going, but the day went smooth. Overall, there was great weather — maybe a little warm — but overall it was good to have all 12 teams, especially all of our county teams.”

“Overall, it was just a good, smooth day with no injuries and no other issues. The sessions flowed seamlessly, ending and starting on time, and I also need to say a big ‘thank you‘ to all of the parents for chipping in and helping run things. They were a big help and much appreciated.”

The 12 teams that participated in the event included Clinton, South Central, Lakewood, Union, Midway, Hobbton, Whiteville, James Kenan, South Johnston, Cape Fear, Wallace-Rose Hill, and Triton.

Playing in three 40-minute sessions against three different teams throughout the day provided each of the teams a different look and approach. With schools participating from all four NCHSAA classifications, each team was provided variety across style of play, size of school, and certainly different pools of talent.

Clinton

For the Clinton Dark Horses, who are coming off a history-making 2018 season that ended with a state championship, the jamboree certainly revealed some things for Spell and his coaching staff as their team prepares to begin their campaign to defend their title.

“For us, we know there are a lot of holes to fill and essentially there is an open door for the kids to walk through,” Spell began. “Our job is to figure out which pieces of the puzzle fit. We lost a big number of seniors last year so we are just going to have to see who sets themselves up and stands out. We’ve got the culture but the kids have to work hard.”

“We know we’re going to have a lot of teams coming after us but hopefully we can get going and peak at the right time and give it another run,” Spell continued.

When asked about if there are any players standing out who may display new leadership in the ways his seniors from a season ago did, Spell affirmed that there are some guys that stand out. “We’ve got a couple guys that are trying to find out where the chemistry is going to come from but we’ve got the seniors and the leadership to lead these newer, younger kids.”

Clinton will participate in one final scrimmage this Thursday at New Hanover before officially kicking their season off on Monday at North Lenoir. Whiteville, Southern Wayne, Dixon, East Bladen, Croatan, Southwest Onslow, North Johnston, Laney, Durham School of the Arts, and Carrboro are all teams that line the Dark Horses’ non-conference season.

The East Central 2A Conference stretch includes matches against Midway, Goldsboro, East Duplin, James Kenan, Wallace-Rose Hill and Spring Creek. Clinton won the conference last year with a final record of 11-1.

Midway

For the Midway Raiders, they are seeking improvement in 2019, but one challenge for them will be the departure of some key pieces from a season ago, leaving the Raiders just two seniors and two juniors for this year’s team. Bringing a team that will prominently feature a big load of underclassmen and no JV, Saturday’s jamboree was the perfect setting for head coach James O’Brien to play around with his line-up. Overall, O’Brien said that the jamboree helped in making some big decisions prior to the start of the season. He also express his satisfaction in how is team played.

“I feel like weld our own against three great teams,” O’Brien affirmed, his team having played Cape Fear, South Johnston, and Whiteville.

“I’ve got a young team. This is the youngest team Midway soccer has probably ever had with only two returning players. I’ve had to learn a lot about this team and figure out who could play where but I think the jamboree helped me learn who my core team, my captains, and my goalkeeper will be. Last season we went undefeated in our non-conference season. I don’t know that that will be the case this season. We may struggle at first but I think we’ll get better as we go and I think we’re going to do better in the long run,” O’Brien concluded.

The Raiders narrowly missed the playoffs last season. They went 6-0-2 in the non-conference, twice tying 3A Triton, but the East Central Conference is where Midway got tripped up, finishing in a tie near the bottom of the conference standings at 3-9 with Spring Creek. Instead of a one-game playoff with the Gators, the final conference playoff spot was left to be decided by way of a coin-flip, which fell in favor of Spring Creek, eliminating Midway with a final overall record of 9-9-2.

This season, the non-conference slate includes South Johnston, Neuse Charter, Triton, Lakewood, and Union before Midway steps into ECC play, looking for finish higher up.

Union

Speaking of Union, who will play Midway for the first time in a few years this season, the Spartans also enjoyed a day of experimenting at the jamboree on Saturday. Back on the field for their second straight season, the Spartans are also looking to fill some holes left by the departure of nine seniors. Union head coach David Ameen says he loves the jamboree because it gives teams a costless opportunity to get a feel of how they stack up against other teams. When asked about his expectations this season, he admits that the Spartans may endure a season similar to last.

“The heart and determination is there but there are some gaps we have to fill having lost a big chunk of seniors,” Ameen said. “One thing that has happened for the first time in all my years at Union is I have five captains. All five guys were equally worthy and deserving so we all came to an agreement that’d we alternate them throughout the season.”

Ameen said that one thing he loves about this year’s team is the open communication he’s witness across all of the team.

“Communication on this team is really good which is one of the things that’s great about this jamboree. It gives me three opportunities against different teams to see how our pieces fall. Not only I as the coach observing what’s going on but also the players on the field, the ones in the trenches are communicating with me some of the chatter they’re hearing on the field. Is The chemistry jiving? There are several things we can tweak and experiment with today and regardless of the outcomes it’s not hurting our overall record and we can make adjustments before really getting into the games that matter,” he concluded.

Last season, the Spartans were unable to fulfill a non-conference schedule as they were fresh off an inactive year. That’s not the case this season. Unlike last season when the Spartans had to wait until September to get back onto the field, Union will jump right into the action this season with a trip to Midway this Monday, followed by hosting the Raiders the following Monday, Aug. 26.

So far, no other non-conference games are on the schedule, so hopefully their battles with Midway – along with their three sessions at the jamboree – will have prepared the Spartans for their Carolina 1A lineup.

Hobbton

That lineup includes the Wildcats of Hobbton High School, who show the most promise for the 2019 season. A season ago, the Wildcats 16-7-1 overall. Their non-conference slate was grueling but Hobbton went perfect in the Carolina 1A Conference and earned a first-round bye in the NCHSAA 1A State Playoffs.

After earning a second-round win against Raleigh Charter, the Wildcats lost in round three to eventual State Champion, Voyager Academy, 3-0. Just two seniors graduated from last year’s team so 2019 is shaping up to be a promising one.

Hobbton’s season is slated to officially get underway on Tuesday, Aug. 20 with a home matchup against East Columbus. That following Friday and Saturday, the Wildcats will participate in the NCSCA Kick-Off Classic at WakeMed Soccer Park against Cedar Ridge and Graham. Also lining their non-conference schedule is West Bladen and C.B. Aycock.

Lakewood

For Lakewood, the Leopards will be looking to right the ship and overcome a less than .500 record in 2018. Going 6-12 overall, the Leopards did land a third place finish in the Carolina 1A Conference a season ago with a 6-6 overall record.

Despite this, the Leopards failed to make the playoffs, which is something they will likely strive to do in the upcoming season.

Head coach Evert Cruz was not available for comment following Saturday’s jamboree but in looking at the Leopards’ schedule, they get things going fairly quickly with back-to-back home games next week, first against James Kenan on Monday and Midway on Wednesday. Other non-conference games include East Columbus and Pender.

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Dark Horses’ Will Harris stands his man up during a win over East Duplin last season.
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/web1_DSC_1495.jpgDark Horses’ Will Harris stands his man up during a win over East Duplin last season. File Photo | Sampson Independent

Evan Hope controls the ball in the Hobbton Wildcats’ win over Whiteville last season.
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/web1_HHS-soccer.jpgEvan Hope controls the ball in the Hobbton Wildcats’ win over Whiteville last season. File Photo | Sampson Independent
Area teams get answers after full day of soccer

By Daron Barefoot

Sports Editor

Reach Sports Editor Daron Barefoot at [email protected].