NWO Soccer Weekly (Girls') Coach of the Year - Scott Wamer

Toledo - I can think of one word to describe Clay (Oregon) head coach Scott Wamer...intense; but their is a humble and gracious side of Scott Wamer that maybe his immediate family and players in the program would know. This past season had to be one of the best for the longtime head coach of the Lady Eagles of Clay - winning their second TRAC (Three Rivers Athletic Conference) title in 4 years, finishing the regular season as one of the four best girls programs in the state of Ohio in Division I, but more importantly finishing the regular season with no blemish in the lost column. "Coming into this season we did not have any expectation, we thought we could be very competitive but nothing like what we achieved this fall" said Wamer. "This was a young team with some older leadership and they matured at the right time throughout the season. We had a great group of kids with a great skill level that put us on the map".  The Eagles finished the regular season with a 14-0-2 record and heading into the state tournament with the top-seed in the NW District and heading into the Findlay bracket a lot of people would speculate that the Eagles could run into trouble. Clay advanced to the district semifinal to take on a TRAC rival Notre Dame Academy, a team they defeated 3-1 back on September 24th at home - and this time it would be a different result. The Eagles saw their season come to a close on a Dena Deeb finish in the closing seconds of the second extra time period; that loss left Coach Wamer is disarray and what he may need to do differently to propel this very talented team to the next level. 

Courtesy of the Toledo Blade

"We have to recognize the level we are at and where we want to be - with that comes more challenging games and friendlies to instill into our players that we have to learn to compete to big time matches in order to win a district title. A league title is always a good goal to set but being knocked out [by NDA] the way we were was not fulfilling." said Wamer. In retrospect, this Clay (Oregon) program has come a very long way - with being able to play those state powers and creating a winning environment. "I felt that I was the right guy at the right time to get the job here, I was a physical education teacher and just remember recruiting hard for girls who were not playing a fall sport. We only had one club player at that time and by the end of the first year we thought we had a good crop of players." said Wamer. "Now we are getting girls that are coming here that are playing at high level clubs like GTFC Impact and Pacesetter - we are starting to see our youth feeder systems get more numbers and compete. It is a very exciting time and I am looking forward to the future of our program". At the end of the day, Wamer knows what it takes to be a winner and what it means to be successful and achieve goals and dreams that are set - "Our goal is to win a district title, it was good for our younger players to understand the meaning of this year and how it felt to lose that way. Hope we come with a great attitude in the summer workouts and preseason next fall but I am very proud of all of our girls [current and alumnus] who have believed and continue to believe what this program is about". On behave of NWO Soccer Weekly I like to congratulate Clay (Oregon) head coach Scott Wamer on being named the first-ever NWO Soccer Weekly (Girls') Coach of the Year. We wish you nothing but the best and continuing success in your program.

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NWO Soccer Weekly (Boys) Coach of the Year - Andrew Screptock

Toledo - Springfield (Holland) over the last 5 years have started to see a trend that in most year they did not see...yes in the early 2000s the Blue Devils were a easy win for many NLL foes but this past fall they were poised to be one of the elites in northwest Ohio - and they were close.  The Blue Devils advanced to the district final for the first time in school history before falling to eventual Regional finalist Anthony Wayne.  First-year head coach Andrew Screptock, an alumnus of Springfield helped change the environment into a winning environment and building elite players - this fall the Blue Devils finished second in the NLL with an overall record of 14-3-2. 

Courtesy of Toledo Blade

"Coming into the year I think a lot of people thought we peaked since we graduated 9 [seniors] last fall. At times last year, the chemistry was not there, it was a little bit more individuals, but this year the chemistry and working together throughout the year gave us a bit of an edge" said Screptock. With working together and creating a winning environment - come players and Springfield has been very blessed with quality throughout the years and including this year with great seniors such as Sean Miller, Nick and Joe Yeager, Josh Siers, Steven Sekerak and Jacob Schultz. "Those young men were special, they created an environment that all of our younger players fed off of. They should be proud of the foundation they laid [getting to a district final] and now it is the younger players turn to start building it piece by piece". With the shift in Springfield soccer - it is good to say that the younger players are coming through a different environment than most did when they were younger. With the new travel leagues being instilled in the Holland/Springfield township area players are getting a chance to get out and play at a more competitive level. "Recreation leagues were the only thing around in my time coming through - now we are getting club players that start out at Springfield and see themselves going to a more competitive clubs like Pacesetter, TFA and the Toledo Celtics. So it is a great thing to be able to go and work with the younger players and encourage them to take their game to a better level when reaching high school" said Screptock - the Blue Devils ultimate goal is to win a district title and continue to develop players and see them have success.  "We are going to graduate a lot this year including a lot of goals up front and quality defending and goalkeeping but the best thing is to keep pushing these guys and building. We want to have the success and continue to challenge for NLL and district titles and become one of the elite programs in the area." said Screptock. On behave of NWO Soccer Weekly we like to congratulate first-year head coach of the Springfield Blue Devils Andrew Screptock on being named the first-ever NWO Soccer Weekly (Boys') Coach of the Year. We wish you nothing but the best and continuing to build your program.

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