Follow Up For All LA Districts ALL-STAR TEAMS

[Rainbowcycle]

Sorry, I have to start this follow up thread because I'm denied access to my original one, either a computer glitch, or an attempt at censorship..., I hope for the former one, maybe too much traffic; because the latter one involves free speech...,at any rate here is my answer.

Have you all heard about circular thinking? This is the second time we speak of it...it is quite interesting, I learn it firsthand from master lhsoccerfan himself!

I just love all the involvement of all of you, players, fans and even coaches in forming the best team possible for our district and I must admit ... you are very perpicacious in your choices and in your remarks.

However, I was not referring at all at YOUR line ups, but rather foreseeing what often happens at the end of the season...with THEIR line ups....when such and such don't get drafted for our first and second all-district teams...to appear in the newspaper!

I am trying to make the choices of the end of the season all district team -for the decision makers- a little bit lighter, if not righter.

I think that this exercises will enable the public to understand our choices even better if you would be so kind a to explain why you pick those players over others and which field formation you would favor for the talent, skills, and heart you have put together on your favorite squads.

I know I can count on you.

[shellshocker]

rainbow, I've read the other posts and do not care one way or the other since I don't closely follow your district.

But you seem to think someone is being left off. Tell us what you think, give some reasons, and let the district 3 players/coaches respond.

[hdkjga]

I'll play:


Comeaux's strikers.....becasue I have seen this team play about 4-5 games this year and they consistently don't have as many shots on goal as their opponents and yet they win. These two guys shoot very effectively. Better than any other two that start as strikers for their respective teams in this district.

Lafayette's Mid.....I have seen Lafayette, Acadiana, Cro, Comeaux, Westgate, Sulphur, and Barbe play in this district. Of those 7 Lafayette has the most solid midfiled in the district. The only team to rival it is Acadiana, but I think Lafayette's wings are better. The middle has learned to be able to control the tempo of games and distribute well, and the wings play their positions excellent. They know when to make their runs and are constantly creating scoring opportunities for the team.

Acadiana's D.....no team has allowed fewer goals than Acadiana in district play. They are led by the best defensive player in the state that I have seen so far....Chris Credeur. If you have an appreciation of the way a central defender should play his position, I encourage you to watch this guy. His field presence, knowledge of the game, and instincts alone should have him first team all-everything. Acadiana plays a flat back 4, and the system seems to work very well.

Barbe's keeper.....he has allowed more goals than anyone in the district, but I would put money that if you looked at how many shots on goal vs. how many goals scored against, he probably has the best ratio in the district.

As far as my others:

LeBlanc (AHS).....in my opinion, he is the MVP of the state right now. He has the ability to take a game in hand and win it. I watched him in the 3-4 loss to Comeaux in the Northside tourney and it could have easily been 0-4. He gets hacked more than any player I know and just runs through it. He had the winning goal against Lafayette in OT and just comes through when his team needs him. He's big, strong, fast, and very reserved in the fact that he doesn't lose his cool.

White (Comeaux).....This guy has extremely impressive speed and he gives teams fits. He goes 110% all game, every game. He has a good shot and as I said before a LOT of spped and skill on the ball. He is the main transition man for Comeaux and is a definite reason why they are as good as they are.

Broussard (Carencro).....He could be much better if he had more help. The loss of Menard to Lafayette, hurt Carencro this year. However, Broussard is still their goto guy and teams key on him. My only knock against him is that he can have a temper when a game starts to get out of hand, or if he gets hacked.

Wilks (Acadiana).....excellent center mid fielder who does what his team needs him to do. He is a leader of the leading team in the district. He plays his heart out every game. He's got good speed, good shot, and makes the runs that many other mid fielders forget about. This is what sets him apart. He is constantly making off the ball runs and frees up space for LeBlanc, Saboe, etc. to get the space they need fo ra good shot or to dish off to him. Very unselfish player who is an important part of what AHS tries to do.

Johnson (Lafayette).....For a Soph. this kid is good. He is excellent in the air. My only qualifier is that he doesn't communicate as well with his defense as I would like, but that will come with experience. He is also a great keeper when it comes to PKs, he's blocked several of them so far this year.


That's the team I posted on the other thread and here are my reasons.

[oldref]

wait hdkiga, you don't have any kids that sit the bench, you know the ones who have the potintal to be a great player but never get the opportunity because the coaches son is starting in front of him. thats the kids rainbow wants to know about! you see we in the US are not fair to all the kids that play the beautiful game rainbow is talking about. i am sure in france where rainbow is from all the kids are all stars.

this ,like goat, will be my last responce to rainbow because like goat i know who you are. one word of advice rainbow, if you keep asking people to answer questions about themselves you must be prepared to do the same. i'll put goats integrity up against yours anyday. i know you have many more skeletons in your soccer closet than he does! remember i know you and goat.

[Rainbowcycle]

Shellshocker, you should start this very constructive and enlightning exercise if not for our district...for yours.

The players will be that much more grateful to you for giving them a true idea of how close they are to making it to the gate of the next level of play.... Being invited to our District All-Star Game first ....then REGIONAL...AND remember it does not matter if they are select players by default, annointed recreational players , or plain athletic players with a big heart....because when selected by their peers, fans, and coaches, they will go to the STATE ALL-STAR GAME... and that means they will see even more college scouts and scholarships glowing in front of them.

Please don't think like Goat who mentions to have been this, and then that , and then yet something else, and who uses his posts to become a sarcastic spectator, instead of helping out at developping our sport to give it its rightful bonified place among the high school sports at the same title as football, Basketball, Volleyball, Track, and Baseball/Softball, or even wrestling. By the way what is Goat really pointing at when he says he has been?

I would rather have Goat change his nihilistic approach towards me, by starting to participate in this exercise and by not trying each time we slightly move in the right direction to promote our soccer sport, to put ice time on our road with the sole intention to make
US SKID (no pun intended) our flagship in the MISSISSIPPI...

Come on board Goat, stop your smearing campaign against me, that has to stop NOW, and make an honest attempt at making up by telling us what your best line up is for our district, put your expertise to good use for a change on my thread, and don't forget to consider yourself "the potential coach" of this ALL-STAR TEAM representing Division I - DISTRICT 3, "no more beating (no pun intended) around the bush" Rainbowcycle

[m]

Rainbow if you don't stick to the subject matter of this thread, it will be locked. Stay on the subject of the all-star team and leave the rest out. Thanks.

[Rainbowcycle]

Thank you , M., every time I post something contructive, the old guard comes fighting down with their calvalry bashing everything on their passage...and please don't even start to mention that I started addressing people PERSONALLY...I have to answer smearing campaigns when I see them coming ...they should have used the e-mail service and they chose not too...you should have overriden them if you were a moderator right off the bat when they started to commit libel...
Thank you for your involvement though!
Rainbowcycle
Please everyone should reread the following:

Even...IF YOU HAVE ALREADY READ AND AGREEd TO THESE RULES:

YOUR POST
This bulletin board is a privilege based private bulletin boards that is open to the general public for discussion of relevant topics. Each user is exclusively responsible for his/her post(s) and assumes ALL liability for such.

The 10 commandments of this message board:

2. Stay on topic
3. Personal conversations should be done via E-Mail, not bulletin boards
4. No "calls to action" by users
6. NO personal attacks. Keep it above the line. Libelous or slanderous posts prohibited.
7. DO NOT bash players for ANY REASON
8. Don't believe everything you read on the message board
9. Implement the Golden Rule: Treat others as you would want to be treated.
10. Enjoy the discussion of Louisiana High School Soccer with people all over the state.

I would like very much to stay on topic and to continue this very interesting formation of our best team posssible in our DIVISION I - District 3.

[Rainbowcycle]

Best line ups so far, from FancescoTotti, and also of hdkjga (could you please give all the names though when you say the entire defense or offense...)or can someone have yet a third different one to compete against the best of let's say Shreveport, Lake Charles, Alexandria, Monroe, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, or from the strong Golden Meadow area?

Lineup from FrancescoTotti
................Jacob Broussard.....Broussard
Jake White.......Belfour....LeBlanc.........Hardy
.......................Todd
St. Cyr.............Credeur..............Prejean
.....................Barbe Keep

Bench
#15(westgate)
Billeaud
Wilks
Saboe
Menard

Line up of hdkjga: I need more details of names please!

Please put full names, grade and school so we can discuss it further, thank you!
Rainbowcycle

[LOS]

wow everyone has basically said LHS has struggled defensively and the games i went go watch that was definately true yet 2 of the 3 defenders for this all star team come from lafayette. i'd have to go with alex david from comeaux who has played very good when i've seen and maybe dusty castille from cro

[LOS]

oh and i'd agree LHS's mid is the best in the district and one of the best in the state. but not to many people are talking about kevin carter who plays forward he is strong fast and has great ball skills

[Rainbowcycle]

Great input LOS...why don't you list your 11 starters and 7 subs.. so we can have a clearer picture of who you intend to play and where, and in which formation: 4-4-2; 4-3-3; 3-1-3-3 ; 3-3-4 ; or something else... like 3-4-3.
Also tell us in more details why you picked those players for your team...over others(?) How do you name your team by the way?

GOALKEEPER

LEFT BACK--RIGHT CENTRAL--LEFT CENTRAL--RIGHT BACK


RIGHT OUTSIDE----RIGHT MID--LEFT MID----LEFT OUTSIDE


RIGHT WING--------------STRIKER------------------LEFT WING


By the way on my Rainbow ALL-STAR TEAM I grab the goalie from Comeaux...I scouted Comeaux at the Northside Tournament in the semis against perennial rival and force Lafayette High...Yes I know that game was not a good reference perse by all means.....But, I happened to be seated behind the Comeaux, door keeper....ready to go scout THe Comeaux Girls battling The Teurlings Girls in the finals on the other side, and I must tell you I have never seen such a confident, cocky (with all the good meaning of the word) audacious keeper in my life...talk about not being bashful... that guy not only pumped up his entire squad...he was leading the entire Moore Park Complex with his very acccurate comments, and play by play directions.

I'll take him anytime on my squad and with some more polishing..not too much, I don't want to sound too cocky myself....I found myself a 50 carat diamond.

Any comments...? At least tell me his full name and which grade he is in, hopefully not a senior already!?Rainbowcycle

[Ghandi]

The goalie you saw was not even Comeaux's goalie.



Rainbow, after LHS scored their fourth or fifth goal in the LHS vs. Comeaux game, Boatner ( Comeaux's goalie ) stormed off the field. He threw his gloves on the ground and had to get a coach to calm him down. Keep in mind this guy is a not in thrid grade. He does have very good reflexes, though. The trick is to run across him when a ball is in the air. He goes for the person, and not the ball. LHS scored 2-3 goals like this.

[hdkjga]

I thought about Comeaux's keeper, but after I heard he threw down his gloves and walked off the field in his last game against Lafayette, I don't think I would want that on my team. He is very talented, but that action was enough to turn me off of him.


Only reason, I haven't made a lineup is becasue I don't know all of the kids names, nor the numbers. I have only seen some of these teams once or twice. The one's I mention are the ones that caught my eye.

[Rainbowcycle]

That is exactly what I wanted to point out ..at the end of the season some coaches go behind close doors to make life turning point important decisions to decide who is going to be nominated and voted on for district honors and the majority of them only know the pseudo stars and of course most of the time will vote for them..since they are the only ones they know...
If you haven't done your homework..and still do not know who the most deserving ones are at the middle point of the season...it is getting time!

I give you one more week, hdkjga, make some phone calls to find out..because we only have three weeks of regular season left, at a rate of two Tuesday/Friday game per week = only six games are left in our district.

It is so frustrating, to attend those nights in which the best is being overlooked...because some coaches just don't care enough to evaluate the eight teams' players... we are not talking that many, less than a hundred to evaluate over a three months period. But it got to be done to make the system work.

To be fair - that is the bottom line - to those who work their butts off on the high school fields without being rightfully recognized!

[Rainbowcycle]

Ghandi, I take Boatner going down the field storming any time, seems like a SEABISCUIT Type, kind of winner to me...I bet my stock on him... what do you think?
Some temperament...maybe, but you just got to bridle his anger gently the right way, seen the HORSE WHISPERER?! and you got yourself a national caliber player in the making.

You see at times you don't have to be a goalie starter to end up a college goalie star, it would help of course...and at times it does; some one mentioned you were an excellent goalie..and certainly you are, but I haven't had the pleasure to see you closely, since my expertise is really the high school girls' side that I'm coaching or trying to...at least. Tell me which team you play on, so I can go do some more of my homework myself, I only have three weeks...!

[Ghandi]

I think excellent may be streching it. Excellent would require no inconsistency, which everyone has problems with. I do not need people to butter me up. We will talk excellent in 2 years.

Anyways, I play for the Lions.

[hdkjga]

Rainbow,

I promise you I won't be making any phone calls to find out the name of anyone. If I noticed them in a game and they caught my eye, I would have found their name out at that time.


I don't think All-district is a "life-turning" decision. Also, to my knowledge every coah nominates the players they think deserve it. Many players who deserve to make it, don't becasue the district has to spread some of the recognition out. Lafayette has 10+ players deserving of all-district status. The same could be said about Acadiana. Cro and Comeaux could prob. make a srtong arguement for 7-8 each. The sad part is that a player from one of the top 4 teams will not make all-district becasue the district won't put too many players from one team in all-district.

Rainbow, I went ahead and said the way I would get my team. Who would you pick, why, and in what lineup?

[hdkjga]

bump......I'm waiting

[LafayetteDad]

Rainbowcycle wrote:[Best line up so far, from FancescoTotti, or can someone have a better one to compete against the best of let's say Shreveport, Lake Charles, Alexandria, Monroe, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, or from the strong Golden Meadow area?]
Hey, hey now. Watch what you say about Golden Meadow, or you might end up as crab bait! I grew up in GM (Go Mighty Lions!) and believe it or not, that's where I first learned the game of soccer. One of my cousin's lived in England for awhile, his dad having been a tugboat captain in the North Sea. Anyway, when he moved back, he taught us the basic rules of soccer. He even had a British accent, which would be very hard to believe for anyone who hears him speak today with his very thick Cajun accent. So watch what you say about "down the bayou".

[lhssoccerfan]

I am sorry to burst the bubble of this thread, but I have been directly associated with All-District selections by coaches on several occasions many years ago. If it's anything like it used to be, you can rest assured that it is a very political atmosphere, with coaches from teams who don't have players who should be selected conspiring together to vote for each others players. This process was the only time I ever saw the Lafayette Parish School Board Athletic Administrator show up, obviously to referee...

In my view, if one team has all of the best players in the District, then they should be the All-District Team. Now maybe there have been been changes over the years to improve the integrity of the voting. Personally, I doubt it. Admittedly, this year in District 3, the selections should not be from one team. Nonetheless, I can tell you from experience that the process is full of holes... and a volatile situation to say the least...I never left one of those meetings where at the end of the meeting everyone was cordial...

We'd probably get a better representation of an All-District Team if we would allow the kids to vote. They would, as I have said before, ultimately vote for the best players. Kids tell the truth! I used to have a saying which was not very popular with the adults...

"If you want to mess up something, get the adults involved." It'll turn ugly in a heartbeat!