By Walter Scott Jr. Thomas Dale Coach: David Tual Record last year: 7-6-1 Players to watch: V Eddington, Chloe Dowlen, Taylor Boehm Eddington and Dowlen have great vision and range on the field, and they are also the heart of the team. Boehm is an aggressive goalie who makes big saves in tough situations. These players will lead a young roster after what was a bit of a down year for a proud program. Seniors on the roster: V Eddington, Mia Lofties, Madison Swift, Peyton McLean Keys to success: The defense can disrupt attacks and force turnovers. Strong leadership in…
Browsing: Soccer
By Luke Krausse Thomas Dale Coach: Griff Fowler Record last year: 16-4-1 Players to watch: Hawkins Adcock, Carlos Padilla, and Tyler Gross Thomas Dale will be hungry to return to the state tournament after a first-round loss in 2019. Dale will be defensively strong as Adcock, Padilla, and Gross will take the lead. Adcock’s soccer IQ will push him and the Knights to succeed. Padilla and Gross are both defensive playmakers. Seniors on the roster: Hawkins Adcock, Tyler Gross , Carlos Padilla, Chris Kuda, Emmanuel Oyewole, Mike Oyewole, Connor West, Alex Escobar, Louie-Xavier Bilodeau Keys to success: Thomas Dale will…
Mejia makes a save. (Mt. Olive College photo) Meadowbrook High School soccer alum Bernando Mejia is taking a major step toward redemption. The former Monarchs standout was one of the best goalies in Central Virginia during his time at the school. Now, he’ll be suiting up again, playing semi-pro soccer for Chesterfield-based Loko Football Club. “I saw this as an opportunity to continue my career, and pursue the dream of playing professional soccer I had as an 8-year-old kid,” Mejia said. “It’s truly something special.” Loko is a new member of the United Premier Soccer League and will play in…
Thomas Dale High School’s boys soccer team experienced a renaissance of sorts in coach Griff Fowler’s third year at the helm after his father, Mark Fowler, handed him the reins. An appearance in the state tournament for the first time in years was fueled by forward Brayan Cedillo. For his performance, Cedillo was named Village News boys soccer Player of the Year. Though slight in stature compared to the average football player, Cedillo (5 feet 9 inches and 160 pounds) is speedy with great instincts and what coaches call a “nose for the ball.” A two-year varsity player, Cedillo ascended…
In a sport that’s been dominated locally by Thomas Dale and Matoaca high schools for years and in the region by Mills Godwin, Douglas Freeman and Glen Allen high schools, Meadowbrook High School’s girls soccer team showed tremendous strides this year with their first winning season: 8-7-1. A big reason for the Monarchs’ historic season was junior Joanne Torres, who is the Village News girls soccer Player of the Year. Torres ended up being the third best scorer in Class 5, Region B with 23 goals and four assists. She was named first team All-Region and All-Academic. She was one…
The Thomas Dale High School boys soccer team lost a Class 6 state quarterfinal match against First Colonial of Virginia Beach on Tuesday, June 4, 11-1. Thomas Dale finishes the year with a record of 16-4-1. In other Chesterfield County sports news, Cosby defeated Landstown of Virginia Beach 10-9 on penalty kicks to advance against South Lakes High of Reston.
Brayan Cedillo got a head of steam, made a brilliant run down the field and passed to Chris Kuda, who booted the ball in the back of the net. A jubilant celebration ensued. Thomas Dale High School had made it back to the state tournament with a dramatic overtime victory over Colonial Forge, 2-1. “The lads did everything I could have asked of them,” coach Griff Fowler said. This win came on the heels of a 5-1 victory over Franklin County that saw Kuda, Garrett Graves, Carlos Padilla, Hawkins Adcock and Emmanuel Oyewole score goals. Then came a matchup for…
From left, Keon Fleurima, Garrett Graves, Tyrese Hallums, Brayan Cedillo, Eric Rice, Darien Elam, Jacob Grabham, Andrew Carraway, Konstantine Sannikov and Jason Rodriguez. Even as a player, Griff Fowler knew one day that he wanted to coach Thomas Dale High School soccer. After all, he grew up with it. He was a ball boy at 6, watched his dad, Mark, successfully navigate the school to back-to-back state championships in 2005 and 2006 and appear in the state tournament six times in eight seasons. Fowler was a captain for two teams that made state competition. Now in his third season coaching…
David Glass mans the sidelines for Meadowbrook High School’s junior varsity soccer program, but the work he has done to get local children to play the game has been paramount. Glass founded First Touch Sports, an organization that has over 500 kids from low-income areas playing soccer. In the program’s 10-year lifespan, thousands of kids have been given the opportunity to play, despite the rise of exclusive and expensive club teams. “Sports and America has come down to economics,” Glass said. “You can look at certain sports and certain records of teams and know what the student body looks like,…
Although Meadowbrook High School girls soccer has shown the spirit needed to win games, it’s been a process to build a winner for coach Joseph Farrell. This year, perhaps, is the one they make the jump. The Monarchs have gotten off to a blistering start, outscoring their opponents 31-8 in their first five games of the season. “We have already scored more goals this season than we did last year,” Farrell said. “We are also on track to concede substantially fewer goals than we did last year.” That improvement on offense and defense has resulted in a 4-1 record as…