No offense, but apparently there was very little of it.
In case you missed it, the River Valley Soccer Club (RVSC) Rapids struggled on the pitch in the under-17 boys division at the U.S. Youth Soccer Association Region 1 tournament at Barboursville (W.Va.) City Park.
The RVSC Shock did the same in the under-19 girls division.
Last Friday, in the opening day of round robin play, the Stephen Rose-coached Rapids were blanked 2-0 by Kirkwood SC Nemesis of Delaware. Rose, incidentally, played his prep soccer at Marietta High and collegiately at Walsh University in Canton. He's now an assistant soccer coach at Marietta College.
The following day, July 4, the Rapids took it on the chin again, dropping a 5-0 decision to Lower Merion Velez of Pennsylvania. In that match, the team played a man down midway through the first half after a red-card ejection.
On Sunday, the RVSC Rapids were shut out once again, this time 4-0 by Bruno United of Rhode Island.
The Rapids team - which included players from Marietta High, Warren High Parkersburg High and Ravenswood - captured the state cup in its age division in Beckley, W.Va., to compete in the regional tournament. The Tiger representatives were Chris Stollar, Keith Schwendeman, Zach Hill and Matt Morrison, all of whom are expected to play for Todd Morris this upcoming fall.
The Warrior team members were Jon Michael Starner, Caleb Jones and Daniel Scott.
The Ladies didn't fare a whole lot better, but did at least get on the scoreboard Friday, only to lose 5-2 to Seascoast Utd Premier of New Hampshire.
On July 4, the Shock were shocked 7-0 by McLean MPS Freedom of Virginia.
The following day's match between the Shock and South Shore Select of Massachusetts was cancelled due to the inclement weather conditions.
On the Shock team from Marietta College were Cara Nuss and Jennifer Wilder, both of whom will be sophomores this upcoming season.
Stottlemyer receives a gold medal
Not too surprisingly, Team USA claimed a gold medal with a 41-3 trouncing of top-seeded Canada in the IFAF Junior World Championship football tilt at Fawcett Stadium in Canton Sunday.
Top-seeded Canada? Maybe in hockey, but not in American football.
The U.S. outscored its competition in the tournament, 174-3.
In the aftermath, Kurt Stottlemyer, a Team USA safety and Yale University-bound, had a gold medal draped around his neck.
Stottlemyer is the son of Fort Frye High graduates' Jeff and Kelly (Henniger) Stottlemyer, who now reside in the state of Washington in the Pacific Northwest.
The younger Stottlemyer's aunt is Robin Hensley, a Fort Frye special education teacher.
Ron Johnston is the Marietta Times sports editor and can be reached at 376-5441, or at rjohnston@mariettatimes.com
