Youthful Greencastle boys' soccer team gets experience at jamboree

Monday, August 19, 2013
Greencastle senior Paul Heithaus rises above the rest of the pack to attempt a header on Saturday. Heithaus scored on a header earlier in the scrimmage. (Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)

ELLETTSVILLE -- As exhibition weekend for the 2013 fall sports season continued into Saturday, the Greencastle boys' soccer team got their first crack at an outside opponent when it traveled to Edgewood to take part in a jamboree.

Four teams -- Greencastle, Edgewood, Owen Valley and Brown County -- played in a round-robin style event with each squad playing a 20-minute half against two other opponents.

"Our returning, core guys looked really good," GHS coach Dave Lilly said. "We wanted to be playing with confidence today."

Greencastle opened with Owen Valley and senior Paul Heithaus knocked in a header just minutes into the period. Junior Sedrick Weinschenk added a long goal that sailed over the Patriots' goalie later in the frame and the 2-0 score held up.

Lilly kept his starters in for the first game and to begin the second game against Edgewood before going to his bench, mixing up his lineup and working all 21 players that traveled into the lineup.

Weinschenk scored another goal on a breakaway, but the Mustangs tied it up when a rebound ricocheted off the crossbar to an open striker.

The 1-1 total stood up for the remainder of the game, but Lilly said the event was about more than just the final score.

"I wanted to make sure I got a look at all my guys," he said. "That's what today was about. ... It's different when you're playing other guys. At practice they're familiar with each other, but when you play out here and they don't know their tendencies.

"I wanted to see them in a game situation and I wanted to get a look at everybody. I learned some stuff and I'll make sure they learn something from it."

Greencastle junior Sedrick Weinschenk tries to get a head on the ball ahead of the Owen Valley goalie during Saturday's scrimmage. (Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)

Aside from the goals, a number of other positives stood out for GHS:

-- Paul Heithaus scored on one header but nearly missed on another.
While he is only around six feet, his ability to jump and time balls in traffic is unbelievable and gives him and GHS a significant advantage.

Lilly also said he has the strongest leg on the team and is capable of taking his game to an even higher level.

His athleticism really stands out. He seems to effortlessly sky more than a foot above his competitors when going up for a ball on corner kicks. Of course,

-- The goal-scorer on corner kicks is only as good as the serve,
And GHS did a tremendous job getting the ball in the air near the front of the net. In a handful of attempts, only one ball failed to reach its mark and that attempt was quickly atoned for when an Owen Valley player knocked it out of bounds.

Greencastle will get plenty of solid scoring chances this year if its passers on corner kicks can continue to succeed like they did on Saturday.

-- If GHS loses the possession battle, it won't be due to lack of effort.
Lilly wasn't particularly happy with his team's ball control after the scrimmage, saying he believe the team can take care of the ball better than it showed. But while some of their dribbling and passing went awry, the Tiger Cubs seemed to be winning a lot of races to loose balls and stealing possessions back.

-- The Tiger Cubs have a challenging season ahead
With just six home games, including two in the first week. That could pose a problem as the young, relatively small roster (23 players) could begin to wear down in the heavy travel schedule.

GHS opens its season Tuesday when it hosts Monrovia at 5:30 p.m.

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