Later this fall, high school sports teams will harvest the fruits of this season’s labor.
But first, seeds must be planted.
Tuesday, at fields and gyms around Clark County, the high school season began to sprout.
Several girls soccer, volleyball and boys tennis teams played their first contests of the season, joining the football and boys golf teams that began last week. Cross country and girls swimming get going later this week.
At McKenzie Stadium, there were no player introductions or pregame pomp before the Mountain View girls soccer team faced Columbia River.
That didn’t bother coach Cameron Cox as he got his players ready for an abrupt start to the match. He turned their attention to one spot — the field.
“We don’t need any fancy stuff,” he told them. “It’s about us and what we do on that field.”
On the other bench, River coach Filomon Afenegus broke his team’s pregame huddle with a shout fit for a farmer nurturing his next crop. “Grow,” he implored.
For the record, Columbia River beat Mountain View 2-1. Ellie Walker scored both goals, including the game-winner with 17 minutes left.
But the final score wasn’t foremost on either team’s mind.
“It’s not about where we’re at right now. It’s about whether we’re getting better inch by inch,” Afenegus said. “If we can do that, an inch turns into a foot and then a mile.”
Columbia River is trying to replace 14 seniors from last year’s team that placed third in the state for Class 3A.
But reloading is what the Columbia River girls soccer team does. The Chieftains have made the state playoffs four consecutive years, winning a state title in 2012.
“With such a young team there’s going to be some bumps in the road,” Afenegus said. “So I’ve challenged them to be positive, persistent and patient. Those are our three P’s.”
Senior midfielder Sarah Kleier knows its her job to show younger players the Columbia River way. Sure, there’s hard work and focus. But you’ve gotta have a little fun too, right?
“One of our things is if you’re the last one to the huddle, you have to do a dance move in front of everyone,” she said.
But when the game begins, it’s all business.
“We like to have fun, but we know when to flip the switch,” she said.
Mountain View is also trying to grow into a stronger program. Injuries were a problem last season, which saw the Thunder eliminated in the first round of the 4A Greater St. Helens League District Tournament.
So Cox made overall fitness the priority of his team’s summer training program.
“We came into the season fit, so now we’re just trying to build the chemistry,” he said.
The beginning of each season brings unexpected turns for every team. Cox has had a few good surprises in three freshmen that saw significant playing time on Tuesday.
One of them, Perla Ramirez, scored Mountain View’s goal when she rocketed home a header on a cross by sophomore Emma Cox.
First high school game; first high school goal.
“It was one of my goals to score in my first game,” she said. “And I did it, so I’m really happy.”
But it wasn’t like Cox had been waiting years for Ramirez to work her way through a youth club system.
“When she came to us through the summer program, we had no idea who she was,” he said. “But we just knew instantly there was something special about that kid.”
Ramirez has played soccer for four years, bouncing among a few different teams. Tuesday, she showed the potential to have a fruitful high school soccer career.
For coaches and players starting their seasons this week, potential is the word.
The season’s bounty will one day be harvested. But now is the time for growth — practice by practice, game by game, inch by inch.
