Rick Michaels didn’t have time to be nervous.
Encouraged to use his experience as a local youth soccer coach to guide the first Columbus Christian Academy boys soccer team, Michaels only had time for one practice prior to his new team’s first match Monday against Indianola Academy. It wasn’t until game day that Michaels realized the significance — and pressure — associated with his debut.
“(Columbus Christian School board member) Billy (Thomas) stopped me and asked, ‘You do realize this is the first game in Columbus Christian boys soccer history?’ ” said Michaels, who has known Thomas for more than 10 years and works for him at Superior Foods in Columbus. “He said, ‘I don’t want to put any more pressure on you, but this is a big deal. If you don’t come away with a win, I may be looking for a replacement.”
Michaels’ job is secure for at least one more match. Thanks to goals by Aaron Meek and Chris Webber, Columbus Christian made history with a 2-1 victory in the program’s first match. Goalkeepers Zach Wright and Grant Wyatt each played a half and made six or seven saves, Michaels said.
“I was pleasantly surprised,” Michaels said. “The passing was really good, and that usually is the last thing to come together. The defense was communicating and listening to their goalie. They jelled together pretty good. I expect a lot more out of them in the next game.”
Columbus Christian, which is a Class A school in the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools, also has a girls soccer team. The school has 15 players on its inaugural boys team. That squad will play its second match Saturday at Caledonia.
Michaels has coached youth soccer for about 10 years in Caledonia. He coached his three daughters from Under-8 through U-14 and has coached Thomas’ daughter for the past two years in the Caledonia rec league. Thomas said he was looking for someone knowledgeable about soccer to take on the responsibility of leading the school’s new boys team. He didn’t have to look far to find someone, even if that someone admits he really wasn’t asked if he wanted to be the coach.
But Michaels said the informal manner in which he became coach didn’t matter.
“If they would have asked me I would have found time to re-arrange things because I love coaching, and these kids are a great group of kids to be involved with,” Michaels said.
Michaels said he has two players — Meek and Brian Schmidt — who are more experienced than the rest of their teammates. He said he put Meek and Schmidt in charge of the offense and the defense and directed them to help the lesser experienced players. He said the first match was about communication and having the players figure out where they needed to play and how they needed to be a part of the team concept. The addition of four new players to the team Monday made the team even more inexperienced, but Michaels said the squad responded.
“A lot of them played when they were real little,” said Michaels, who has three seventh- and eighth-graders on the squad and about seven who have played soccer in the past three or four years. “The biggest issue to overcome is the rules of the game because there are a lot of unique soccer rules that most kids don’t even get taught until they get to this age. … The other challenge is keeping their hands off the ball. When the ball is coming at you, it is a natural reaction to put your hands up, and we had one kid do that (Monday).”
Michaels said coaching the Columbus Christian boys is similar to coaching recreation level soccer because you often get players with different levels of experience. He said he will continue to work with the kids to help them understand the rules and the fundamentals of the game so they can make some more history in their first season.
“I love coaching soccer and being out there with the kids,” Michaels said. “The best thing is when they get it and you see a light come on with the inexperienced kids. I will coach for as long as they will have me.”
Other team members are: Evan Pate, Jack Baker, Ben Ryals, Jordan Meek, Matthew Schmidt, Elija Carlstrom, Jaden Bennett, Bobby Middlebrooks, BJ Shirley, and Reed Williams.
Columbus Christian also will play Caledonia on Monday, Jan. 5. It will play at Indianola Academy on Monday, Jan. 12, and at Manchester Academy on Wednesday, Jan. 14.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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