Girls’ alumni soccer games organized at RVHS and RHS
COSHOCTON COUNTY – If you once represented the Lady Generals or Lady Bears on the soccer field, grab your cleats and come on out for their upcoming alumni games.
The third annual River View High School girls’ soccer alumni game will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, July 28, at the school’s soccer complex in Warsaw. All family, friends and fans of the program are invited to watch alumni take on the 2018 Lady Bears Soccer team. Admission at the gate is a donation that will go toward the River View Lady Bears Soccer Scholarship Fund.
“We have girls come to play who graduated in 2003 or 2004 that were ones I looked up to and now I get to play with them on the field,” said Katie Sampsel, who is organizing the alumni team. “We are really competitive and the high school girls get into it too. The trash talking has already begun and it goes both ways.”
Unfortunately the high school girls have beat the alumni the past two years, but there is still plenty they can learn from those who played for River View before them.
“After the first year I realized we aren’t in high school shape anymore, but you still hear coach sometimes point things out that the alumni do,” Sampsel said. “It’s cool to hear him do that and point it out.”
Alumni that would like to play or will be in attendance should contact Sampsel by e-mail at katie.sampsel@rvbears.org. Sampsel, a 2011 RVHS graduate, is an assistant girls’ soccer coach under Dave Kridler and Wes Brenly. She asks that alumni arrive an hour before the game with their cleats, shin guards and white training t-shirts. Sampsel also needs to know graduation years as alumni will be announced at the game.
“We really wing it when we play, but for the most part we all played together at some point or grew up watching each other,” she said. “Usually it’s raise your hand if you want to start and raise your hand if you play defense.”
Sampsel’s father who is a retired soccer referee will be refereeing the game.
“I was drawn to soccer mostly because of my older brothers,” she said. “Growing up I learned from them. I just like the physicality of soccer and the competitiveness. There is so much that goes into the game. If you want to be a play maker you constantly have to be thinking two or three plays ahead.”
The Lady Generals will hold their alumni soccer game at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 12, on the Ridgewood High School football field. Alumni will take on the current varsity team and the public is welcome to watch.
“This this is the fourth or fifth year we’ve done this and I’ve played every year,” said Steffinee Powers. “I look forward to going out and playing again and being with people I may not have seen in years.”
Powers graduated from Ridgewood in 2009 and is in charge of organizing the alumni.
“Every year we say we are going to go out and run and get in shape for the game, but it never happens,” she said. “We just have fun. The high school girls always come out saying they are ready to beat us, but we’ve won the last couple.”
Powers is looking forward to being on the same team as her sister this year.
“Last year we were still on separate teams and really picked on each other,” she said.
Alumni interested in playing in the game are welcome to contact Powers on Facebook or just show up on Aug. 12. Alumni don’t necessarily have to wear shin guards, but they do need to wear cleats.
Category: High School, Sports
