Link to Soccer Photo Galleries: http://sos.exposuremanager.com/g/2008-09b
By Alex Frazier
Meet…Rich Hobbs
Hatboro-Horsham’s Rich Hobbs has played all over the field.
As a freshman starter for the Hatters, he played midfield. The next year he moved to defense, and last year he found himself as an attacker.
After a barnstorming end to last season in which No. 21-seeded Hatboro-Horsham knocked off No. 12 Upper Darby and No. 5 West Chester Henderson in the first two rounds of the District One playoffs before being ousted by Abington, the Hatters are off to a slow start, having won only two of their first four games.
One of the problems has been a lack of scoring.
Coach Ben Winderman hopes to generate some offense by moving Hobbs up from defense, where he started the year.
“He’s one of those kids that will do whatever you ask him to do,” said Winderman. “He’s a real explosive player. He has a low center of gravity and is real difficult to defend. He’s so fast he puts defenders on their heels.”
Fact is, Hobbs likes playing soccer no matter where it is on the field.
“I love playing attack and getting the glory of scoring some goals, but it’s a lot of fun playing defense and sticking the ball and encouraging my teammates,” he said.
In a recent 5-0 trouncing by Central Bucks East, Hobbs was still out on the field,while most of the starters were on the bench, trying to get at least one goal to avoid the shutout.
“He’s also super competitive,” said Winderman. “He’s a physical player. He never gives up. He epitomizes what soccer has always been about at Hatboro.”
As a captain, Hobbs is a good example for the younger players.
“He’s a real funny kid,” said Winderman, “and he’s real complimentary to the kids that don’t get as many minutes. He’s anice kid all around.”
“I like the responsibility,” he said. “I embrace it. I love getting guys hyped up before the games.”
Before he started playing for FC Horsham, Hobbs was a star on his St. Catherine’s CYO team, which in eighth grade came in first of 81 schools in the Philadelphia Archdiocese.
His other soccer accomplishments include: Olympic Development Program (ODP) Player Pool - 2006 (1991 Boys), SOL Continental Conference all-league defender as a sophomore, SOL Continental Conference all-league forward as a junior, captain and leading scorer on his FC Horsham team 2005-08 outdoor and indoor seasons and Catholic Youth Organization All-Star for four years.
Hobbs has also given back to the sport as a licensed referee for club soccer and as a volunteer counselor for the Hatboro-Horsham Little Kits Soccer Camp for four summers.
Besides in soccer, Hobbs also shines in the academic world. He is an honor roll student and hasn’t missed a day of school since his freshman year.
He is still undecided about where he will go to college next year. But he is sure about one thing—he will play soccer, whether it’s at the intercollegiate level of just for a club team.
“I don’t know if I want to play at a small school or go to college at a big school,” he said. “But I’m definitely not giving up on the sport. No way. It’s too much part of my life since I’ve been a kid.”
Meanwhile, as a tri-captain for the Hatters this year, he hopes to lead the team back to another district playoff appearance.
“We have to turn it around,” he said. “We have a good side. We have kids all over the field, and we have subs that can come in and get good spells. My goal is to win one or two gamesin the playoffs and take it from there.”
Play Barry ball – It’s just a matter of time before William Tennent will start playing Barry ball.
Under new head coach James Barry, the Panthers are not as ferocious as expected yet, but they’ve shown potential. Tennent started the league season, having lost to Abington, Pennsbury and Bensalem.
But the Panthers own a win over Barry’s former team Council Rock North.
Barry played soccer for Leeds Metropolitan University in England and coached there one year before coming to the United States for foursummers to coach with a program called Smart Soccer.
He moved here permanently in 2001, and eventually married a woman who played soccer at Council Rock. She encouraged him to apply as an assistant at Rock when a position opened up in 2003. Three years later, he took over the program.
That year (2006) he took the Indians all the way to the state championship.
“It was a great first year,” he said. “Things couldn’t have gone any better. Sometimes it’s easy coming in as a head coach. You’ve got agood group of players that want to prove something to a new coach. The work ethic was always there from the players. I didn’t need to motivate anybody during practices.”
The following year, the Indians were also favored, but were knocked out in the second roundof districts by Bayard Rustin, 4-2. It was the last game he coached at Rock.
“They were a very good team,” said Barry.
That year he also started teaching special education at William Tennent.
When the girls’ head job came open, he applied.Once again, he had another glorious debut, taking the Panthers to their first district title.
“It surprised me how well we did, especially looking at records from the previous year,” he said, “but when I came into the start of the season and I got to know some of the players, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of quality players we had. Looking back we got where we deserved with the quality we had on the squad.”
This year the boys’ position opened up and he took it.
“I wanted to stay involved with coaching,” he said. “Originally I planned to continue with Council Rock North, but it makes it a lot easier helping out the school if you work in the building where you coach. It was an exciting opportunity for me. It’s good to be there as a teacher and coach for them.”
Barry is once again starting with a clean slate with the boys.
“I have a good group of players,” he said. “I’m getting to know them and they’re getting to now me, so it might take another two or three weeks for us to really settle down as a team and click together.”
Barry is looking toward his three senior captains—midfielders Jeff Pio and Dylan Gerstenfield and goalie Jim Clark, to help get the program back on track.
“We’ve been inconsistent at the start of this year, but when weget it right, we’re a very strong team and can compete with anybody,” said Barry. “We just have to find a level of consistency.”
Around the league – The races in all three conferences are heating up already.
In the National Conference, Council Rock North, Pennsbury, Abington, Neshaminy and William Tennent are all knocking each other off. Abington defeated Pennsbury, 2-1, and the Ghosts hold a win over Neshaminy. Council Rock North lost to Tennent but tied Neshaminy 2-2. Justin Massaro scored William Tennent’s lone goal in a 1-0 defeat of Neshaminy on Tuesday. But before that, Rock North was the Panthers’ lone conference win.
In the Continental Conference, C.B. East reigns supreme, but the Patriots had their hands full with Souderton, escaping with a single goal by Alex Abdalla Tuesday. Hatboro-Horsham, which had been struggling, posted a 3-0 win over a tough Pennridge squad. Central Bucks South pickedup a pair of wins, 2-1 over Hatboro-Horsham and a 4-2 victory over sister school C.B. West.After struggling at the beginning of the season, North Penn seems to be able to find the net more consistently as theKnights went undefeated for the week, besting Souderton, 2-1, C.B. West, 3-0, and Quakertown, 1-0.
In the American Conference, Wissahickon toppled favored rival Upper Dublin and Springfield notched a 3-0 win over injury-riddled Upper Merion.
SuburbanOneSports.com's top five SOL teams
1. Central Bucks East
2. Council Rock North
3. Pennsbury
4. Abington
5. Neshaminy
Southeastern Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association Poll
(Sept. 16)
1. Downingtown West (5-0)
2. Lower Merion (6-0)
3. CB East (5-0)
4. Father Judge (4-0)
5. Pennsbury (4-1)
6. Abington (3-1)
7. Council Rock North (3-1-1)
8. Holy Ghost Prep (4-1)
9. Neshaminy (4-1-1)
10. St. Joseph’s Prep (4-2)
11. Pennridge (4-1)
12. Strath Haven (4-0-1)
13. Christopher Dock (4-0)
14. Central (5-0)
15. Bayard Rustin (5-0-2)
16. Germantown Academy (3-0-1)
17. North Penn (3-2-1)
18. North Catholic (3-0-1)
19. Archbishop Ryan (3-2)
20. Radnor (2-1-1)
Others receiving votes: Haverford High, Wissahickon, La Salle, West Chester Henderson, Upper Darby, Shipley, Haverford School, Episcopal Academy, Bartram, Marple Newtown, West Chester East
PSCA/Angelo's Soccer Corner Poll
Week of Sept 14
Boys and Girls teams are ranked using input from coaches around the state and compiled by the PSCA. The number in parenthesis is the district the team competes in. Honorable mentions are listed alphabetically
1. Downingtown West (1) previous rank 1
2. Father Judge (12), 2
3. Bethlehem Freedom (11), 4
4. Central Bucks East (1), 7
5. Red Land (3), HM
6. Franklin Regional (7), 6
7. Central Dauphin (3), 3
8. Lower Merion (1), HM
9. Manheim Township (3), 5
10. Mt. Lebanon (7), NR
Honorable Mention: Abington (1), Abington Heights (2),Council Rock North (1), Elizabethtown (3), Emmaus (11), Ephrata (3), Erie Cathedral Prep (10), Norwin (7), Twin Valley (3).
NSCAA/adidas®
National High School Fall Rankings
Region III 2nd Poll - Sept. 16
1. St. Benedicts Prep (Newark, N.J.) 2 - 0 - 0
2. Downingtown West (Downingtown, Pa.) 5 - 0 - 0
3. Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) 1 - 0 - 0
4. Father Judge (Philadelphia PA) 5 - 0 - 0
5. Delbarton (Morristown, N.J.) 0 - 0 - 0
6. Seton Hall Prep (West Orange NJ) 1 - 0 - 0
7. Central Bucks East (Doylestown, Pa.) 5 - 0 - 0
8. Ramapo (Franklin Lakes, N.J.) 0 - 0 - 0
9. Harrison (N.J.) 1 - 0 - 0
10. Red Land (Lewisbury PA) 6 - 1 - 0
11. Pingry School (Martinsville, N.J.) 1 - 0 - 0
12. Central Dauphin (Harrisburg, Pa.) 6 - 1 - 0
13. Manheim Township (Lancaster, Pa.) 5 - 1 - 0
14. Ocean City (N.J.) 1 - 0 - 0
15. Mount Lebanon (Pittsburgh, Pa.) 7 - 0 - 0
* Denotes State Champion
# Denotes District Champion
Link to Soccer Photo Galleries: http://sos.exposuremanager.com/g/2008-09b
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