Staff Reports

Surry and Yadkin counties are well-represented in the latest boys soccer state rankings, compiled each week by the N.C. Soccer Coaches Association and published at www.eurosport scoreboard.com.

Undefeated Forbush (6-0-0) continues to top the 2A rankings after taking over the No. 1 spot last week. The Falcons beat West Wilkes 7-0 on Thursday and have outscored foes 33-4 coming into this week.

Coach Seth Davis’ team played at North Wilkes on Tuesday night (score not available at press time) and will travel to Alleghany on Thursday.

Surry Central, also 6-0-0, jumped into the 2A rankings this week at No. 13. The Golden Eagles could crack the top 10 in a hurry if recent results continue.

Coach Blake Roth’s team blitzed West Stokes 7-0 on Tuesday night in a game called at the 50th minute because of lightning in the area. Surry Central also drubbed Mount Airy 6-1 last week in its conference opener.

Mount Airy, which beat North Stokes 2-1 on Tuesday night, is ranked 12th in the 1A coaches poll.

Surry Central has two more games this week, traveling to Alleghany on Wednesday and North Surry on Thursday.

Elkin sits at No. 8 in the 1A rankings. The Buckin’ Elks have won four of their six games thus far, with the only losses coming to Surry Central and 2A Ashe County.

Coach Joe McCulloch’s team has two wins over Mount Airy and one over East Surry, which is ranked 14th in the state in Class 1A.

Elkin will host Starmount in the futbol version of the Battle of the Bridge tonight (Wednesday), then will have six days off from game action before traveling to West Wilkes.

Starmount just missed being in the top 15 this week for 2A schools. Coach Dale Draughn’s team, whose only loss came to Forbush last week, received the most votes of those not in the 2A rankings. The Rams (4-1-0) beat Ashe County by a 4-1 score on Tuesday night, with a talented JV team also winning big (5-1).

While football is as popular as ever in the Tri-County area, Surry, Yadkin and Wilkes counties have a strong soccer tradition as well. It’s getting stronger at a number of schools.

Elkin, Starmount, Surry Central, Wilkes Central and Forbush are perennial playoff teams. East Surry and Mount Airy are much improved in recent years.

East Surry coach Bill Hart, who hails from Jacksonville, said the western half of the state is drumming up interest in the game by promoting it. Hart said events like clinics and youth leagues make the sport more visible and accessible.

In Pilot Mountain, football, softball and baseball also round up their share of players. Despite the other sports, soccer is getting bigger and bigger without causing harm to the other teams.

“Look at our football teams; they’re not suffering,” Hart said. “We’ve been able to promote soccer to soccer players.”

Look no further than the Pilot Mountain Youth Soccer Association for evidence of the game’s growth. Hart said more than 200 kids play in either the fall or spring leagues. The middle school team had 36 kids try out this year.

The town of Elkin began a youth soccer league last fall and drew a couple hundred kids right off the bat. The youngest age group, the run-and-kick league, exposes the game to three- and four-year-olds for a fun hour every Saturday.

Forbush and Starmount owe a lot of their recent success to strong Yadkin youth soccer programs.

“That just tells you I’m going to have some tough decisions to make in the future,” Hart said of tryouts at East Surry in the coming years.

Mount Airy finished 10-7-1 last year, a nine-win improvement from the previous season. That coupled with a 3-3 start put the Granite Bears in the spotlight and also drew the attention of interested athletes.

“The fact that people have watched us play and are interested and like our style of play means we’re doing something right,” Mount Airy coach Eric Leathers said. “I think it’s also fun that soccer traditionally hasn’t been a popular sport, at least since I’ve been here, and we had 25 come out this year and only 18 last year.”

Leather said those who decided to try out for the team found what they were looking for.

“I think anytime you can have fun and win as a team, that’s going to be attractive to other people,” he said. “Not a lot of kids grow up with the sport. Every kid that plays this year that never played it before says they wish they had played earlier.”

A good start at North Surry could also draw some looks if the Greyhounds keep it up. After not fielding a team last year due to a lack of interest, the Greyhounds opened their season Sept. 1 with a 4-2 victory over North Stokes.

Any coach will say that rankings mean nothing, especially early in the season. The fans, however, will beg to differ. Hart said it’s not a bad thing that Surry County can put teams in the state rankings and drum up more interest in an already-hot sport.

“It gives it that one more level and that’s a blast,” he said. “I think it really builds excitement when fans can see their teams ranked.”

— Ed Phillips of The Mount Airy News contributed to this story
Class 2A State Rankings
EurosportScoreboard.com

Team (Record) Last Wk

1. Forbush (6-0-0) 1

2. Shelby (5-2-0) 2

3. Jordan-Matthews (6-1-0) 3

4. Northwood (2-1-1) 4

5. First Flight (1-1-0) 5

6. Trinity (4-1-1) 6

7. Salisbury (7-0-1) 7

8. Swansboro (3-4-0) 8

9. West Davidson (6-1-0) 9

10. Owen (6-0-0) 12

11. Tarboro (4-0-1) 10

12. Clinton (7-1-0) 11

13. Surry Central (6-0-0) NR

14. West Stanly (4-2-0) NR

15. Croatan (3-1-1) NR

Others receiving votes: Starmount (4-1-0), Polk County (2-2-0), East Bladen (4-2-0), Cuthbertson (4-1-0)



Class 1A State Rankings
EurosportScoreboard.com

Team (Record) Last Wk

1. Raleigh Charter (3-1-0) 1

2. Dixon (4-3-0) 2

3. East Montgomery (4-2-1) 3

4. NC Sch of Science & Math (2-1-0) 4

5. Hendersonville (2-2-1) 7

6. Camden (3-1-2) 5

7. Hobbton (4-0-0) 13

8. Elkin (4-2-0) 6

9. Bishop McGuinness (2-5-0) 8

10. Avery County (2-1-2) 10

11. Southwest Onslow (2-4-0) 9

12. Mount Airy (4-3-0) 15

13. Albemarle (2-1-0) 11

14. East Surry (3-4-0) 12

15. Central Academy-Tech (1-4-1) 14

Others receiving votes: South Stokes (2-1-1), Highlands (2-1-0), James Kenan (1-1-1)