Winged Lions have a bright future

The Winged Lions have a lot to build on.

Following the 2007 prep boys soccer season, that's been the general consensus surrounding Rowland Hall.

Throughout the 2007 year, the Winged Lions showed time and again they could compete with the big boys in the brand-new 2A classification. And by the end, they had proven they were one of the big boys.

Rowland Hall won 10 more games than it had a season earlier. It beat Waterford for the first time in years. And it made a deep postseason run, eventually losing in the title game.

The Winged Lions accomplished those things with a pretty young team, and it's apparent they'll be a contender for years to come.

"Pleased with the season, pleased to get here, obviously," said coach Bobby Kennedy after his team fell 3-0 to Waterford in the championship game. "Good kids, but really wanted to be a little more competitive here. Maybe scare 'em a little bit, if not take one."

However, Kennedy quickly noted how proud he was of what the Winged Lions had accomplished.

"Overall," he added, "I think tomorrow they'll wake up and put (the second-place trophy) in the hall. That's a big step for our soccer program. We'll keep getting better."

That's the scary thing for the rest of the classification, which loses Waterford to 3A next season.

Rowland Hall featured an outstanding sophomore class, and Kennedy placed the talented youngsters in his midfield. The move paid big dividends all year, with Robbie Hull and Walker Adams manning the middle and skilled guys on the outside.

They will be the backbone of the team for the next two years.

"I know the core group of sophomores will come back bigger, stronger, better on the ball. Whether or not we have somebody emerge...and really kind of lead us, remains to be seen," said Kennedy. "I'm not gonna list player-for-player, but we'll be able to put a good side out there that has (already) been into the state finals."

Expect Rowland Hall and St. Joseph to lead Class 2A for the foreseeable future.

Kennedy heaped praise on his seniors for helping the program get to this point.

The group, composed of Alex Gardner, Ben Weiler, Jim Trauba, Christopher Everest and Mike Madlang, each played invaluable roles throughout 2007. Among them, Gardner helped lead the team's front line, and Madlang was solid in goal.