Grady Soccer News 2001

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Grady Cyberspace Project - Real News : One Thread

Post Grady Soccer News Here. Click here for the Soccer schedule and maps to the games.

-- Terry Kearns (gradyproject@aol.com), February 17, 2001

Answers

Here are the Georgia state soccer tournament brackets for 2001:

http://www.bracketmaker.com/scripts-bracketmaker/tlist.cfm?tid=3253



-- Terry Kearns (gradyproject@aol.com), April 21, 2001.

Girls soccer game vs Paideia orginally scheduled for March 29 is postponed until April 16 due to rain

-- Terry Kearns (gradyproject@aol.com), March 29, 2001.

Nicole DeMoss is AJC's Area Player of the Year

Top-flight scorer

Although Grady High's Nicole DeMoss did not end her high-school career with a state championship, the senior striker managed to do something else quite impressive: Score more than 30 goals.

DeMoss, the AJC's CityLife/North Fulton Girls Soccer Player of the Year, knocked in 33 goals and made five assists as her team's co-captain. Grady's coach Riki Bolster said DeMoss is as quick with the books as she is on the soccer field.

"She could do math, she could do literature," Bolster said. "She just has a quick mind that absorbs a lot of info and that is able to access it like a computer."

Led by DeMoss' dominating presence, Grady (15-3-1) was ranked in the top three of Class AA/A for most of the regular season. But competing in one of the toughest regions in the state, the Grey Knights fell to state finalist Pace Academy and eventual Class AA/A champ Paideia in the Area 5-AA tournament.

Five of the top-10 ranked teams in Class AA/A played in Area 5-AA.

DeMoss, the salutatorian of her graduating class, also will attend Virginia.

"She's always been a standout," Bolster said. "But I think in the last year and half, she's become a team player and brought other players along. She plays soccer with a natural feel and the flow for the game and knows where she needs to be and where the ball needs to be. And (learning from) her play, other players have caught on to that."

From the Atlanta Journal/Constitution May 24, 2001

-- Terry Kearns (pthkdym@aol.com), May 25, 2001.


Here is the best information on 2001 Georgia High School Soccer Tournament: http://gsoa.net/n/p  It's from the Georgia Soccer Officials Association.  It has all of the brackets and they seem to update the scores.



-- Terry Kearns (pthkdym@aol.com), May 07, 2001.

GAC Stops Varsity Boys 2-0

Well, it just seems like the soccer gods chose not to smile on post season play for the Grey Knights. After a wonderful season leading them into the playoffs, things just didn't click Thursday night. Sometimes you get the bear, sometimes the bear gets you, and sometimes it just doesn't pay to go into the woods.

The game started with Taylor making a good stop in the 2d minute, followed by Eli doing the same a minute later. Ryun and Jay both made good steals in the next couple of minutes and Jonathan showed good offensive hustle, but his run was thwarted by the GAC defense. In the 6th minute JP had a great shot from the far corner miss a little wide.

Jeremy stopped a shot right after that and in the 7th minute Grady had its first corner. JP and Jonathan both made a valiant try to convert, but just missed. In the 10th minute Jeremy came out to make a good save, and Ryun had a good sliding tackle to take the ball away from a GAC player in the 13th minute. Lukas made a wonderful throw in near the GAC goal that almost turned into a goal, but their defense held. In the 15th minute Jeremy had a great save, and two minutes later Jonathan had a shot saved by the opposing keeper. Trevor turned in some good defensive play over the next few minutes and Jeremy had another good save in the 18th minute. Lukas followed with a good stop in the 21st minute, and Jonathan got off another shot in the 23d minute, but this was saved as well. Eliot played very aggressive defense and made a great play in the 26th minute. Eli set up a wonderful long pass to JP in the 28th minute, but it travelled a little long. Two minutes later JP had a great steal and fired a shot, but the keeper managed to get to it in time. Ryun, Quinn and Jonathan took off on a good run in the 31st minute and Jonathan had a great cross that came very close. Inn the 37th minute Jeremy had two very good saves. As the first half came to a close, Eli, JP and Ryun made a great offensive challenge, and Jesse had a good defensive stop right at the buzzer.

The second half opened with an incredible offensive blitz by GAC, enabling them to penetrate the Grady defense, and score two quick goals in the opening 3 minutes. After that it was tough sledding, and the Knights just couldn't seem to get untracked, like they have so many times this season. Ishma had a good steal in the 10th minute and Jonathan made a valiant run, but was stopped. Eli and Trevor had great stops in the 13th minute, and JP and Lukas had a good run in the 18th minute. A few minutes later JP and Quinn put on a good charge, but Quinn's shot missed wide.Trevor made a great stop in the 21st minute, and combined with Taylor for another stop int he 23d minute. In the 27th minute Ryun came so close to converting a free kick that just missed. In the 31st minute JP had a shot that again came close, but just missed. Jonathan had a good run in the 36th minute, and just as the game was ending, Ryun made a great pass to Quinn, but the shot missed high.

Needless to say, this was a heartbreaking end to a wonderful season. The pain of loss stings, but let's not lose sight of what a terrific season the Knights have had. We have seen some wonderful soccer this year, with tremendous improvement and maturity displayed throughout, often in the face of very adverse conditions. This is a wonderful, wonderful group of outstanding players, guys who have worked hard and achieved much. Though there will be lots of shoes to fill with so many seniors graduating, this season has also seen great potential from some young players who promise to be the stalwarts in the next several years. Best of luck to all of them as they step up to lead the team next year and beyond, and all our hopes are with you to continue building on the great tradition of Grady Soccer. To all of the fiercely loyal fans who showed up to support the team (and to helpfully offer kind and gracious assistance to the refs on calls they missed!), thanks for the great support for the Knights. And what can you say about this group of seniors, who have given so much over the years. You guys have been terrific, and will be missed and remembered fondly by all. To the entire team, and everyone connected with it, thanks for a heck of a season, a season full of wonderful memories of some of the best soccer ever played, and wonderful camraderie experienced by the fans as well as the players. Congratulations!!



-- Jack Senterfitt (jsenter@mindspring.com), April 27, 2001.



Grady Girls Close the Season on a Bittersweet Note

Grady Stadium

April 20, 2001 Grady 4 Decatur 1 April 24, 2001 Grady 0 Pace 2

The Lady Knights ended the regular season with a solid win against Decatur. It was senior night and it was good to see all the senior starting the match. They all have worked so hard to make the Grady Girls Soccer Team the success it is.

Nicole scored three and Bridgette scored one goal. Coach Bolster played as many players as possible since the match was well in hand early on.

Playoff to Make the Playoffs? I still wonder how the state manages to put practically all the best teams in the state in the same region. We were faced last year with Lovett and Westminster and this year with Pace and Paideia. In fact the majority of the top ten ranked AA teams were from our region!

This play-in to the play-offs began in a rainstorm that only got worse as the match progressed. It soon became apparent that this match would be won by luck more that skill. Thirty minutes into it Pace caught some luck. A long shot from the right side was deflected by Leigh, but it still caught the far post and caromed in. From that point on all Pace needed to do was clear the ball out of the quagmire in front of their goal. Early in the second half they added their second goal when the ball squirted free to an unmarked Pace player who put in from ten yards.

Grady had an excellent chance when Camden centered a ball from the right flank to the six. An unidentified Grady girl headed it down with power but the Pace keeper blocked it. Next, the ball bounced around until Nicole had it at her feet at the six. Unfortunately the wet ball sliced to the right and missed the goal.

Somehow in the midst of this sea of mud the Pace coach became enraged to the point a red card was issued. No one seems to know what caused the fit.

So, one of the best girls soccer teams in the state will miss the playoffs. Still there is much to be proud of. The Lady Knights have posted their best season ever at 14-3-1. The Grady Girls have played team soccer all season long. They play unselfishly and work together for the success of the team.

We will miss all our seniors, Nicole, Emma Kate, Bridgette, Katherine, Jaime and Samantha. Still there is much to look forward to... good things are heard about upcoming players from Inman, JV has several players ready to play, our freshman show great promise, our sophmores will be seasoned veterans and the juniors are ready to lead.

Most of all we will miss Coach Bolster who has given so much of herself to this team. She brought the team and long way and we appreciate it! See you at the banquet! (By the way, Vicki is OK. She was released at Ga. Baptist by the time we got there. A little sore and scraped, but she showed no serious injuries. Let's all be careful on the stadium ramps and in the parking lot!)

-- Lamar Lambert (llambert@mail.co.fulton.ga.us), April 25, 2001.


Decatur Hands Varsity Boys Tough Loss, 2-1

Friday night was Senior Night, and the Seniors had hoped to close out the regular season with a win, but, alas, it was not to be. On a beautiful night for soccer, the stands were full, with many folks from Decatur there, as well as many other Grady fans there to celebrate the recognition of the Seniors in all the spring sports.

The game started off with Decatur taking an early shot, which Jeremy saved in the 1st minute. Grady's offense then got started, with JP, Eliot, Warren and Ryun all making good plays in the first 3 or 4 minutes. In the 5th minuteJP made a great feed to Jonathan, who had a great header shot, but it was saved by their goalie. With JP continuing his tough offensive play, Grady kept the ball in Decatur's half for the next several minutes, when Ryun had another good pass to Jonathan, who sent up another header, this time missing just wide. In the 8th minute the Knights had a grat run, with excellent passing and ball movement from Quinn to Ryun to Quinn. In the 12th minute, Jonathan made an outstanding play, and almost converted another opportunity. Quinn had a good defensive stop a minute later and in the 14th minute Jeremy had a great save in the goal. Eli, who had a really outstanding game, made a wonderful stop in the 15th minute, followed quickly by a super takeaway by Ryun. This set up another good Grady offensive run, Warren to Ryun to Quinn. Taylor made the first of many great defensive stops in the 17th minute, leading to another Grady run, this time with JP passing to Eliot, who led Jonathan perfectly to set up a great shot, but an equally great save by the Decatur keeper kept the Knights off the board. Lukas followed a minute later with a good stop, and Eli came across the mouth of the goal to make a wonderful stop in the 19th minute. The offense kept it up with Jonathan and JP making great runs, and in the 20th minute JP had a beautiful shot that just carromed off the crossbar. A minute later Eli had a great steal, and another excellent charge ensued, this time JP to Jonathan to Warren, finishing with an excellent shot, again saved. Jesse had a great interception in the 22d minute, and Lukas followed with a good stop. Decatur had a free kick in the 25th minute, but the Grey Knight wall held. Taylor had a good stop a minute later, followed by a superb steal by Warren, who passed to Ryun who passed to JP as he was streaking toward the goal, but it was just long. In the 27th minute, Warren had a great sliding tackle to strip the ball from a Decatur forward to send the ball to Ryun. Eli had another great stop in the 28th minute, and then in the 30th minute Warren made an excellent pass to JP, who powered a spectacular shot past the Decatur keeper to give Grady a 1-0 lead. Unfortunately, Decatur came right back and tied it a minute later. Lukas continued his good defensive play with a stop inthe 31st minute, and in the 35th minute, Jonathan and Quinn teamed up for another good run, with the keeper having to work to save Quinn's shot. JP also came close on a shot a minute later and then in the 37th minute Jeremy had a great save over the crossbar. As the half came to a close, the Decatur offense kept pressing, with Lukas, Taylor and Jeremy all making good stops.

In the first minute of the second half, Warren made a wonderful steal and sent a great cross to Jonathan, whose shot was just wide. The Grady offense kept it up, with JP having a good run in the 3d minute, and Lukas making a wonderful throwin near their end, and Warren headed it hard to the net, but the keeper saved it. In the 4th minute, Quinn had two hard shots saved, and Ryun had one shot blocked inside the box. Jeremy had another great save in the 5th minute, and Ryun had a good stop a minute later. In the 10th minute Eli and Jesse combined to make a couple of really wonderful defensive stops, and Decatur came dangerously close to scoring another goal toward the far post, but Eli came up to save it at the last second. Ryun had a great steal in the 12th minute, fed it to Warren, who had a dazzling run and ended with a great shot, but their keeper got to it for the save. In the 14th minute Eliot had a wonderful takeaway, followed quickly by a good stop from Taylor and a good save by jeremy. Over the next few minutesJP, Quinn and Ryun kept up good offensive pressure, with Ryun's shot missing just wide. Aaron Godbey came in in the 18th minute and made a great defensive play. In the 19th minute Quinn had another good shot, just wide. Ryun and Eliot teamed up for a good run a minute later, and in the 12th minute, James Howard came in at forward and sent a booming shot that was just wide. A minute later, Decatur was able to score again, making it 2-1. In the 27th minute Eli had three great defensive stops, and Ryun, Warren and Jonathan put together a wonderful run, but the keeper was able to save Jonathan's shot. In the 30th minute Jesse had a good stop, with Eli doing the same in the 32d minute. Quinn and JP had a good charge int he 33d minute, but JP's shot was blocked. Ryun had a great corner kick in the 34th minute, and for a minute it looked as if Jonathan's header would tie the score, but it was just wide. Time ran out before the Knights could get another score. It was a tough loss, but the Knights have a great attitude as they prepare for the first round of the postseason playoffs. Though at this writing I'm not sure of the time, the first game will be Tuesday against GAC, who we of course beat during the regular season. So let's be sure to fill the stands with cheering fans to support our guys!!

Before signing off, let's take a moment, too, to reflect on a super, super regular season for the Knights, and on all that was signified in the pregame Senior Night presentations. This has been a tremendous regular season for Grady, and this group of Seniors has given great leadership to the whole team. Friday night sparked many memories, especially for many folks who have watched this group from their first days of "swarm ball" midget league play, as they have progressed through the years, maturing into terrific soccer players and wonderful. When you think about how far Grady's soccer program has come in a relatively short period of time, it is truly remarkable. There are too many individuals to thank for all their hard work for so long to help make this program what it is, from coaches, to parents, to booster club volunteers, to siblings and friends. So just a collective salute and congratulations to the Seniors!! Good luck in the playoffs!!

-- Terry Kearns (pthkdym@aol.com), April 21, 2001.


Both the links to the soccer brackets said "This bracket has been deleted?" What's up with that?

-- Terry Ozell (ozellhouse@mindspring.com), April 21, 2001.

Grady/Paideia game

WOW! At one point in the game I turned around and was overwhelmed by the phenomenal turnout. Thanks to all the parents, siblings, neighbors, coaches, friends, church members, teachers, and curious passersby who filled our stadium. The support was greatly appreciated. I've observed Grady women's soccer from its beginning and that was the best attendance -- yet. Thanks for your support. Sorry about the big-game jitters and we hope we'll put on an even better show next time. Riki B.

-- Riki Bolster (pbolster@mindspring.com), April 19, 2001.


Grady Girls Lose a Good Chance to Catch Paideia- Tie Wesleyan 0-0.

April 18, 2001 Grady Stadium

Suffice it to say every team has an off game once in a while. The Lady Knights appeared sluggish from the start in this match. Pressure could not be built up in the midfield because they lost so many balls. Nicole was able to get off several shots and Bridgette did have one cannon shot late in the match that was somehow deflected over the bar.

On the positive side the defense did shut out Wesleyan too, resulting in the 0-0 deadlock through the match and overtime. It is now time to reclaim the fire that has taken the Lady Knights through this season. They have come too far to blow it now. They deserve to go all the way!

-- Lamar Lambert (llambert@mail.co.fulton.ga.us), April 19, 2001.



Varsity Boys Soccer: What a Wonderful Wednesday over Weslyan, 4-2!!

Well folks, we knew the Weslyan game would be big, and this one was a jewel! This was a night that saw many, many wonderful plays on both ends of the field--Grady's offense was spectacular, particularly in the second half, and but for an unbelievably great game by the Weslyan keeper, the margin of victory would have been a lot bigger. And the Knights defense, though allowing two goals in the first half, closed ranks for the rest of the game and shut the Wolves down completely.

The first half opened with Grady looking a little flagged from playing just the day before, and the Wolves looked like they were going to dominate early. Jeremy got to work early on, with a great save in the 4th minute, followed by another one a minute later. Less than a minute after that, however, Weslyan put together a great play off a corner kick with an unmarked forward putting a neat shot into the corner of the net. But, unlike sometimes in the past, Grady did not get overcome by the opponents scoring the first goal. In the 6th minute, the Knights came roaring back, with Warren scoring off a great feed from Quinn. Jonathan then put on some pressure with a shot in the 7th minute, missing just wide. Warren got loose a minute later and it looked like he was going to chalk up another goal, but his shot missed high. Taylor had a great defensive stop, and in the 10th minute Ryun and Jonathan teamed up for a terrific charge, ending with a great shot by Jonathan, and an equally great save by their keeper. On the ensuing corner, Ryun put up another wonderfully placed ball, but Warren's header was saved by the goalie. In the 11th minute, Jeremy had a good save, and Eliot and Ryun had several really outstanding defensive plays. In the 13th minute, though, Weslyan again executed a fine cross, with a shot just sneaking past Jeremy to make it 2-1 for the Wolves. For the next five minutes, it was a defensive show by the Knights, with Jesse, Taylor, Jonathan and Trevor all making great plays to hold off the attack. Jeremy had a good save inthe 18th minute, and JP made a valiant effort on a shot a minute later. Eli, Taylor and Trevor continued their outstanding defensive play, as Weslyan seemed to dominate the action with a very good spread offense, and great passing. Jeremy had to make several more saves over the next few minutes, and then, in the 28th minute JP had a throw in near the goal that looked more like a corner kick, with Quinn making a great effort with a header that just missed high. Warren had a good shot inthe 30th minute, but the wind seemed to blow it off course. Jeremy followed with a good save, and a fine stop by JP. Warren had another good shot just miss in the 33d minute, and Ryun had a hard shot saved a minute later. Jesse had a really tremendous save in the 35th minute, and as the half wound down, Warren, Ryun, JP, Jonathan and Quinn all began to pick up the offensive pace with good, solid plays. Overall, Weslyan looked quite formidable for the half, and played a very strong offensive game.

The second half was quite a different story, however, as the Knights had the wind advantage, and boy did our offense begin to shine. We had some of the best ball control passing attacks that we've seen all season, and began to play with much more confidence, aggression and consistency. Eliot had a great lofting shot in the 5th minute, but the goalie saved it. A minute later, however, Weslyan committed a foul inside the box and set up a PK for the Knights. With the way their goalie was playing, though, it looked like he might have a chance--NOT! Quinn made a perfect placement into the corner of the net to tie the score at 2 all. Warren and Jonathan then teamed up for a good run, and in the 10th minute Eliot had a superb save to halt a Weslyan attack. Eliot set up a great charge, with great passing from Warren to Quinn to Jonathan, whose shot was saved in another great effort by the Wolves' keeper. A minute later, however, the keeper was not so fortunate, as Warren made a great run and fired a terrific shot deep into the net--Grady, 3-2. In the next several minutes, Grady sent one offensive charge after another, with their keeper making spectacular save after spectacular save: Warren to Quinn, shot, saved; Quinn to Jonathan, shot, saved; JP good shot, saved; Warren, good shot, saved; Jonathan to JP, great shot, great save by the keepr coming way out. Quinn then turned in a great defensive stop in the 23d minute, and Eliot made an unbelievable sliding tackle to stop another Weslyan charge. In the 25th minute, Grady's offense, now moving efficiently and intelligently, with outstanding passes and great anticipation, scored again in a demonstration of how soccer is supposed to be played. JP was off on a hard charging run, but as he was being pressured by a Weslyan fullback, he saw Quinn streaking down the middle and lofted a beautiful pass over the defender, right to Quinn's foot, and Quinn blasted it past the keeper to make it 4-2 for the good guys! On the ensuing kickoff, Grady took it away immediately and headed off again on another great run, this time Ryun to Warren to JP, whose shot came oh-so-close. Taylor made a great stop a minute later, passed it to Jonathan, who sent it to JP, whose shot was saved. A minute later it was JP passing to Jonathan, whose shot was just high. In the 10th minute it was Warren to JP, who got off a left footed shot that was just a little high. A minute later it was Jonathan to Quinn to Warren--shot, great save by the Weslyan keeper. Quinn then had a shot blocked, and Ryun followed with another shot in the 33d minute, and once again their keeper made a great save. Ryun took the corner and lofted another perfectly placed kick, Jesse made a diving header that just missed. In the 34th minute Weslyan got off a great shot that looked for all the world like a sure score high into the top of the goal. Jeremy rose to the occasion, however, timing a terrific leap to pull the shot down, about as close as he could come to the plane of the goal without falling into the net. In the 37th minute Warren led JP with another great pass, and JP's shot was just wide.

Everyone agreed that the second half was one of the best halves of soccer the guys have played all year. There was much, much better passing on offensive runs, rather than just a single attacker trying to take it all the way alone; the defense held firm in the face of repeated charges. This was a truly satisfying win for the guys, and a great way to set up for Friday night's regular season finale against Decatur. The Knights go into this game leading the region, and it will truly be a memorable way to end the season. Decatur is always strong, it's Senior Night, and we're coming off a tremedous confidence building victory. The girls lead off the evening and the boys game starts at 8, with senior recognition in between the games. So let's show the team how much we've all appreciated the great soccer they've played and the exciting times they've given us with a great and spirited turnout!! Go Grady!!

-- Jack Senterfitt (jsenter@mindspring.com), April 19, 2001.


Varsity Boys Overcome Wind and Cold, and Darlington 5-1!

On an otherwise beautiful spring evening, when the temperature dropped like a rock to an unseasonable low and bone chilling winds whipped through the stadium, the Varsity Boys played a very impressive game to defeat a strong Darlington team 5-1. As the fans huddled close together in the stands in a rather futile effort to find warmth, it was clear that the wind would be a factor from the outset, when otherwise booming kicks were stopped in midair. But the Grey Knights adjusted well, beginning with a save by Jeremy in the 1st minute. Grady opened the scoring in the 4th minute, when JP had a singularly dominant run, in which he overpowered several defenders and put a beautiful angle on a shot to the nfear corner of the net. Two minutes later Warren was fouled just outside the 18, and he made a wonderful shot on the free kick, missing just wide. Eli then had the first of a number of pretty steals throughout the night, and in the 8th minute Warren made a great run, sending a wonderful cross to Ryun, whose shot was just wide. Eliot followed with a great defensive stop, sending the ball back to the Darlington end, where Grady once again demonstrated its much improved play on corner kicks. Corner kicks were often tricky with the wind factor, but Ryun sent up a perfectly placed kick, threading the needle among 3 defenders, where Warren blasted a shot by the Darlington keeper, to make it 2-0, Grady. Eli and Jesse then combined on great defensive work, and Jeremy had a good save in the 11th minute. Two minutes later, however, Darlington took the ball just inside the near corner, sent a beautifully executed crossing pass to a striker who put a very good shot into the net, to give the visitors what turned out to be their only score. Darlington's lack of scoring for the rest of the game was not for lack of trying, however, and was a direct result of the terrific play by so many of the Grady defenders. In the 15th minute Eli made a great stop, followed immediately by a great stop by Taylor, followed immediately by a great stop by Trevor. Trevor played a tremendous game, seeming to come out of nowhere to make a steal, a sliding tackle, or to throw his body in the way of a charge, often to the look of total surprise by a much taller Darlington player! It's good to know the Knights will have him for 3 more years!

The Knights' offense had another good overall game, with several players stepping up to keep the pressure on. Jesse had a wonderful pass to Ryun in the 18th minute, but the goalie made a great save on Ryun's shot. After Taylor made another terrific stop, in the 21st minute JP made a superb pass to Jonathan, who took the pass, and showed incredible patience and judgment, holding the ball until the keeper committed, and then sending a slicing shot right past him, bringing the score to 3-1. Trevor followed that with two great defensive plays, and in the 23d minute, Jonathan took another good pass from JP and got off a great shot, but the goalie was just able to push it over the crossbar. Warren's shot in the 25th minute missed high, and Eliot made a great saving kick a couple of minutes later. Quinn had a wonderful effort on a long offensive run, and then in the 30th minute set up Jonathan on another good run, but the shot was wide. Right after that Warren made a good crossing pass, but the goalie once again saved another shot. In the 32d minute Quinn put up another super corner kick, and Jonathan's header seemed destined for a score, but once again the Darlington keeper saved it. As the first half drew to a close, the offense kept the pressure on, with several shots coming close by Quinn, Ryun and JP.

The second half opened like the first, with Jeremy making a good save in the 2d minute. Following some good offense by Quinn and Eliot, Jeremy had to come way out to make a great save in the 5th minute. Quinn took the ball down the field and made a great crossing pass to JP who came very close to adding another Grady goal. Following that, JP, Quinn and Lukas showed great teamwork in an impressive offensive run. In the 9th minute Quinn got off a great shot, but an equally great save by the Darlington goalie saved it. Ryun made another wonderful corner kick and JP's header was just barely saved by their busy keeper. Trevor made a fine stop on the ensuing play, and Eli had a great steal in the 11th minute. Three minutes later, Eli and Ryun put on a great passing show on an offensive charge, with wonderful drops and pinpoint placements. Jeremy saved another Darlington shot in the 15th minute and shortly after that Quinn had a wonderful chip shot just miss on a good save by their keeper. In the 27th minute Eliot, Trevor and Ishma had a great charge, and then Trevor made a great sliding tackle to thwart a Darlington charge. Jeremy made a great save on the resulting corner kick, with Trevor and Jay Hern following with good defensive saves. Jesse had a beautiful takeaway in the 21st minute, but their offense kept coming. Jeremy was up to the task, though, making a good save in the 22d minute, and then coming way out to make a diving save, smothering the ball just as a Darlington player was about to shoot it in. In the 25th minute Quinn made a great pass to JP, whose header just missed. Two minutes later, after a good stop by Jay, Eliot made one of the prettiest passes of the game to Eli, whose header just barely missed. In the 30th minute, Jesse, who was all over the field all night long, made another spectacular pass over several defenders, placing it perfectly to Ishma, who lofted a terrific shot over the goalie, to make it 4-1, Grady. After that play, one of the team's most loyal fans was heard to say, "That Jesse is just putting on a wonderful display of athleticism!" (Syd, did it get it right?) In the 32d minute, one of the Darlington players was caught with his hand on the ball in the box, and Ryun sent the PK past the frustrated Darlington keeper, to close out the scoring at 5-1. For the rest of the game, Grady kept up its offensive pressure, with great play from Eli, Ryun, Quinn and Jesse contributing some good defensive stops. Another good sign for the future of the team was the solid play from Lukas in the last 10 minutes of the game. Quinn kept firing shot after shot in the waning minutes, with his last shot at the buzzer saved by their keeper.

Although this was not a region game, it was great to post another victory against a strong team. The cold weather and some physical play resulted in several Grady players being banged up by the end, especially Jonathan, having to sit out the second half with an ankle injury. He assured me after the game that he would be ready for tonight's big game, however, and it will be big. Weslyan, whose team has improved with each year, comes to Grady at 5:00 and we want the stands to be full to cheer the guys on to another victory!!

-- Jack Senterfitt (jsenter@mindspring.com), April 18, 2001.


Grady Lady Knights Fall Short in "Clash of the Titans, Part 2"

April 16, 2001 Grady Stadium

Everyone could tell that something big was going to happen this afternoon. The Grady Parking Lot was full. People kept streaming into the stadium. It was the meeting of the no. 1 rated Paideia Pythons and the no. 2 rated Grady Lady Knights. Fans turned out from all over town. Many community friends were there who did not have children at Grady either now or in the past. The stands were filled more than I can remember. This was a girls soccer match! You've come a long way baby!

The match started at 6pm and the Grady girls were obviously tense from all of the build-up for this event. The first half was dominated by Paideia who managed eight shots on goal. Leigh stopped them all. Even though not much of the action was on the Grady offensive end, we still managed eight shots on goal also. Nicole had four, Claire had one and Emma Kate had three. The match developed into a defensive struggle. Amanda continued to clear the ball away, while Katherine K. took on the tough duty of shutting down the Paideia "super star", Emily Shim.

The second half opened with Grady beginning to have the better part of the action. Bridgette was able to pass the smaller Paideia marking backs while Claire made several flanking runs to put pressure on the Python defense. Katie Ross stepped to the ball to begin to turn the midfield play Grady's way. Courtney and Camden worked in tandem to blunt the Paideia offense and turn them away time after time. Katherine K. ran Shim down all night until she was obviously frustrated with her lack of success. Chelsea had a beautiful volley shot in the second half that could have won it for Grady except for a great save by the Python keeper. Nicole began to have more success with breakaway runs resulting in six second half shots, but regulation time with a 0-0 deadlock.

The first overtime period showed Grady's continued pressure on the Paideia. It appeared that it was just matter of time until we would score, but shots were wide and high. Still the match was tied.

The second overtime showed both teams to be tired. The play slowed down into an ebb and flow for both sides. Unfortunately a Paideia player found herself unmarked on the right side in the box and was finally able to push a shot past Leigh. Grady immediately started to rally with an offensive push, but as often happens taking risks can backfire. A ball served off a corner kick got loose at the six and Paideia was able get a garbage goal. Still the Lady Knights kept trying until time finally ran out.

After the match former teamates and club teamates congratulated each other on the field and old friends met in the stands and hugged and chatted about old times in an Inner City show of sportsmanship that is rarely seen in the burbs. Let's give joint MVP awards to Katherine and Leigh for outstanding performances even if we didn't win this time. Chances are, we'll get another opportunity this year.

-- Lamar Lambert (CLAMBERT72@MSN.COM), April 16, 2001.


Varsity Boys Nuke Northgate 6-3

Playing on what is probably the world's smallest field, the Grady Boys Varsity Soccer team overpowered Newnan's Northgate 6-3. From the opening kick it was apparent that Grady would dominate this game, despite the small field and the rather remarkable referees, who made some of the more confounding calls of the season. After Northgate had an early shot on goal that Jeremy saved quite easily, Warren put Grady on the board in the 3d minute with a singularly dominating run and a powerful shot to the corner of the net. A minute later JP followed a great stop by Jesse with another hard charge, ending with a shot that missed high. Jesse then took a free kick in the 7th minute and blasted it over the Northgate wall, but it also missed high. JP and Quinn put together the first of what would prove to be many wonderfully choreographed offensive runs, marked by good passing, good anticipation of where teammates would be, and good footwork. Warren had a good steal in the 9th minute, to start Jonathan and JP off on another fine run, but JP's shot was saved by their keeper. Eli turned in a wonderful offensive performance in the game and helped keep the pressure on the opponents' defense all night. In the 11th minute JP had a nice run, ending with a shot that was just high. Warren had a free kick 2 minutes later that just missed over the crossbar. Jonathan followed that with a beautiful run and a great shot, but their goalie managed to save it. He was not so fortunate a minute later, however, when Jonathan put some moves on him, pulled him out of position, and easily punched a shot around him and into the net to make it 2-0.

Taylor Janney was the defensive anchor all night, often being the lone defender left to thwart a Northgate charge, which he did, time and time again. In the 16th minute he had a great stop, followed by three terrific saves by Jeremy in the goal over the next several minutes. In the 26th minute Jonathan, JP and Quinn put on an offensive clinic, with several crisp and laser sharp passes, ending with Quinn's shot going just high. In the 28th minute, Eliot and Trevor combined to play some wonderful defense, resulting in a spectacular steal. A minute later Jeremy had another good save. Warren followed with a great pass to Jonathan, whose shot was just wide. Jesse had a terrific stop a minute later and in the 32d minute, Jeremy had to come way out to stop what looked like a sure goal, and made a great save. He followed with another good save off the ensuing corner kick, to keep the Vikings off the board. In the 34th minute Jonathan had a shot from an unbelievable angle, almost completely at the corner, and it just barely missed. A minute later, his aggressive offense paid off--he made a great spin move to deke a defender and roofed a rocket shot into the net to make it 3-0 for the Knights. Eliot followed with another great shot, but missed just high. JP followed in the 37th minute with a good shot just high, and then Taylor and Jesse teamed up to make a wonderful defensive stop. Warren took the ball in the 38th minute and was off to the races, befuddling numerous defenders and ripping a great scoring shot past the goalie, for Grady's 4th goal. The half ended with Jeremy making a great save off a free kick (one of too many awarded by the refs!).

The second half opened the same way, with Jeremy making a good save in the 1st minute. JP had a good shot on goal in the 3d minute, followed by Eliot's shot a couple of minutes later. In the 9th minute Jeremy had to come out for another good save, and the Knights showed great poise, though, with Taylor coming over to make a wonderful saving kick in the mouth of the goal--great teamwork!! In the 10th minute Jeremy had one of his more spectacular saves of the season--the Vikings got off a hard shot, heading toward the roof of the net, looking like a sure goal. Jeremy timed his leap perfectly, trapping the ball for a split second against the crossbar, then pushing it over for the save. Trevor followed that with his usual good defense and Quinn, Warren and JP pushed the ball upfield for several good shots on goal. The Vikings put on some pressure of their own over the next few minutes, keeping Jeremy busy in goal. He responded with another great save over the top of the crossbar, followed by two more good saves. In the 19th minute, Jeremy made a wonderful diving save, smothering the ball as he went down to the ground, right in the mouth of the goal. The Viking player tumbled over Jeremy, and, to the amazement of the fans, the referee did not call roughing the keeper on Northgate, but called a foul on Jeremy! Northgate scored on the penalty kick, making it 4-1. On the kickoff, though, Warren showed the home crowd how a legitimate goal is scored, making a good steal and rocketing a scoring shot past the goalie to make it 5-1. Jeremy had another good save in the 21st minute and a minute later Quinn made a very impressive soft chip shot that their goalie just barely reached for the save. Jesse, who played great offense all night, got off a great shot in the 23d minute, and the goalie had no chance--6-1, Grady. In the 27th minute Warren set up JP with a great pass, and JP's shot was just wide. Jeremy had another good save in the 30th minute. A minute later, Northgate scored on a beautiful, high, hooking shot into the top corner, a shot that James had not chance to stop. In the 34th minute Eli had a good steal, passing it to Ishma, whos shot just missed. Jesse had a great header stop in the 37th minute, and Eli just missed a shot a minute later. As the game entered the last minute, Northgate managed to put up one more score, but the final tally was 6-3, Grady.

This was a great tuneup for next week, the final week of the regular season, and it will be a full one. Three games, all at home, two of them region games, very important for the Knights' chances for post season play. Tuesday we start with Darlington at 6:30, a non region game, but one that is always a good contest. Then Weslyan comes calling at 5:00 on Wednesday--this promises to be a really great game, as Weslyan just defeated GAC last night. Then, Friday brings in Decatur at 8:00, and anyone who remembers the last few Decatur games knows that this will be a shootout! It is also Senior Night, so everyone come out to honor the Seniors, who have all contributed so much to make the last 4 years of Grady Soccer so memorable. And don't forget to come out Monday night to see the best girls' matchup of the season--No. 2 Grady against No. 1 Paideia!! Go Knights!!

-- Jack Senterfitt (jsenter@mindspring.com), April 14, 2001.


Grady Girls Break Through Against Pace Academy, 1-0

April 12, 2001 Pace Academy

The Grady Girls reached a new milestone in a hard fought victory against long-time soccer power Pace Academy. Until now Grady has always been placed in a region with the top two teams in AA. This year the high school levels were mixed up with Westminster and Lovett going to AAA. Still Grady was in a region with Paideia (now ranked #1 in AA) and Pace. The Lady Knights would have to beat at least one of the these soccer powers to even get into the state playoffs. Today that feat was accomplished.

The two teams of "knights" met appropriately at the Pace field that resembled a castle stronghold set on a mountain side. The stands were too small to hold the fans who spilled over onto the sidelines. At times it appeared to interfere with the play.

The match was heated and heavily contested from the start. Nicole had an early shot that caromed off the right post in the first minute. Later she suffered from a quick whistle that canceled a goal after she had been fouled. In the second half she had a second goal called back over a foul I could not see. With ten minutes left in the first half, Emma Kate scored on a direct kick about thirty yards out. The ball caught the upper left corner for the only score of the match.

The Lady Knights gave a total team effort for this victory. Much of the action was at midfield. Bridgette's strength was a definite factor in controling the flow of the play. She had a cannon shot from twenty-five yards out that I was amazed to see the keeper stop. Katie Ross aggressively stepped to the ball. Claire made some beautiful passes that almost set up scores and had three shots. Camden won numerous one-on-one battles and put a great deal of pressure on the keeper with centering passes. Morgan had her best match with headers and winning the ball at midfield.

The defense was a major factor in this match. Leigh had a great day with ten saves. Amanda was all over the backfield clearing balls with strong kicks and headers. Courtney consistly stopped advances on her flank and placed the ball to our middies to set up the offense. At one point she cleared a hard shot in the mouth of the goal after Leigh had to challenge a striker. Katherine kept the Pace strikers out of shooting range. Neither Chelsea or Jaimie were intimidated by the situation and kept the pressure on Pace late in the match.

This match was definitely a total team effort. This effort is the type that wins championships. Keep up the good work.

-- Lamar Lambert (llambert@mail.co.fulton.ga.us), April 13, 2001.



Varsity Boys Cruise to 8-1 Victory over Buford

     The Varsity Boys notched an easy win against region opponent Buford on Tuesday night. It was clear from the opening touch that Buford was no match for the Grey Knights. Grady's offense controlled the ball for practically the entire game, and, with the exception of one unfortunate breakdown, the defense easily handled any threats Buford mounted.

     Grady had the first shot on goal in the second minute, with Jonathan's shot off a pass from Warren saved by the Buford goalie. A minute later Taylor made a great corner kick to Warren's header, which just missed. Jesse came right back with a hard shot a minute later, but the goalie, who was to have a very busy night, saved it. After a good defensive stop by Jay Hern, Warren had a good shot that their goalie was just able to reach, sending it over the crossbar, but setting up a Grady corner kick in the 6th minute. Ryun took the corner, and put just the right touch on the ball, placing it perfectly to Warren, who headed it in for Grady's first score. A minute later, Jonathan had a superb takeaway and set up Ryun for a good shot, that just missed wide. After Jeremy saved a Buford shot in the 8th minute, JP sent a perfectly placed pass to Jonathan, who took it the rest of the way and blasted it past the Buford keeper to make it 2-0 Grady. In the 9th minute, Taylor took a corner to JP, who struck a sharp header, but it was just high. This, along with many others throughout the game, was a wonderful demonstration of Grady's improved play on corner kicks, with excellent placement and aggressive charges. In the 10th minute Buford began to show a little life on offense, but Quinn had a good stop, and Jeremy made a good stop in the 11th minute. In the 13th minute, however, the Knights' defense had a momentary lapse and allowed Buford an easy score, but the only one of the night. The Grady offense picked it back up and Warrent had a good shot off a pass from Jesse, but missed. After Jay made another good stop in the 16th minute, JP and Jonathan were off to the races once again, this time, JP taking Jonathan's pass and sending a hard shot, just wide of the net in the 17th minute. Warren had a good run a minute later, but the keeper saved the shot. In the 18th minute, Grady's corner game came through once again, with Ryun setting up JP perfectly for a header into the corner of the net, making it 3-1, Grady.

     Over the next several minutes, Grady played very well on both ends, with Quinn and Breen making good defensive stops, thwarting any hope Buford had of capitalizing on their earlier goal. Ryun continued his excellent work on the offensive end, making a wonderful crossing pass to JP, whose shot was just wide, in the 22d minute. Ryun had two shots in quick succession a couple of minutes later, one missing high, and one saved by the Buford keeper. Trevor Garner came in for some wonderful minutes at the end of the first half, bedeviling the Buford forwards with his scrappy defense. Jesse had some good offensive play in the last minutes of the half, and Taylor had several shots blocked by their defense. In the 37th minute, Warren took it to the goal and placed a terrific shot past the goalie, to make it 4-1 to close out the half.

   The second half opened on the same theme, with Ryun and Trevor applying the early offensive pressure. Ryun also set up Taylor with a tremendous pass, and Taylor sent a hard shot toward the top of the goal, but the Buford keeper was just able to save it over the crossbar, setting up another Grady corner. Jonathan took Taylor's corner kick and just missed high with another great shot. In the 6th minute of the half, JP made an excellent cross to Ishma, but his shot was just wide. Jonathan had another shot a minute later, missing high, and then Trevor made two excellent defensive stops, coming out of nowhere to stop a charge. In the 10th minute, the Knights had one of their better offensive charges, with excellent touch passing between JP, Ryun and Jonathan. Jeremy had a good save a minute later, and it was back to the other end, with shots by JP, Ryun, Breen and Taylor pressuring the Buford goalie. Breen had a good defensive takeaway in the 21st minute, leading to Grady's next goal. JP made a superb pass to Ryun, who converted to make it 5-1. A minute later Jonathan got off a beautiful shot past the keeper for his second goal, making it 6-1 for the Knights. In the 26th minute Jonathan set up Taylor, who sent a hard shot that looked like it would make it, but the keeper saved it at the last second. David Rivas had a good stop a minute later, and the JP had a powerful shot hook a little left, just missing. In the 31st minute Jonathan connected on a rocket shot to the corner of the net, giving him his second hat trick of the season, and Grady a 7-1 lead. In the 33d minute Eliot, who played outstanding offense all night, lofted an excellent shot from the far corner, just missing. Jesse got off a good shot a minute later, and then JP ripped a shot past the weary Buford keeper for Grady's final goal of the night.

   This was a great way to shake off the cobwebs after Spring Break, and good to get a region win. Thursday's game is at 7:00 at Northgate so let's all come out to support the Knights! We need to keep up the momentum, since next week will be quite full, with Darlington, Wesleyan and Decatur! Congratulations to the guys on another good win!



-- Jack Senterfitt (jsenter@mindspring.com), April 11, 2001.

Lady Grey Knights Make Douglass Astros See Stars, 13-0!

April 9, 2001 Grady Stadium

It was a warm sunny April afternoon, but the shots rained down toward the Douglass goal like a spring thunderstorm. The final tally was 50- 0. Coach Bolster was able to use her full complement of players to finish up our Atlanta Public High School Schedule. Regardless of what the future holds, the Grady Girls can claim to be undisputed, unofficial champion of the APHS teams with a perfect record against all comers.

Almost everyone had at least one shot on goal. Nicole lead the scoring with four goals including one header off a beautiful assist from Camden. Bridgette and Chelsea each scored two goals from the center. Claire, Ariel, Emma Kate, Jaimie, and Rachel also scored. Assists came from Camden, Katie Ross, Bridgette and Nicole plus others I missed in the action.

The defense kept the ball on our offensive end of the field for the vast majority of the time. Even when the rare miscue left the ball at the Astros' feet, our defenders were able to recover before they could mount a serious threat. Sydney, Samantha and Jaimie took over the defense without any drop in intensity.

It was great to see our freshmen contributing so much to the team effort. It is quite evident that the leadership of our seniors has the entire team clicking on all cylinders.

The team is now entering "crunch time" with matches against Pace and Paideia coming up on 4/12 at Pace and 4/16 at Grady. Our ladies need all the support we can muster to pull them through. Gather your friends and neighbors to support the Lady Grey Knights. They deserve it for this season. P.S.: Please support our banner project.

-- Lamar Lambert (llambert@mail.co.fulton.ga.us), April 10, 2001.


The deadline for contributions to be a GRADY SOCCER SUPPORTER has been extended to next week. Please either bring your checks to my house (546 Seal Place) off Monroe Drive or bring to the concession stand on Monday, April 9 or Tuesday, April 10. I will be at both games. Remember that all contributions will go toward both the girls and boys teams. We are looking toward getting new uniforms for both JV and Varsity teams. Many community business supporters are out there- just waiting to be asked! If you know of a business or community person that might be interested in being a Grady Soccer Supporter, take them a copy of the letter you received. Bring me the check and form so that the correct name will get on the banner. Hope everyone is having a great Spring break! GO GRADY!

-- VICKI LAMBERT (CLAMBERT72@MSN.COM), April 06, 2001.

Good Practice on a Spring Evening Nets 15-0 Victory in Shortened Game

The stands filled up slowly on the last Friday evening before Spring break, and the Grady High School boys' varsity soccer team wasn't cranked up for an intense battle. They faced Douglass High School soccer players for whom soccer is at least a second sport. Nonetheless the competition showed exceptional sportsmanlike behavior, and stuck with the game till the 34th minute in the second half when the game was called at 15 to zip and the neon soccer balls were called in for a rest.

The game kicked off with a pass from Warren to Jonathan in the 2d minute, then a shot by Warren and a header by him off a corner shot from Ryun in the 3d minute. Clearly the Douglass goalie was going to get a workout. Eliot got a good run in the 5th minute and after repeated action, Jonathan made the first goal of the night after the goalie came out to get a shot from Ryun (10th min.). Shortly thereafter, Jonathan was tripped just outside the box; Ryun took the direct kick and scored on a powerful ground kick. Folks, we're just into the 11th minute and the score is 2-0.

Trevor made some good stops, and was active and dogged throughout the game. Jean Paul was lively and had several shots that hit the bar or were just shy, beginning in the 14th minute. In the 15th minute Jonathan scored on a pass from JP for the assist after the goalie failed to effectively clear the ball (3-0). Quinn had a few shots that also missed, the first coming in the 18th minute, followed by a header by Warren on Ryun's corner that missed. However, one minute later Warren got his first goal of the evening with some nice weaving and running, making the score 4-0. It was a night for everyone and Jesse got a shot in the 21st minute, then Lucas tried, and then Jonathan, again (neither the writer nor the observers sure if Warren assisted), making it 5-0 in the 26th minute.

Defense finally got a lick in, with Jeremy Senterfitt touching the ball as goalie in the 27th minute. The short-lived defense was activated by Lucas and Quinn. A couple of minutes later, Jeremy emerged onto the field transformed as-- what?!-- a forward! Six minutes later Jeremy converted a feed from Warren into our goalie's first goal of the year (6-0). Ishma was working the front, as was Breen. John Fenter had a couple of good stops, including one in the 35th minute, and a couple of moments later with Aaron Godbey.

Offsides were called often against the Knights (usually quite properly), but in the 38th minute Warren got a direct kick after Lucas got pushed in the box. A tap into the corner gave Warren #2 and the score 7-0. James Howard, in at goalie, got his first save at the 38th minute and sent the ball nicely. Lucas had a great run and a terrific shot that was saved by the Douglass goalie. Another goal by Warren with 13 seconds left on the board for the half, made it 8-0 at the half (I think).

The first minute of the second half featured a goal by Jesse assisted by JP (9-0), then a dash by Douglass players that ended in their rare appearance before James in goal. JP got a second goal in the 4th minute (10-0), with good playing by Taylor Ryun, a nice headers by David Rivas and Trevor. Breen had a shot in the 10th minute that was saved. Confusion surround the 12th minute goal that that was not counted for reasons fans could not discern; a goal in the 14th minute was disallowed for offsides.

One of the nicest plays of the evening, certainly worthy of repeating in more challenging situations, was a beautiful and smooth header by Jesse off a perfectly placed corner by Jay Hearn (11-0). At this point, Coach Hotnog called on fresh legs for the field and the entire team was repositioned. Taylor Janney had a shot that bounded off the cross bar; his re-kick hit the bar again. Taylor then placed a corner kick to Ishma, who's header glanced off the cross bar. Lucas had several powerful and long throw-ins, including in the 27th minute, and Ishma got a left-footed goal in the 30th minute (12-0). Then in the 35th minute Jesse had a terrific throw in to Taylor who made the last goal of the game, 13-0.

Except, as noted earlier, the score was 15-0. So where are those other 2 goals? Ah, buried in the scrawled notes of the chatty scribe who greatly appreciated the input ofthe attentive and knowledgeable audience, but whose contributions were not able to prevent the misplacement of several points. Not to worry. Good practice was had. And Jack Senterfitt, soccer clerk of record, will return after vacation when our soccer players will finish out the regular season with five games that should not be missed!!!

-- Midge Sweet (sweetmidge@aol.com), April 03, 2001.


Jack: Your game write-ups are such a gift to "all us" Grady soccer fans! As gripping as the games are, your gripping accounts that follow shortly are almost as good as instant replay - better actually, thanks to your editorial comments (about red cards deserved and undeserved, for example!) Thanks for your tremendous contribution to our boys, our fans, our families, our school! (And you and Trish raised one heck of a goalie too!)

-- Nan Grogan Orrock (norrock@gowebway.com), March 29, 2001.

Varsity Boys Stand Tall in Tough loss to Lovett, 2-1

The Grey Knights always face a challenge when they travel to the banks of the Chattahoochee to meet Lovett--sometimes from a Lovett team that is really good, but always from a Lovett team that apparently is coached to play more than just rough, but often over the edge in terms of clean play and sportsmanship. Tuesday night was no exception, and the refs let many more fouls go uncalled, and should have given the home team more cards. In the face of such hospitality, Grady nevertheless played tough the whole game, and it was a hard game to lose.

In the opening minutes, Jonathan started off with some good offensive passing, and Eli had a good takeaway from a Lovett forward. In the 3d minute, Lovett had a close shot that Jeremy saved, going to the ground, but the ball slipped just past his outstreched arms and they were able to push it in for the first score. It appeared that Lovett was offsides, and when the Grady cocaptains asked the ref to explain why this was not the case, he could come up with no explanation. Quinn put on a good offensive run in the next minute, and Taylor and Eli both had good stops. In the 8th minute JP got through the Lovett defense and had a wonderful shot that looked good, but glanced off the crossbar. Lovett came charging right back and penetrated the Grady defense with a good crossinp pass to a striker who was open right in front of the goal for a header into the corner of the net to make it 2-0, Lovett. Jeremy had a good save a minute later and Eli had a wonderful stop off a Lovett corner kick. In the 11th minute Breen and Trevor combined for some really good offensive play, refusing to bow to Lovett's style of defense (which often included such tactics as holding jerseys, pushing, etc.). Ryun made a number of excellent passes, to Quinn and to Breen to keep the Grady offense going. In the 12th minute Grady got on the board, with a beautiful shot from Jonathan to the far corner of the Lovett goal. JP, Trevor and Ryun kept up the offensive pressure over the next 5 minutes, and Taylor had a couple of terrific defensive stops. Jeremy had another good save in the 21st minute, and Trevor and Jesse repeatedly foiled charges by the Lovett offense. Quinn had a wonderful shot in the 23d minute, but the Lovett goalie saved it. A minute later, Lovett's "star" player showed his true colors and, sadly, the results of the typical Lovett coaching, by a blatant and ugly attack on Eli. Quite naturally, Eli tried to defend himself and the refs red carded both players. Grady refused to fold, however, and Jeremy had two terrific saves in succession a minute late. In the 26th minute, a Lovett player made a ridiculously blatant foul, resulting in a yellow card, which should have been a red card. Jeremy had several very good saves in the waning minutes of the half, and Ryun, Jonathan and JP kept pushing the ball up the field, where Quinn had two good shots saved in the final minute of the half.

Grady clearly outplayed Lovett in the second half, with most of the action in the Lovett half of the field. Taylor started off with a very good defensive stop in the 2d minute and Trevor kept up his scrappy play, both offensively and doggedly on defense. Jeremy had a good save in the 3d minute, and JP and Ryun mounted a good run in the 5th minute. Quinn executed a wonderful sliding tackle to stop a Lovett run in the 7th minute and Jesse had a beautiful stop in the 8th minute, followd by a good save from Jeremy in the 10th minute. Grady charged often and had two corner kicks in the 12th and 13th minute, and almost converted, but the Lovett goalie made some good saves. Taylor had one spectacular corner, placing the ball perfectly to JP who headed it just wide. Jeremy had another good save in the 15th minute, and then Jonathan, JP and Taylor took the ball deep into Lovett territory, where Taylor had a great shot, saved by their keeper in the 19th minute. Jesse's shot was saved in the 27th minute, and the Quinn led a beautiful charge, with great passing to JP, who touched it perfectly to Jonathan, but his shot was saved at the last minute. Quinn, Ryun and JP had several good shots in the final minutes, but the Knights just ran out of time. All in all, the guys played a great game, in the face of considerable adversity. The last game before Spring Break is Friday night against Douglass at home, 5:00 PM, so let's everyone come on out to cheer on the Knights!!

-- Jack Senterfitt (jsenter@mindspring.com), March 28, 2001.


Grady Girls Survive Shoot-out with Providence Stars

March 26, 2001, Grady Stadium

The Lady Knights had a tough game tonight with the Providence Stars. The opposition was both big and fast. The Lady Knights struck first with a goal from Nicole (I like the ring of that!) off a beautiful assist from Claire. The second goal came off a shot from Emma Kate that grazed down off the cross bar. Nicole was able get it under control and finish it. Providence has two powerful strikers that badgered our defense all night. Late in the first half one of them was able to make a run and get a shot that found the net. Nicole answered with a unassisted goal to go into the second half up 3-1.

In second half Claire was able to get results off the many runs she had been making. She scored two goals and we needed them both.

The pressure on our defense was relentless all night. At one point it took Amanda, Leigh and Courtney to save a goal inside our six. Rachel, Chelsea and Jaimie came into to give Coach Bollster some good minutes when our strikers and midfielders needed a rest. We bent but did not break. Providence was able to add three goals between their two strikers on breakaway runs. The final whistle sounded and none too soon. Grady 5 - Providence 4. The next big game is Thursday at Grady vs. Paideia at 6pm. JV at 4:30pm. Come and watch the matchup of the No.1 and No.2 teams in the state!

-- Lamar Lambert (llambert@mail.co.fulton.ga.us), March 26, 2001.


Lady Knights Charge Ahead With Big Mo-mentum and Take Holy Innocents 3-1

March 23, 2001, Holy Innocents Stadium

The Lady Knights put together their best overall team effort to prevail over the ranked Holy Innocents Bears, 3-1. The Grady Girls are showing more maturity and playing smart soccer that helped them win against a speedy team. Credit for this victory should first go to the midfield that consistently won balls in the air to keep the pressure on the Holy Innocents defense. Katie Ross and Morgan were courageous in their tackling and shielding in the center. KK had an excellent match winning header after header to maintain possession and start the attack. Camden kept the defense spread out with constant runs on the flank. The first Grady goal came at the 10 minute mark when Nicole scored after relentless pressure inside the Holy Innocents 18.

In the second half Camden made a great run and finished it with a perfect square pass across the mouth of the goal to Nicole who stuck it in the back of the net.

Later Courtney and Camden teamed up. Courtney won the ball and started up field. They then played give and go all the way up the right side. The defense was addled and did not who to cover. Camden passed at the 18 to Courtney who faked a shot while Cam broke for the left side. Courtney passed and Camden ran on to the ball and drilled it into the upper left corner.

Bridgette and Claire both kept pressure on the Bears' defense all day with shots and passes. Emma Kate almost connected with another of her patented direct kicks.

The Grady defense had plenty to do with Amanda and Sydney clearing shots on goal before they got to Leigh. Rachel played some good defensive midfield with tenacious tackling. The Bears went all out toward the end of the game to prevent a shut out and finally were able to get a high shot over Leigh. Our defense then held them off for the last ten minutes playing some smart ball control and switching the ball out of pressure.

Hats off to the Lady Knights for a superb team victory in their toughest test so far!

-- Lamar Lambert (CLAMBERT72@MSN.COM), March 24, 2001.


Christian Brothers Puts on Clinic in 6-0 Defeat of Varsity Boys

Well folks, Friday night's game against Christian Brothers was tough to watch in one sense and good to watch in another. First, from the standpoint of wishing to see Grady prevail, it was tough. From the standpoint of watching a team that is talented, disciplined, organized and well prepared, it was a superb demonstration by the visitors. From the outset it was obvious that these guys were playing at a different level. They seemed to know exactly where everyone was on the field at all times, exactly where to pass the ball, exactly where to be to intercept passes by Grady, exactly where to be to position themselves to make the plays, etc. They were both quick and fast, and, all things considered, Grady stayed with them better than one might have expected. As our guys have demonstrated in past games, Grady depends on heart, and this was evident last night, too. It's one thing to play well when you know you're in the game; it's quite another thing to continue to play well when it is apparent that you're outmatched. The Knights showed heart by staying with it, and playing aggressively against long odds all night.

Early on Quinn made some good stops, and when the visitors were awarded their first free kick near the 18, the Grady wall kept them out of the goal. Their offense broke through in the 8th minute, however, to put up their first goal. Eliot then made a good defensive stop, and Jesse, taking a page out of Eli's playbook, came through with a good header stop. Ryun made a good shot on a direct kick in the 11th minute, just wide, and Eliot almost converted. Christian Brothers then put up two more goals in quick succession, on good crossing passes. In the 14th minute JP had a good shot on goal, but it was just wide. Ryun, JP and Jonathan then mounted a good offensive charge, marked with good passing and ball control. Their defense stopped the run, however, and they came back with another good cross to an unmarked striker right in front of the goal, who headed it in to make it 4-0. In the 24th minute Quinn made a good shot off a free kick, Ryun followed with a good shot and Jonathan put up another good shot, all of which were blocked by the visiting defenders. Taylor made a terrific stop in the 28th minute and Jeremy saved a tough shot in the 31st minute. As the half drew to a close, Jesse, JP and Ishma all had good defensive plays to stop the otherwise charging offense from scoring again.

In the second half, Christian Brothers kept coming, with a dangerous shot off a corner in the 3d minute of the half, but Jeremy saved it. In the 6th minute of the half, with a free kick just outside the 18, the visitors made an impressive play, with a couple of fakes, and then a remarkable placement to the side of the net by their forward. Jesse made another great stop in the 8th minute, but a minute later Christian Brothers put in their final goal off a good corner kick. For the next 30 minutes, though, Grady played them tough, and even though the visitors kept the ball down around the Grady goal, the Knights prevented any more scores. In the 13the minute of the half, Jeremy had a great save, a rebound, then anohter save. Quinn had a good run toward the goal and JP had a good shot miss just wide. After another good save by Jeremy in the 20th minute, Jonathan and Quinn both had shots blocked right at the visitors' goal. Eli had a good takeaway in the 21st minute and Taylor had several good defensive stops. Christian Brothers continued to keep Jeremy busy in the goal, but he made several more good saves to prevent any more scoring.

The visitors were very impressive, to say the least. Now the task is for the Grey Knights to rebound from this game and pull out all the stops for next Tuesday's game against Lovett. This game is at Lovett at 7:00, and this promises to be a big game for the Knights. We all know that Lovett fans fill their stadium, but for all who remember last year's game, we know we can pack the place with Grady fans as well. It will be a big boost for the guys to have lots of cheering fans in the seats, so everyone come on out to support the team!!

-- Jack Senterfitt (jsenter@mindspring.com), March 24, 2001.


As everyone knows, the two games originally scheduled for this week were cancelled due to weather. Also, the schedule originally said the location of Friday's game was unsure, but it is now set that this will be a home game, v. Christian Brothers, of Chattanooga, TN, at 7:00. So everyone come on out and cheer the guys to victory!!

-- Jack Senterfitt (jsenter@mindspring.com), March 22, 2001.

Correction!: Excuse my blunder, the final score of the Girls JV match against Chapel Hill was 3-0. Sorry, my bad!

-- Lamar Lambert (llambert@mail.co.fulton.ga.us), March 20, 2001.

Lady Knights "Walk Over" Walker 4-1

March 19, 2001, Grady Stadium

It was a cold and stormy night and everyone felt it. The Lady Knights defense missed Morgan and Courtney with injuries. The field was slick and muddy. The combination of conditions made the whole team seem "out of sync".

After Grady scored early, Walker was able to get through the defense and score on a crossing shot to the far post to tie the score. It was the first goal given up since the first match of the season!

At that point the team began to buckle down and win some balls. The Knights scored one more goal to end the first half 2-1 with outcome still much in doubt.

The defense was better organized in the second half, but Leigh still had to dive to block a couple of shots. The second shot result in a furious battle in the mouth of the goal until Amanda finally cleared it out of harm's way.

Later, Emma Kate took a penalty kick from thirty yards out that was mishandled by the Keeper and scored by Chelsea. In the last few minutes, Emma Kate made an excellent square pass to Nicole at the six that she was able to score to round it out at 4-1.

Give credit to Walker that continued to press hard throughout the match. They have some excellent midfielders.

-- Lamar Lambert (llambert@mail.co.fulton.ga.us), March 20, 2001.


Lady Knights Welcome Chapel Hill Panthers With A 5-0 Win!

March 17, 2001, Panther Stadium, Chapel Hill High School

It was high noon when the Grady Girls met the Chapel Hill Varsity for a shootout in suburbia. The first few minutes were a struggle as the Lady Grey Knights tried to wake up and find their form. The defense had to struggle to shut down runs from the midfield. Slowly Grady's timing returned and the match began to go their way. Emma Kate had her best match of the season to this reporter directing the offense and distributing the ball. She also had a beautiful goal off a penalty kick. She later remarked that the key to their success came from the intangibles of being first to the ball, and winning it out of the air. Once you do the little things, the scoring will come.

Bridgette also had a good match with her ability to bring the ball out of the air to her feet and shoot as she contributed another goal. Nicole always finds ways to win. This time she had two assists to complement her two goals. Speedy Jaimie F. also contributed with another goal.

The defense fought a war of attrition that escalated as the frustrated Panthers continued to press throughout the match. We missed Morgan's strength in the middle, but she was injured. Amanda continued her impressive play clearing the ball out of danger. Leigh had pressure all day with three saves in the first half and two in the second. Camden's determination to win the ball in the midfield helped keep the pressure away from the goal. Courtney was able to shut down their fastest striker who committed four fouls trying to get past her in the last ten minutes.

The Panthers fans appeared to be as shocked and frustrated as their players that Grady could shut them out 5-0. I certainly hope our fans never resort to shouting insults at our opponents.

-- Lamar Lambert (llambert@mail.co.fulton.ga.us), March 20, 2001.


JV Girls Take Chapel Hill 2-0

Saturday March 17, 2001

The JV girls continued their winning ways in a hard fought match at Chapel Hill High School in Douglas County. Chapel Hill is a new school in an upscale community with lots of soccer players. Rebecca lobbed a shot over the Goal Keeper's right side for the first goal. Lydia took a penalty kick from 25 yards out and arched the ball past the Goal Keeper's left to end the scoring in the first half. The remainder of the game was hard nose to nose play to keep the Panthers out of the goal. Kate had five saves and Amanda added two more to preserve the shut-out.

-- Lamar Lambert (llambert@mail.co.fulton.ga.us), March 20, 2001.


Varsity Boys Prevail 5-0 Over Southside

The biggest question facing the Varsity Boys Soccer team Friday afternoon was whether there would be any letdown after Tuesday's emotional upset of Greater Atlanta Christian, especially since Southside was not considered to be a very strong team. Fortunately, the Grey Knights answered these questions with a 5-0 victory. Though sometimes the play was spotty and not as consistent as it had been the previous game, there was still more than enough good play to prevail.

As the game began, Jonathan quickly led the offense in a good charge, with a good pass to Ishma, but just long. Quinn then got the ball and executed a pretty leading pass to Eliot, also just long. Then, in the 4th minute, on a Grady corner, Eliot had a wonderful kick that almost scored, but just hit the crossbar and bounced over the goal. The visitors hardly had time to catch their breath when, in the 7th minute Taylor sent a great pass to Jonathan, who got off a perfect shot to the far corner of the net, to give Grady a 1-0 lead. Two minutes later David Rivas, who played a very good defensive game, had a good takeaway from a charging Southside player, and passed it to Eliot. Eliot and Ryun were off to the races for the first of many wonderful offensive runs they would show throughout the game. Ryun's shot was just over the top of the goal (9th minute), and then Quinn had a shot, but it was just wide. Jonathan kept up the offense with good passing to Eliot, and then Jesse took a great shot in the 12th minute, off a good pass from Ryun, just missing. Grady kept the Southside keeper quite busy over the next few minutes, with Quinn and Jonathan both getting off good shots on goal. Breen Chambless was also playing with great offensive hustle, keeping up the pressure on the defense. With all of this offensive pressure, it was only a matter of time before Grady converted, and it happened in the 17th minute. Breen started the play with a good feed to Ryun, who executed a perfect cross to Jonathan, waiting just in front of the goal, who headed it in for his second score of the day.

Ryun continued his dominating offensive play, as he and Breen teamed up for a good run in the 19th minute, when Ryun's shot was blocked in the 20th minute, and again a minute later. Southside then put together their first offensive challenge, but Jeremy made a good save on their shot in the 22d minute. Ryun and Breen followed with a good charge, but Breen's shot was blocked (23d minute). Eli had several good defensive stops and Jeremy had another save in the 25th minute. A minute later Jesse, coming up from his defensive position, took off on a wonderful offensive run, and made a beautiful crossing pass to Eli, whose powerful shot just missed wide. The rest of the half was mostly Grady offense, with impressive ball control and nice touches by Ryun, Quinn, Jesse and Jonathan, as Grady controlled the ball, and showed continued improvement with their passing game, players doing a great job of anticipating where teammates would be and setting a crisp pace. David Rivas had several more good defensive stops, and Jeremy had a good save a minute before the half ended.

The second half opened with good offense from Ryun, Jay Hern and Eliot, with several shots on goal in succession. In the 4th minute of the half, Jeremy made a good save, and Taylor had a fine long pass to Ishma, who kept it in the Southside end, only to have his shot blocked in the 6th minute of the half. Two minutes later, Eliot and Ryun put on a great display of pinpoint passing back and forth as they charged the goal, with Eliot's shot going just wide. Eliot then fed Ryun with a pretty pass, Ryun made a great shot, but their goalie made a great save. In the 12th minute, Jeremy had to come way out to make a good save, falling just inside the box. Over the next 8 minutes, Grady's offense continued the pressure, with good shots from Jonathan, Lukas Rentch, Ryun and Jesse. In the 23d minute, Grady was awarded a penalty kick, and Jonathan converted, giving him a hat trick for the afternoon, and a 3-0 lead for the Knights. Eli followed a minute later with a good shot, just high, and Jesse made another good shot in the 24th minute, but the Southside keeper made a good save. Jesse and Eli teamed up a minute later to make a great save as Southside came as close to scoring as they did all game. Ryun followed in the 28th minute with an excellent shot from the near touch line, but it was just wide. Two minutes later Taylor had a wonderful shot, missing just high. In the 32d minute, Southside committed a handball foul inside the box, and Quinn converted the PK to make it 4-0, Grady. As the game drew to a close, Ryun completed the scoring for the Knights with a goal in the 37th minute, bringing the final score to 5-0.

All in all, it was a great effort by the Knights. Several players were nursing bruises from Tuesday night's physical game, and JP was out of action all together. It was good to get the win, and now Grady goes up against North Springs in an away game, 6:00 PM Monday. With Grady's record now at 4 and 1 for the season, we're on a roll, and building momentum. Let's all come out and cheer them on to another victory Monday night and help keep the energy high!

-- Jack Senterfitt (jsenter@mindspring.com), March 17, 2001.


Grady Girls Take Sweet Revenge on North Atlanta Warriors 3-0

March 14, 2001

The Lady Knights faced their strongest test of the season to date at North Atlanta. Emma Kate and Nicole played against some of their club team mates while others came by to watch the fun. The cross- town rivals competed with fire and spirit and parental contingents tried to out yell each other.

Grady got off to a good start when Bridgette scored early. She has a remarkable ability to dribble past defenders and score. Shots, assists and goals were contributed by Chelsea, Camden, Bridgette, Nicole, Ariel, Claire Emma Kate,KK and Jaimie.

The defense was busy all afternoon keeping the Warriors at bay. Morgan contined to win headers to control the midfield. Sydney's play was important factor in turning away their attack. Leigh was busy all afternoon and made two heroic saves to preserve the shut out.

It's great to hear from Globetrotter Coach Block again in the Dominican Republic. We not only miss him on the field but in the classroom as well.

-- Lamar Lambert (llambert@mail.co.fulton.ga.us), March 15, 2001.


Grady Girls Juggernaut Rolls Over GAC Spartans 7-0!

March 13, 2001

The Grady Lady Knights started into the heart of their schedule with a bang at Greater Atlanta Christian Academy on a cool windy night. The Spartans have several club players with skill that could have been a problem to handle, but the Lady Knights have found a effective offensive combination with Claire and Camden serving dangerous balls into the box from the corners to Chelsea and Nicole receiving and shooting. Emma Kate had to sit this one out with a case of Montezuma Revenge that's running around the school. The pressure was kept on the GAC's with Katie Ross, KK and Chelsea winning loose balls in the middle and passing through and distributing. Shots and goals were scattered among Chelsea, Camden, Nicole (another hat trick, wow!), Ariel, Claire, Rachel, KK and Courtney. One of the prettiest plays of the season started with a ball served from Camden to Nicole who took a shot that was rebounded off the keeper to Claire who finished it with a goal.

The defense pitched another shut out. Amanda remains in firm command and handled any breakaways. Sydney stood strong against some ferocious charges. Courtney was able to slip through and get off a couple of surprise shots. It was good to have Morgan back to provide size and strength in the center of the defense. Leigh had four saves including one diving catch that preserved the shut out. Coach Bolster was able to play the whole squad and mix up the positions to allow some players to try a new role.

-- Lamar Lambert (llambert@mail.co.fulton.ga.us), March 15, 2001.


You have readers in the Dominican Republic!!! My favorite soccer remains Manchester United and Grady High School, it will never be otherwise!!

I am so very pleased for all of you who get to be a part of Grady Soccer, it was a great part of my life. I was reading Mr. Senterfitt's review of the game, and it literally gave me goosebumps when I saw the score and then went to the story. A MAN DOWN!!! Incredible effort gentlemen!! I wish you great success and will look forward to hearing how things go in the future!

Mr. Senterfitt, you are a fantastic writer! I will have images of Grady Soccer uniforms streaking across the field throughout my dreams for some time. I will sleep well. Thanks for your great stories!

Congratulations!! NB

-- Neil Block (NBlock9590@aol.com), March 14, 2001.


Varsity Boys Stun Defending State Champion Greater Atlanta Christian in 2-1 Upset Thriller!!

For all you fans who were not at Tuesday night's match against Greater Atlanta Christian, all I can say is: I'm sorry, as anyone who was there can tell you, this is why soccer is called The Beautiful Game. The Grey Knights pulled off a stunning upset victory over GAC, the defending state champs, 2-1, and believe you me, this was a game for the books! If you think I'm gushing, well, you're right! But if you think I'm exaggerating, you're wrong, and even some of the home team fans were overheard afterwards, saying "This was a soccer game!"

Grady played inspired soccer from whistle to whistle, and demonstrated tremendous maturity as a team. A single example: after GAC scored their lone goal, there were no frustrated outbursts--rather the Knights calmly and cooly gathered together in a huddle, rallying each other and planning strategy to make sure it didn't happen again, and to keep up the offensive pressure. This was really encouraging, and bodes well for the rest of the season.

The Knights were glad to have Ryun Miller and Jean Paul Neall back in the lineup, and they really sparked the Grady offense. As the action began, Jonathan Hollman also let it be known that he had come to play, and play he did. He was all over the field, literally flying past defenders, putting on an unbelievable display of ball control. Grady got its first shot on goal in the 5th minute, with JP taking a great pass from Ryun, but the shot was blocked. Taylor Janney had a good stop a minute later and Jonathan took the ball on a wonderful run, capped off by a long, pass to JP. The pass was a little long, but JP made a valiant effort to keep it in bounds with a bicycle kick that almost saved it. In the 8th minute, Warren Ukah had a good run, but was thwarted at the end. He got the ball back and executed a perfect pass to JP, whose shot was just wide. Jay Hern and Quinn Carlington were soon into the offensive attack, with terrific passing near their goal. Then, in the 11th minute, Elliott Pimsler, lurking near the far sideline, took a ricochet off the GAC goalie and, with a very difficult angle from the far side, lulled the defenders into thinking he was about to pass, sent an unbelievable shot past the keeper into the corner of the net, giving Grady a 1-0 lead.

Jonathan continued with his excellent ball control, to keep the ball away from the Spartans, and then Warren was hit with a red card in the 12th minute. Of course, this meant he was out, and Grady was forced to play the rest of the game a man down. But, though there were groans and worried looks from the Grady faithful in the stands, on the field, the Grey Knights didn't flinch. No sir, no long faces or "whatrwegonnadonow" attitudes from the players. Rather, they regrouped, and played their hearts out for the next 68 minutes. A minute later, Jeremy Senterfitt had the first of a number of great saves in the Grady goal, and then another right after that. JP followd with a strong run, bolstered by great offensive play from Jonathan. Eli Sweet made a great defensive stop in the 14th minute to stop a GAC drive, followed by another good run by JP, and then one by Ryun, Jonathan and Jay. Jeremy had another great save in the 18th minute, and a minute later Jonathan had a terrific takeaway, passing to JP who mounted a fierce charge on the GAC goal. In the 21st minute Jonathan topped off another good run with a wonderful shot from the corner that was just wide. Ryun continued his stellar offensive play, frustrating the defenders with his aggressive footwork and ball control, and passing off to Elliott and JP. A couple minutes later Taylor had another great defensive stop, and Eli continued his wonderful mastery of the header stop to frustrate yet another charge by the Spartans. Despite Papa Sweet's concern over this excessive head trauma, these plays are beautiful to behold! In the 27th minute, Ryun set up JP with a great pass, but JP's shot was saved by the GAC goalie; then Ryun got off a shot, missing just high. A minute later, with GAC threatening, Grady showed once again how far they have come as a team. As Jeremy had to come out to make a good save, the ball got away and for a minute it looked like it was behind him and heading for the goal. Then, here comes Eli, with two quick header stops in succession, with several other Knights converging to protect the goal until Jeremy could get back. Wonderful teamwork! As the first half drew to a close, GAC was awarded several free kicks, close to the goal, but each time Grady's defense held solid, with one saved by Jeremy, and one stopped by the Big Red Wall of Grady defenders. Jesse Orrock had several great defensive stops right before the half ended, and Quinn and Taylor both had good sliding tackle saves.

The first half was very fast paced, and fans wondered if the pace would take its toll in the second half, but this was truly Grady's night. The second half opened with a good save from Jeremy, and some great minutes from Trevor Garner, who was seeing his first action of the season, having injured his ankle in preseason workouts. Trevor showed that he will be a great asset to the Knights for years to come, playing very aggressively and scrapping all the way. Three minutes into the half, JP put together a great run, assisted by excellent passing from Quinn to Jonathan, and Elliott to Quinn. In the 4th minute of the half GAC committed a foul in their box, and Grady was awarded a penalty kick. Jonathan took the kick and, rather than go for the expected corner placement, drilled it right down the middle and under the keeper for the score, making it 2-0 for the good guys! Over the next 4 minutes the action was fast and furious near the Grady goal, with great saves from Eli, Jonathan and Jesse. Jesse had a beautiful takeaway from a GAC striker and once again, when Jeremy had to come out to block a shot, Taylor led the defenders in a great protective play to seal off the goal. Jonathan then led Ishma John with a great pass that seemed destined to go all the way, but they stopped it. In the 8th minute of the half, Jeremy once again had to fight off several quick shots one after another. Trevor continued his scrappy, scrambling defense, but in the 11th minute of the half, GAC fired a rocket shot from a good ways out, over Jeremy and into the roof of the goal, to close the gap to 2-1.

Grady held firm, though, with so many good quick stops by so many defenders that your reporter couldn't keep them all straight! Jonathan followed a good run by Eli, Ishma and Quinn with a hard shot that just missed wide in the 16th minute of the half. Taylor and Jesse kept up their wonderful defense, and kept the ball away from our goal. Ryun kept up his terrific offense, with great passing to JP in the 20th minute of the half. Over the next 4 minutes, the entire Grady defense was really put to the test, with GAC firing shots and making charges, but the defense held. Taylor had a wonderful clearing kick in the 26th minute, and Elliott had a tremendous takeaway. Jeremy made a tremendous save off a GAC corner kick in the 28th minute, followed by another header stop from Eli. On a direct kick near our goal, Taylor and Jesse combined to send the ball deep into Spartan territory, where Jonathan and Quinn teamed up to make some terrific offensive charges. GAC kept on coming, though, and Jeremy had another great save in the 35th minute of the half.

Needless to say, this was a wonderful, wonderful win for the Knights. The way the guys kept their cool in the face of such a challenge is really a tribute to the team and how far they've come as a unit. This will definitely be a tremendous confidence booster as we get into the heart of the season. So fans, come on out to Grady stadium at 5:00 this Friday to cheer the Knights to another victory over Southside! Congratulations to Coach Hotnog and the Knights!!

-- Jack H. Senterfitt (jsenter@mindspring.com), March 14, 2001.


Grady's varsity girl's soccer team will make up their canceled North Atlanta game Wednesday, March 14th. The game will take place at 4:30 P.M. at North Atlanta High School.

-- Terry Kearns (pthkdym@aol.com), March 12, 2001.

Thanks to Jack Senterfitt and Lamar Lambert for giving AJC sports writers a run for their money. I appreciate having their game summaries to relive the excitement of Grady soccer.

-- Syd Janney (janney@mindspring.com), March 12, 2001.

Varsity Boys Dominate W.D. Mohammed 3-0

The temperature was downright cold at the stadium Friday night, but the Boys Varsity Soccer Team was hot on the field, as they shut out W.D. Mohammed 3-0! Grady dominated from the opening whistle, with Jonathan Hollman and Lukas Rentch setting up a good run early on (with the stadium clock not operational, and your reporter having neglected to turn on his watch timer, you'll have to bear with us, as there are no minute markers, but you can just add in your own!). The visitors came back with a shot pretty early, which Jeremy Senterfitt saved easily. For much of the rest of the night, Jeremy did his best imitation of the Maytag repairman, trying to stay warm while cheering on his teammates, as Grady kept the action in the opposite end of the field. Quinn Carlington had a rifle shot off a corner kick just miss wide , followed quickly by another shot by Jay Hern, which also missed wide and a lilttle high. The offense kept up the pressure, with great passing between Warren Ukah, Jonathan, Breen Chambless and Lukas. The Knights showed a lot of good, improved footwork and ball control tonight, with many great runs and good positioning. Warren made some fine passes to Lukas, who had several shots on goal in the first half. Eli Sweet continued in his tradition of "heads up" play, with a number of header stops to thwart any drives Mohammed tried to mount, just as he's done in both games so far this season. About midway in the half, Warren made a wonderful run through the opposing defense and got off a rocket shot, but their goalie went high to make a remarkable save. Soon after that, Warren made a great pass to Quinn, who fired a shot past the goalie into the far corner of the net, giving Grady their first goal! Jesse Orrock marked his return to the lineup with aggressive play all over the field, and a particularly good defensive stop shortly after Quinn's goal. Elliott Pimsler played well on the outside, showing some excellent passing work, setting up several good lobs and crossing passes. Taylor Janney also had a great game, leading the defense to stop any thoughts the visitors had of mounting any serious challenge. Breen continued his hustling, scrappy play as the first half wound down, refusing to be intimidated by the often overly aggessive tactics of some of the visitors. Ishma John had three good shots on goal as the half was coming to a close, and Jonathan also had several shots just miss, coming off good passes from Jay and Warren. As the second half opened, Grady continued with its impressive offensive showing, with shots just missing by Jesse and Jonathan. Then, just a few minutes into the period, Jesse lofted a great corner kick to the front of the goal, where Ishma knocked it down with a sharp pass to Warren, who roofed it past the outstretched hands of the Mohammed goalie, making it 2-0. Shortly after that Taylor made the first of many wonderful stops, and went on to turn in one of his better games, playing inspired defense and adding pressure on the offensive end as well. Warren was taken down right outside the box, and Quinn took the kick with a great pass off to Jesse, whose shot was stopped by their goalie, who had a very busy night. Perhaps because he was so busy blocking so many shots his frustration got the better of him, and he made a blatant and nasty takedown of Jonathan right in front of the goal. This earned him a yellow card--only one of many handed out to the visitors--which should have been a red card, and a penalty kick, and Warren easily put this past him for Grady's third and final score.

After that, Grady continued its good offense, with good passing between Warren and Ishma, and Elliott to Taylor. At one point, with Mohammed controlling the ball deep in their own end, Taylor came out of nowhere for the takeaway on a hard kick by one of the opponents, and almost scored when he whirled his body around to block the ball, and it carromed off his back just to the far side of the post. After one of their players was red carded for a blatant and ugly foul on Jonathan, Grady kept pushing the ball up the field, with nearly everyone getting in on the act. Aaron Godbey, John Fetner and David Rivas came on in relief in this half and all had some good touches and good passing. The game ended with Elliott and Jesse making shots off good passes from Taylor.

This was a good win for the Knights, and a good tune up for Tuesday's away game at Greater Atlanta Christian. This will undoubtedly be one of the biggest games of the season and will be a true challenge for Grady. So let's bring out a tremendous crowd and give our guys all the support we can. Game time is 7:00 PM--see you there! Go Knights!!

-- Jack H. Senterfitt (jsenter@mindspring.com), March 11, 2001.


Grady Girls "Survive" W.D. Muhammad 4-0

March 9, 2001, Grady Stadium

The Lady Knights prevailed in the face of adversity against W.D. Muhammad tonight in a very physical match. Leigh could not be here, so Nicole handled the goal for the first half and Samantha the second half. Nicole had three saves and Sam had one. Morgan and Bridgette both went down and saw only limited action. Bridgette still was able to score an early goal although Muhammad stacked the box and frustrated any further efforts for the first half.

Nicole went back to center striker in the second half and Grady began to take control of the ball. They were able to put together combination passes directed by Emma Kate and Katie R. and effectively spread the defense with Camden, Claire, Katherine and Jaime on the flanks and Ariel and Chelsea running through. Nicole scored on a beautiful pass from Camden from the right flank. Rachel continued her good play with another assist to Nicole. Later Courtney brought the ball up on the right to midfield and placed an accurated through-ball to Nicole who completed her hat trick with a near post goal. Nicole reminds me of that old slogan, "You're in good hands with ALL-STATE!"

Amanda took one for the team late in the second half. Deep in left corner she slide-tackled the ball but got the player too. She was given a yellow card for her efforts. Ironically, the Lady Knights had been tripped, kicked and elbowed all night. The Grady Girls are showing they have spunk and can cope with whatever the other team throws at them. Good job!

-- Lamar Lambert (CLAMBERT72@MSN.COM), March 10, 2001.


Grady Girls Pound North Springs 5-0

March 7, 2001, Grady Stadium

The Lady Knights came home after starting the season with five away matches to beat North Springs easily.

In the first two minutes the girls scored on a play just as Coach Bolster would have drawn it up. Bridgette streaked down the left side drawing the defenders and then passed a perfect ball to Nicole running into the center of the box. Nicole struck a one touch shot hard into the net. The keeper never had a chance. A few minutes later Rachel subbed in and immediately scored a goal. The third score started with a corner kick deflected out to Claire who assisted to Nicole with a header in a crowd at the goal mouth.

The second half showed more offense with Bridgette stealing the ball from a defender and shooting past the keeper for an unassisted goal. Emma Kate rounded out the scoring with a hard shot from the right to the far post. Nicole barely missed a hat trick with a shot to the back of the net at the buzzer that the referee waved off.

The defense should not be forgotten. There were no shots on goal! Leigh had be content with directing traffic far up field. The Lady Knigths outshot North Springs 54-0! The midfield kept the pressure on North Springs the entire night with sharp give&go's and timely switches on the field. Camden and Claire ran the flanks with ease and served up numerous scoring chances. It is hard to point out highlights of individual play because this team is such a smooth unit. The hard work has paid off and the Lady Knights showed they know how to play the game.

-- Lamar Lambert (llambert@mail.co.fulton.ga.us), March 09, 2001.


Boys Varsity Suffer Tough 3-0 Defeat at the Hands of Strong North Druid Hills Team

North Druid Hills defeated the Varsity Boys 3-0 Monday night, using their speed and deep bench to wear down the Grey Knights. Playing without the services of three starters, Ryun, Jean Paul, and Jesse, as well as a depleted bench, Grady had a tough task from the opening kickoff. NDH has traditionally been strong, and they showed this strength early on with a quick offensive start. Barely into the first minute they got off a high, hard shot, but Jeremy went high to make a wonderful save. With the ball still in the Grady end, Elliott made the first of several good defensive stops. Warren made a good run in the 35th minute, but the shot was wide. NDH came charging right back, and though Taylor and Eli made some excellent plays, the opponents were able to penetrate the Grady defense and scored in the 32d minute. Grady then showed some offensive pressure, with good shots by Warren and Jonathan, and some fine passing between Jonathan and Elliott. Quinn also had several inspired runs, playing very aggressively the whole game. As the half wore on, the Grady defense was tested many times, and the action around the goal was intense. Quinn, Taylor and Eli made a number of good stops and Jeremy fought off quite a few shots. Then, in the 25th minute, NDH scored again. There were three rapid fire shots, with Jeremy saving the first two, but NDH connected on the third shot, off a rebound at the near post. From then until the first half ended, the opponents kept up the pressure, but Grady held them off, with great defensive stops by Elliott and Taylor and more saves in the goal by Jeremy. Quinn and Elliott teamed up for a couple of good runs, and Jonathan added two more good charges, but NDH stopped the shots.

As the second half started, it looked like the Knights were about to put something together, with several impressive offensive attacks. Jonathan teamed with Ishma John for some good runs, marked by good passing and footwork, and Quinn had some very good individual runs as well. Lukas Rentch played a good second half, despite being slowed by the effects of a hard first half take down which left him with a sore thigh. Taylor continued to contribute several fine defensive stops, and one particularly good long clearing pass in the 8th minute of the second half. Jay Hern and Breen Chambless both turned in good, solid defensive performances in this half, and helped hold off the relentless attack by NDH's two very fast and talented forwards. These guys were good, no question about it, and you had to be impressed with their coordinated attacks on the Grady goal. Grady was not about to give up, though, and the defense continued to play well, with a number of great plays from Taylor and Eli, and several saves by Jeremy. Quinn played very aggressively the whole half, threatening with good strong runs on offense, and making a number of good defensive stops. Jonathan had a good run in the 26th minute of the half, but the defense stopped his shot. In the 33d minute of the half, NDH put together a good offensive charge and scored on a very impressive shot that just sneaked through. The second half drew to a close with Breen, Taylor and Lukas all making good defensive plays. The Knights really played with a lot of heart and tenacity, and the effort was quite impressive, especially since so many players were out. Friday night is the home opener against W.D. Mohammed at 7:00 PM, so come on out and cheer the guys on to victory!

-- Jack H. Senterfitt (jsenter@mindspring.com), March 06, 2001.


Grady Lady Knights Romp over Druid Hills Red Devils, 10-0!

March 5, 2001, Adams Stadium

The Lady Knights took out their frustration for a hard loss and a canceled match on Druid Hills tonight at Adams Stadium. It took about two minutes for the scoring machine to warm up and then it was Katie bar the door! The team welcomed Nicole back from her injury with high fives for the first goal! Shots on goal are credited to Katherine (KK), Claire(5), Bridgette(5), Camden(4), Chelsea(5), Emma Kate(3), Nicole(4), Katie Ross, Rachel(2), and Ariel(2). Goals were scored by Claire, Bridgette, Camden, Emma Kate, Nicole(2), Katie Ross, Rachel, and Ariel(2). Chelsea and Emma Kate had two assists and Courtney assisted Camden. There were surely many more assists that we missed, but the shots were coming so fast and furiously that it was hard to keep up with.

Although there were many highlights, two plays stand out. The first was a goal volleyed in by Bridgette to the near post. She had her back to goal and wheeled the ball around with a bullet shot that caught the keeper totally by surprise. It was the type of goal that anyone who has played the game dreams of making! The second highlight was a perfectly played through-ball from Emma Kate at midfield to Ariel at full speed running up the left side. Ariel was then one on one with the keeper and struck a beautiful ball over the keeper to catch the net right below the cross bar.

The Defense was not to be outdone. Amanda raced full speed to intercept a breakaway run at our goal. She successfully turned the player away from the goal without a shot. Leigh was as steady as ever and made four saves look easier than they were. Defense must be given alot of credit when a game is dominated the way the Lady Knights did this one with scoring spread out among all the strikers. Katherine, Amanda and Courtney handled any ball advanced to their line with skill and poise. They easily played the ball to the open defender and immediately started building up the attack from the rear. The bunched up Red Devils were constantly frustrated by switches to the opposite field that put the Lady Knights numbers up and headed for a score. Morgan and Sydney aggressively won the ball and sent it back to the offense. Jamie F.came in off the bench and contributed to the shut-out effort with good coverage.

Along with those players who scored the goals and made the shots, Coach Bolster should also be well pleased with the strong work of Jaimie, Monti,and Anna R who aggressively ruled the midfield with Emma Kate and Katie Ross. After the win the girls cheered the boys on while being treated to steaming and well-deserved hot chocolate by Coach Bolster! Well done, Ladies!

-- Lamar Lambert (CLAMBERT72@MSN.COM), March 05, 2001.


The Varsity Boys opened the regular season Thursday night with a tremendous win over South Gwinnett, 1-0, and defense was the predominant theme.

Since your regular reporter was unable to be at the game, this story is compiled from wire services reports, so hopefully it will be accurate! For anyone who was there, please feel free to add to the story!) After enduring quite a rocky tour through the previous week's Castle Cup at Central Gwinnett, the Grey Knights knew the season opener would present a challenge, especially since they would be without the services of starters, Ryun Miller and Jesse Orrock. Anyone witnessing this wonderfully exciting game, though, would agree that the team rose to the challenge, and then some! The Knights played with tremendous confidence, and worked both ends of the field with spirit, concentration and great teamwork. (Some might say having the Varsity Girls team there cheering on the guys might have had something to do with it!) Warren Ukah was back in the lineup, though, and his presence definitely gave the team a great confidence boost. South Gwinnett was well aware of his dominance, too, as they had two, and sometimes three, defenders on him most of the game.

South Gwinnett pressured the Grady defense from the opening whistle, and Grady's defense was the story for much of the game. Jeremy Senterfitt was tested early and often, but responed with what many described as his best game ever in the Grady goal. He had two quick saves in the early going, and then Jonathan Hollman and Warren led the offense the other way. Though not able to put it in the net, Warren's pinpoint passing and Jonathan's good shots put the Southies on early notice that Grady had come to play offense as well as defense. Gwinnett came charging right back, but Taylor Janney had a great defensive stop in the 16th minute. Quinn Carlington also contributed many fine defensive stops. The action stayed in Grady's end for the next several minutes, with three or four shots on goal, but Jeremy saved them all. Warren answered with a good drive, followed by a wonderful charge on their goal by Jean Paul Neall. Soon thereafter South was awarded a direct kick just outside the box, but the shot was blocked by Grady's solid red wall!

After the first half ended with no score, the second half started again with pressure from South on Grady's goal, but the Knights responded once again. The team never let up, though, and the action was fast and furious on both ends of the field. Then, in the 15th minute of the second half, Grady struck paydirt, literally and figuratively. At one point, with the Southies triple teaming him and playing him rough, Warren was sent sprawling into the turf, coming up dirt flying. Warren remained calm, though, and broke through their defense to put the ball in the net for the score. This turned out to be the winning margin, but Gwinnett kept up a furious offensive attack, right up to the final horn. They had numerous shots on goal, some in rapid succession, but Jeremy found a way to get to them all, sometimes with diving saves, and sometimes going high to push the ball over the crossbar.

When the game ended, everyone in the stands agreed that this was one of Grady's most exciting games, and was a tremendous start to the regular season. Congratulations to the guys for a wonderful win!! Kudos go to Trevor Garner's uncle, who provided BBQ from his nearby restaurant to the team after the game, a well deserved reward. Remember the next game is Monday night, at Adams stadium against North Druid Hills, 7:00 PM. This will be another strong opponent, so let's all come out and show our strong support for the team!

-- Jack H. Senterfitt (jsenter@mindspring.com), March 04, 2001.


Don't forget that last year's JV team was the only Grady sports team undefeated during the 1999-2000 school year.

-- Terry Kearns (pthkdym@aol.com), March 03, 2001.

Grady JV Lady Knights Beat the North Atlanta Warriors 5-1

On a rainy Saturday morning the Grady JV Girls Soccer Team took on the North Atlanta JV's at the Warriors home field. The Lady Knights quickly took control of the game and scored three first half goals. They continued their attack in the second half with another two goals and allowed only one to North Atlanta. Goals were scored by Rebecca, Chelsea (2), Anna and Samantha. The midfield provided several opportunites and assists to the goals. The Defenders cotinually won the ball and served it up out of danger. Goalkeeping duties were shared by Kate and Tomicka who both kept the Warriors at bay in the sea of mud.

The Lady Knights are showing are great deal of improvement over last year. They are making numerous combination passes as they built their attack. The defense is aggressive and often joins the attack to keep the ball on offensive side of the field. The Varsity Girls all came early to cheer their sisters on. Unfortunately, the Varsity match scheduled for noon had to be rescheduled when the referees determined the pitch had become unplayable.

-- Lamar Lambert (CLAMBERT72@MSN.COM), March 03, 2001.


Grady Girls Drop First Match to South Gwinnett Co. High School March 1, 2001

The Grady Lady Knights returned to Gwinnett County fresh from a sweep of the Castle Cup Tournament that they have now won two years in a row. This match was with South Gwinnett. The Lady Knights knew that they would have their hands full since Nicole DeMoss had not yet recovered from an ankle sprain suffered in the Castle Cup Tournament, but they welcomed back veteran defender, Amanda Goldberg.

Still they opened strongly and dominated the first half with shots on goal from Katherine Kearns, Brigette Ukah , Claire Rosenbaum, Camden Janney and Courtney Lambert. The half was highlighted by two brilliant saves by Leigh Auerbach on a breakaway by South Gwinnett. She blocked the first shot and then immediately recovered to catch the rebound.

The second half opened with a long shot by the Gwinnett right forward from outside the 18. The shot found the inside of the far post and Grady was down 0-1. The Lady Knights then had a difficult time getting organized. The girls continued to build their attack from the rear resulting in several corner kick opportunities. One had Brigette strike a strong header that barely sailed over the crossbar.

The latter part of the game was marred by several injuries and stoppages that broke the continuity of the game. Neither team could mount a sustained attack until in the last five minutes Grady rallied to put strong pressure on Gwinnett. Unfortunately time ran out before it could produce a goal.

The Lady Knights represented themselves well, but all look forward to their next match at North Atlanta at 12 noon after the JV match at 10AM.

-- LAMAR LAMBERT (CLAMBERT72@MSN.COM), March 01, 2001.


3-1-01 Girls - South Gwinnett 1 - Grady 0 Boys - Grady 1 - South Gwinnett 0

-- Terry Kearns (pthkdym@aol.com), March 01, 2001.

2-24-01 - The Grady Boys Soccer team lost to Grayson tonight 1-0 in the final game of Central Gwinnett's Castle Cup Tournament.

-- Terry Kearns (pthkdym@aol.com), February 24, 2001.

Girls Castle Cup Results Feb 19 - 23 2001

The Grady girls soccer team defeated Grayson Monday 5 to 0 in the first game of the Castle Cup Tournament at Central Gwinnett HS.

The Grady Girls soccer team defeated Meadowcreek Wednesday 4-1 in the second game of the Castle Cup. Nicole DeMoss injured her ankle in the 2nd half.

Grady girls soccer team defeated Central Gwinnett Friday 1-0 to win the Castle Cup for the second straight year.

-- Terry Kearns (pthkdym@aol.com), February 24, 2001.


Boys Fall 9-0 to Central Gwinnett 2/23/01 5:53:22 AM Eastern Standard Time

Well, folks, there are not too many highlights to write about from Thursday's game; the Grey Knights just didn't seem to be the same team from two nights earlier. With Warren unable to play, the guys weren't able to find the same rhythm at the outset, and Central Gwinnett, always a strong team, took advantage. Grady had some defensive breakdowns early on and Gwinnett got off three quick scores in the early going. There were some good defensive stops early on by Jeremy, Ryun and Jean Paul, and some good offensive play, but Grady could not convert. There were several good runs by Quinn, Jonathan, Eli, Ryun, Taylor and Lukas. JP had several good defensive stops, along with Jesse, and Elliott had a good shot off a pass from Ryun near the end of the half, but Gwinnett led by 5 at that point.

In the second half Jesse got off a good shot early on that missed high, and JP, Ryun and Jonathan had some good runs. Ryun had one free kick just saved by the opposing goalie and, though Grady had more shots on goal in this half, from Taylor, Jonathan, Lukas, Elliott and Ryun, the Grey Knights were just not able to score. Gwinnett added four more goals in the second half, and the game ended early when a Gwinnett player was injured in a collision with James Howard at the Grady goal with 7 minutes to play.

Let's all hope this loss will be put quickly behind us, and that the Knights can get back on track as the regular season approaches. The last game of this tournament will be Saturday at 5:00.

-- Jack H. Senterfit (jsenter@mindspring.com), February 23, 2001.


01-20-01 Varsity Boys Tripped Up in Tournament Opener, Fall 2-1 to Duluth

The Grady Varsity Boys Soccer team began play today, in the preseason tournament at Central Gwinnett High School in Lawrenceville, opening against a scrappy team from Duluth. Overall, it was a great effort by a team with significant changes from last year, both with a new coach, and several changes on the field.

As play began, Duluth got off an early shot, but Jeremy Senterfitt made a good stop, and the Knights were off and running. Jonathan Hollman and Ryun Miller had a great run down the field, making sharp passes and showing good ball control. The first shot was close, but wide, and Warren Ukah had another shot go just wide in the 8th minute. Over the next ten minutes, Warren led several charges, keeping the pressure on the Duluth defense, and had a couple of shots stopped by the keeper. JP also had a shot just miss; then, in the 17th minute Warren capped a great charge with a perfect crossing shot to JP, who sent a rocket shot into the corner of the net past the Duluth goalie, who could only wave at the ball as it blew past him. The Grey Knights kept this 1-0 lead for the rest of the first half, showing good hustle and several good passing sequences. Eli Sweet showed why he will be a tremendous force for the Knights' defense, with one really great take away midway through the half. Warren also had another tremendous pass to Elliott Pimsler, who made a good shot, with an equally good save by the Duluth goalie, who was kept quite busy through the first period. Grady had several corner kicks in the first half, and Jonathan came close to converting one corner, with the shot just wide.

The second half began with Grady once again showing the more aggressive play, marked by great hustle and passing from Eli, a wonderful sliding stop from Jeremy just inside the box, and an early charge from Jonathan and Taylor Janney. In the 9th minute of the second half, Taylor made a wonderful chip shot that just missed high. Jonathan Hollman had what appeared to be Grady's second goal in the 11th minute, but the refs called it off on a very close offsides call. JP continued his aggessive play, with one sharp shot just missing in the 17th minute. A minute later, Grady was awarded a free kick just outside the box, and Ryun Miller made a terrific shot over the Duluth wall, only to be stopped by an exceptional save by the opposing keeper. Just a few minutes later Ryun made a great high pass to Elliott, whose shot was just high and wide. After Jonathan made another good shot, Duluth was able to sneak one in through the Grady defense, to tie the score at 1-1 in the 25th minute of the half. A minute later, Grady was called for a foul inside the box, but the Duluth penalty kick hit the side post and missed. Grady took possession and raced down the field, where Jay Hearn took a deadeye shot right down the middle, but the keeper was able to push it over the crossbar. Warren's header on the ensuing corner kick was just high, followed shortly by a shot from Ryun, which was also blocked. A minute later Taylor had a free kick stopped by the Duluth defense.

At about the 30th minute of the half, Duluth started to show more aggressive play on the Grady half of the field, and began taking more shots. Grady responded well, with good defensive stops from JP, a good save in the goal by Jeremy, and a great save by Jonathan in the 31st minute. A minute later, however, Duluth had a breakaway one on one and was able to score, though many in the stands thought there should have been an offside call. But, Grady came back with a number of good shots in the waning minutes. James Howard, who came in as keeper late in the half had a great save to halt another Duluth charge.

It's great to be back in soccer season, and all in all, even though it's always tough to lose, everyone agreed that this was a good team effort, and a good beginning. There are many promising signs for the regular season, though, and it looks like this team will come together. The Grady faithful in the stands may have been small in number, but what we lacked in quantity, we made up in quality of the support, led by the untiring cheers of Midge Sweet! Come on out Thursday evening, when the Grey Knights suit up once again under the shadows of the "Big Castle" at Central Gwinnett, when we take on the home team Black Knights at 5:45.

-- Jack H. Senterfitt (jsenter@mindspring.com), February 22, 2001.


Moderation questions? read the FAQ