High School AAA soccer player of the year impresses local players

NEWPORT NEWS – Jefferson Forest boys soccer players Tim Bullock and Scott Zaring got an up-close-and-personal look at Virginia High School Coaches Association player of the year, Brian Ownby of Group AAA state champion Deep Run, who will play next year at Virginia, in Wednesday night’s VHSCA All-Star game.

Owenby scored the first two goals in the East squad’s 3-0 victory, the first on a penalty kick after he was taken out by a defender as he chased down a ball in front of Zaring.

“He’s an incredible player,” Bullock said. “His speed is unrealistic. He just got behind our backs twice and he finished a penalty kick on the first one and beat the goalkeeper on the second one.”

After Ownby’s second score, Amherst forward Ellis Turner had a golden opportunity to pull the West back within one goal in the final 15 minutes by finishing a ball that squirted through the defense near the left post.

“I should have put it away, but things happen,” said Turner. “I thought we had some good chances and we should have put away, but we had fun.”

Nana Darko, a Heritage-Leesburg graduate, scored the final goal to put the game away in the closing minute.

In the first half, after Zaring made a diving save of a shot by Jamestown’s Kramer Runager near the lower left post, Turner made a great backwards kick to save a ball on the left end line on the other end, but his teammate’s point-blank shot was saved by Lafayette keeper Justin Wolfe.

Nelson Luke Longanecker was the only area player on the East squad, coached by Governors coach Pete Hauschner.

“He had two shots on goal he just missed,” Hauschner said of Loganecker. “Most of these guys have got scholarships to colleges and universities. He was pleased to be playing along with them.”

Hauschner, who led the East squad, was impressed with the personalities and the humility of the players he had the privilege to coach.

“There were a plethora of great players,” he said, adding that made his job easy. “They play club soccer all year and ODP all year. There’s not a whole lot you have to tell them.”

Zaring and Bullock were familiar with many of them from having played club-level soccer in the past.

“Me and Tim have played with the guys on this team for years,” Zaring said. “We’ve grown up with these guys, so the chemistry was pretty good from the start. It’s an honor to be on this team. Unfortunately, we didn’t win, but it’s not really a game to win or lose.”

“It’s a good way to end on something like this,” added Bullock, who will play at Liberty this fall. “It puts you almost at the college level.”

E.C. Glass athletic director Chip Berry was on hand, but his son, Hodges, a Group AAA all-state player who was selected to the team, was unavailable as he is traveling with his older brother Weston in Italy.