Your All-Star Team for Div I - Dist 3

[Rainbowcycle]

The first round of games have already been played and we are well into the second round, so we all should have a pretty good idea of the quality of players our district has to offer...


As you are well aware of, not many people are ever sastisfied with the present selection of the first-district team at the end of our soccer season, and for very good reasons... often excellent players are left in the cold...or bumped on the second team for whatever reasons...!?

Let us leave politics at the doorstep for the moment, and ask the fans and the players themselves for a change, instead of the coaches for the best team our district could field in a fictitious inter-district all-star game, that YOU would be asked to coach!

Everyone who selects is the coach...and with that in mind, must select the best that there is from the district to field YOUR all-star team? Please justify your choices.

I'll start first by giving you a feeling of what is expected:
"I am slightly prejudiced when it comes down to Carencro High and have a weak spot for that team as you all well know, so it won't come as a surprise to you, if my first pick is junior #13 Tiffany Hebert for one of the two central defender positions: she is in my eyes fast becoming one of the best players in that position, you will not win a single tackle from her, all 50/50 balls are inevitably always hers, she will dribble down the field when she sees the field opening up in front of her, and is fearless when it comes down to aggressive plays, moreover she added slide tackling to her weapons which lengthen her aura on the pitch even farther...

I wouldn't mind complementing her talents with those of #18 Julia Gamble, junior at Lafayette High. I'd bet my stock on #18 any time: she rarely disappoints me and is just an all around solid asset in the back, she has the whole package to play college soccer.

So here you have my first two selections for the two central defender positions: I feel very confortable and secure about my choices. I will select others players from the district later for my Rainbowcycle All-Star Team. As for now, it is your turn to start the selection of YOUR DREAM TEAM - you may name it as you like.

At the end of this exercise, we might become more aware of talented or skillfull players we had no clue about beforehand and so we'll have a better understanding of why they are chosen and appear in the newspapers.

Maybe, at the end of our season 2004-2005, we could come to a consensus about the best first and second district teams ourselves and pass it on to the reporters. The floor is yours...


I cannot help but notice that I had more than 84 hits on my previous thread but not one answers.

So let's try a somewhat different approach, but I will need your help on this one, since I don't know all the ins and outs of all the teams as well as you do.

Can you let us know which are the good players on
The Lafayette High Lady Lions
The Comeaux Lady Spartans
The Barbe Lady Bucs
The Acadiana Lady Rams
The Carencro Lady Bears
The New Iberia Lady Jackets
The Sulphur Lady Tors
and the Westgate Lady Tigers,
to consider for an all-star district team?

Not only that, but do you think our all-star district team would have any chance of success at beating the best of another district, let's say from Baton Rouge, Shreveport or from New Orleans?

Remember, presence of skills or talent alone, don't make a good team; the same as being select or rec, or just athletic...what really matters is heart, commitment, desire, resilience, and love of the game which are part of the whole package needed to succeed...in our sport.

Most importantly, keep in mind YOU would be asked to coach that team...having a licence or not, whatever your age, or level of involvement in high school soccer.

It would also help us if you'd tell us which team you know best! I know I can count on you to make this work so that at the end of the season we'll have a pretty good idea of who to choose.

[tordad]

for sulphur I believe Lindsey Doucett #5 is our best candidate for the all-star team. She was also picked for the ESA all tourney team for there tourney this year.

[Rainbowcycle]

One coach contacted me saying the lack of response was due to the fear of offending players who might not be nominated.

Yet..., I mean at this time of the season...,
this is exactly the point I want to make, we might want to upset a few who are just cruising by not leaving everything they got on the pitch for their team to move forward, not fighting with big hearts, not giving everything...they could for their high school teams.

Every player is potentially eligible to be nominated at one point or another of the high school soccer season.

This tread could be a valuable gauge for the players to see as the season progresses; if some players need to challenge themselves a little bit more or to push themselves a little bit more to get into consideration for selection on "a public all-star team. "

A selection on "a public all-star teamwhich in my eyes is often closer to reality, than the final "fait accompli" results printed in the newspaper at the end of the season.

These results as you all well know, unless you really want to keep your hands in front of your eyes, are based on "a close door vote", in which politics have a much bigger part than fairness, if it is not the entire part.

To give you an example try to count how many times, over the years, the coach's son or daughter's has received all first team honors or MVP Awards... over other potential candidates which were less or not at all represented at the table that night...

This list could go on and on and on... There is no need for you to name anyone, I made my point and all the points for the ones' who have been neglected over the years by not receiving no credit where credit was due...and who are presently winking at me !

This present effort at forming a Public All-Star Team is thus, merely, intended to protect the little guy David against the well organized Goliath... and I as a former player can vouch for it - this to the coach who e-mailed me - I would rather hear the honest, straightforward evaluation of an outsider, than be surprised or chocked in the aftermath of the season by a final decision of an district all-star team in which I am completely leftout.

The little guy, who is the majority of you all and I, have no vote at all when it comes down to those political campaigns, "behind those close doors", where the most effective ones lead to have such such, or so and so on the first and second district team, without having had even the chance to put our own penny in the "buy out"... discussions!?

Anyone who would not like to participate in this exercise to enlighten the players as far as their present status to make the all-star team and which would motivitate them to stay on it or to make the list, is either

1) afraid to do what is right ,

2)agrees to the present unfair process of electing players not based on their true contributions to their teams' successes; when it is irrelevant if they are athlete only, "anointed rec players" , or "select players by default", b/c as I said talent or skill alone don't make a successful player: determination, commitment, loyalty, resilience, and love of the game in no particular order are often more important than the rest...if not more than talent which you are born with but which you must nurture, or skills which you must work at acquiring continuously under the mentorship of a qualified coach and with a lot of sweat away from the public eye....As my mentor Anson Dorance put it, when I was at Chapel Hill: "The vision of a champion is someone who is bent over, drenched in sweat, at the point of exhaustion when no one else is watching." This ws stated in Anson's latest book THE VISION OF A CHAMPION, which I highly recommend to you players...and parents!

I have often experienced games being won , by decisive goals coming... from the foot...work, or/and the head...work of players who work their "butts off" (physiological term not intended at all to raise eyebrows, butt rather to state facts as they are) in the shadow of our so called "stars"...and who never receive any credit where it is truly due, when at times the so called "star player" simply was there to finish it off....finish what off? if it wasn't off the hard work of the others who got the ball at the top of the field in the first place!

Often have I witnessed, and please read me well, not in all instances, yes there are many righteous coaches -and I don't intend to offend any of them, I am just cutting down the chase and getting straight to the point - among them, with no political agendas, who will not bend under any circumstances especially not under political pressure, who will make the right decision for the children; nevertheless, the majority always "wins" as we say, especially when it comes down to a, how shall I put it "undemocratic vote, stamped at the bottom with a "we live in a democracy" seal of approval, relieved somewhat for not having done what was righteous.

or 3) is part of the present broken system and doesn't want to fix it under the false pretense of " If the wheel ain't broken don't fix it..." it works fine in my own interests..

So please folks....

I need your help on this ...

start voting...

and let ESPECIALLY those players, and coaches because it happens to them to, who haven't been selected... yet..., who know about this. Please don't hide this from them...

It might scome as as a surprise to a lot of you adults, but our children can take it better than us, most adults, who sometimes act "like the children" instead of listening to them who often act "as the adults."

This might be an eye opener for the playing slackers who come with all their "select by-default" credentials...and "pseudo star aura" who expect to grab all the district and state honors; when all the work has been done by the real

"sweating players who all season long had the less
glamorous part of being at the furnace, in the heat of the moment, shoveling the coal into the paddlewheel steamboat engines' furnaces" streaming down the Louisiana Mississippi" heading their team to the NOKIA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP!

I need your help, the majority, to make this work, Sulphur was at the furnace and shovelled some coal, show us the way....like Sulphur did!

[bblips]

Okay Rainbowcycle I've been thinking about this alot. Here is my lowly opinion:

For Barbe I would say: #23 senior Carmen Cortez and #11 senior Krista Baxter. Both these girls are your backbone or workhorse players and both I believe undervalued. Carmen plays several different positions mostly center mid this year but also forward,wing ect. wherever she's needed.(She scored against Carencro last night and was I believe the one who scored on Cro last year to break ya'lls winning streak. Sorry!). But her main strengths are support. Chasing down balls, passing, and getting the ball up top. Has a strong accurate kick from far out and a nice corner kick. The ball just seems to stay more on the right side of the field when she's in. Krista plays center defender mostly but also sweeper in years past. She is a determined player. Little gets past her. She always seems to be a second or two quicker than an approaching player. Taking the ball away and sending it barreling down field. She breaks up alot of plays and clears many balls for us. Both these girls are talented players who put their team first. They will play till they drop, through injuries and illness. Are dependable and steady ,good students and from what I've seen just nice kids. This has been hard. I could name a couple of others but these two I think are sometimes are overlooked because they are just always expected to be there and take up the slack. One freshman player to keep an eye on among several promising ones is Lolly Plummer #24. She plays center wing, either side and is like a little misquito hovering around her man. 90% of the time stealing the ball away. She will play her heart out every game.
As far as other teams my knowledge is limited but a few stood out to me: On Comeaux #12 don't know her name. She played defender right I think. The couple of times I saw them play I thought she was very good. Very fast, strong accurate kicks, nice long throw-ins and excellent legal slide tackles which she bounced right back up from. Seemed to have a calm capable presence. On Carencro I agree with you about #13 Tiffany Hebert a solid defender. I also liked #8 I believe her first name is Ashley she played up top. I liked her hustle. She was quick and refused to give up or back down. Our girls also said she had class refusing to play dirty or be petty as some teammates were encouraging her. (Wow! Integrety too!).
I'm sure there are others but my mind is a little foggy right now(need sleep!). Just my two cents for what its worth.

[tordad]

I agree with the Barbe players for the most part but I am surprized you left off the goalie. From our 2 games I would say she is the strongest goalie I have seen(that includes acadiana and Lafayette's) she gets my vote

[bblips]

You are right Tordad. Barbe's senior goalie Kaylynn is very good. She is tough,agressive and very cool under fire. I have seen her take hits that would put most goalies out of the game but not her, she shakes it off and keeps going. She is fast and fearless. And can handily boot the ball down the field. She was one of the several others I could have named along with sweeper Katie Riley and Forward Jessica Girly as worthy of recognition. I just didn't want to seem to greedy by naming 5 or so players!
On Sulphur's team I was impressed with a couple girls don't know their names but one was a tall black girl who played defender but also up top a little while #15 maybe? She was aggressive and never quit played with a lot of heart. Had a strong accurate kick and from what I've seen and heard is a very nice kid too. One of the forwards also comes to mind. Don't remember # but I believe she runs track or cross-country also. Very fast can take that ball right up the sideline on breakaways and it's very hard to stop her.

[tordad]

The two you pointed out are our corner stones on each end of the field. Number 15 is Shalena Milton and the other one is Number 5 that I named earlier.
the reason your goalie stood out to me so well is the transition from saving a shot to an offensive attack by punting the ball past mid -field as quickly as she does.
to me the others you named are good but are equal to girls on acadiana and lafayette in their same positions but there is no one in our district that plays goalie equal to her.

that is why I was surprized to not see her mentioned in the thread about the best goalies in the state.

[Rainbowcycle]

Thank you Barbe and Sulphur fans, coaches and players, your posts are very helpful in determining the most deserving players your cities have to offer...now I'm waiting on some answers from the Lafayette and New Iberia area...I hope they'll answer the call as well as you did!

[RudeDawg]

Would have to agree with Tordad, Barbe keeper is very good. I would add another player if I could. For Sulphur #3 Haley Garcia. I am not sure of her goal count, but she does have alot of assists. Have also noticed that she is double team sometimes even triple teamed when she does come up with the ball. But she does add to what little offense Sulphur has had this year.

[aktandroc]

Here are some people and #s that stood out to me during the season.

Barbe: GK - Kayleen C. She is an excellent GK (skillwise and attitude). She has quick reflexes, awesome punts and good transitions. # 7 - Katherine Mack She is a aggressive player and covers the whole playing field.

Westgate: # 2 (Forward if I remember correctly)

NISH: # 5 and # 10 Good forwards with speed.

Acadiana: # 13 scored quite a few times on us

LHS: # 10, # 41, # 18, # 9, & # 8

Carencro: # 33 and # 13

Sulphur: As mentioned on this posting already I definitely believe Lindsay Doucett (# 5) deserves it. She works very hard & has a great attitude. Lots of speed and skill. I won't mention other players at this time.

[PumasFC]

Rainbowcycle I have to agree with your assessment of our children's egos although it has been my experience that those "superstars" egos seem to be very fragile. If you don't bow down to their every whim they seem to go into a shell and don't wish to contribute to the fullest to the team, especially in crunch time! They are usually the player that gets on the end of a ball that has been brought upfield by a dogged fullback who passed it off to some winger who only has 1 goal on the season, but just crossed a ball to the back post so MR/MISS primadonna can knock one home to the roar and adulation of the crowd. And oh by the way, when the All District Tem rolls around don't look for those defenders and Midfielders to be recognized. Their job is to be subserviant to that same forward, who by the way can't practice at least a couple of times a week for various injuries, while evryone can be out busting their behinds at practice. I do speak with some experience on this subject having been in those meetings in the past.

[LEObacker]

I have to agree with PumaFC 100%. The defense/mids are usually left out of the spotlight.
The flat back four of Laf High has had only 3 goals scored on them in the tough district 3. None of those came during regular field play. One was a shoot out, one was a PK when the keeper handled the ball past the 18, and one was a free kick. This sounds like an all district defense to me but I doubt that will be reflected in the farce they pass off as an all-district team.

[LEObacker]

Seems a bit odd that the meeting to "decide" the all- district team was at the same time as the #1 and #2 team in the district were playing 1st round playoff games

[observer]

This meeting was scheduled last week before the playoff team pairings were announced. If LHS and Comeaux decided to play on Thursday, it was their choice. Considering the format ( coaches cannot vote for their own players ) I would think that their absence would benefit their schools, not hurt them.

[Barron]

I agree with enigma that we should put this thread to rest. However, I feel that I must reply to the post by aktandroc--there is a glaring omission in the LHS nominations-- #13

[whatdoyouknow]

Just to put my 2 cents in...

Lafayette- Doyle is a great player. Definately deserves a spot.

Acadiana - #13 is a great scorer.

Barbe- would definately agree with you guys, the Keeper (Kayleen) got that.

Comeaux- #5 (speed)

Westgate- #3 (freshman I think, but got talent)

New Iberia- #8 (all over the field) #10 has speed but little ball control

Sulphur- #15 (great defense, clears the ball very well)

[enigma]

What do I know, as do most people... Doyle does not play for LHS.... lol...

Let this sleep until CHS and LHS are finished their runs in the playoffs.

[whatdoyouknow]

Oh man, I'm such an idiot. She plays for Acadiana then, right? My mistake.