Effort is the equalizer for JD Earhart.
The New Hope High School senior admits there were days he doubted he would get a chance to continue to play soccer in college. Ever since Earhart was a 6-year-old in the Columbus youth soccer league, he recalls dreaming about keeping his soccer career going. On the days when that doubt crept in, though, Earhart didn’t let it sidetrack him. Instead, he opted for a simple approach that would get him back on track.
“I would just try harder every day and put more effort into it every day,” Earhart said. “The dream finally came true.”
On Wednesday, Earhart celebrated the realization of that dream during a signing ceremony to announce his decision to play soccer for Jones County Junior College in Ellisville.
Earhart played competitive soccer with the Columbus United Soccer Club for two years. He said his passion for the game, his footwork, and his skill with the ball helped him realize his goal. He spent most of this past season as a midfielder, but he was moved up to forward for the first time late in the season. He said he enjoyed the move because it put him in an even better position to score goals. He feels forward might be his home when he gets to JCJC.
“I am going to still have to work at it every day,” Earhart said. “I am going to have to put the effort in. There is only one way to get better, like I said, to work at it every day.”
New Hope High first-year boys soccer coach Kyle Watson praised Earhart’s versatility and energy. He said Earhart played several positions for the Trojans this past season as the team tried to find the right mix of players. He said Earhart helped organize the team when he played in the midfield. He also said he set the tone with great leadership.
“He was always a guy the kids could look up to,” Watson said. “He always gave great effort. He was always where we needed him to be, and was always encouraging.”
Watson smiled as she continued to talk about Earhart’s “all-out” style of play. He said if Earhart became frustrated in a match, all he needed to do was to remind him to let his skills and his footwork do his talking. Once Earhart heard that, Watson said he was ready to go. He said several schools showed interest in Earhart, so he is proud he selected the one where he felt he fit the best.
Earhart said JCJC coach Oleg Baleyev watched him play at a tournament in Oxford in December when New Hope played DeSoto Central and Oxford. Earhart said he had a good showing at left midfielder against DeSoto Central. It was the first time Earhart remembers having a coach watching him play.
“When he walked up to me, I didn’t really know who he was,” Earhart said. “He introduced himself as the coach of JCJC and asked me if I would like to come on an official visit. I said yes right there. The dream became real right after that.”
Earhart admits he didn’t know what to think or if he should believe the conversation would lead to an opportunity. He also wondered if Baleyev saw him play the second match of the day, which he admitted wasn’t one of his best. He said he received an email from Baleyev a week or two later asking him to set a date for the visit. He said that email helped him realize he could be in position to take the next step.
“(When I visited the school on Jan. 23), I was asking myself, ‘Do I really want this and is this the right choice for me?’ ” Earhart said. “It turned out to be the right choice.”
With his signing and ceremony out of the way, Earhart can focus on baseball season and trying to help New Hope win a third-consecutive Class 5A state title. Like in baseball, Earhart will follow the same approach he used in soccer that helped put him on the path to realize a dream. While the mind-set he followed to realize the goal might sound simple, Earhart knows it wasn’t easy and that all of the effort was worth it.
“I am still going to work hard every day (to show Baleyev and his teammates this is something he really wants),” Earhart said. “I am going to put the effort into it and get better and better and better and better, and work on it every day.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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