Soccer readies for inaugural season

The Thompson Falls-Plains soccer team started its inaugural season with practices Friday and Saturday on Previs Field.

"I'm very excited for this year," said Michael Scharfe, head coach for the Thompson Falls-Plains Blue Hawks boys team. Nick Lawyer, head coach for the new girls team, also held practice on the Thompson Falls football field Friday and Saturday.

The Thompson Falls School Board voted in favor of the co-op fall soccer team last March. The teams are composed of students from eighth grade to seniors from both schools, including a few home school students. Lawyer said that the teams are self-funding and they've received more than $23,000 with over $60,000 in pledges. Thompson Falls-Plains is one of nearly 20 schools in Montana to have soccer programs this year. At present, the boys and girls will be Blue Hawks, though later, the girls might be switched to the traditional Lady Hawks.

"I'll be donating my coach stipend to the Plains School system to help offset costs. The goal is that this should cost the schools nothing. I can't think of anything better than including more kids who are already great at the game of soccer at no additional cost," said Lawyer, who has coached club soccer teams of the Clark Fork Soccer Alliance for more than 12 years. Scharfe has coached Clark Fork Soccer Alliance teams since 2018. Several members of both teams were part of the Clark Fork Soccer Alliance, including Grace Noonan, a St. Regis High School senior, who was awaiting approval from the Plains School Board to be on the new co-op team.

The boys team has a paid assistant coach, Josh Allday, and two volunteer coaches, Cody Pallister and Cody Hafner. Lawyer is assisted by Katrina Nygaard, a paid position, and volunteer coach Madison Toyias. Lawyer felt the early practices went well. The coaches for both teams used the first practices to determine the kids' knowledge and experience of the game and went over some of the basics. On Saturday morning the teams gathered indoors to learn the rules of the game and for some team building before hitting the field.

"We're dusting the cobwebs off the experienced players and building fundamentals of the less experienced," said Nygaard, who has coached soccer for the last four years. Her daughter, Solveig, a Thompson Falls student, is a member of the team. Her husband, Eric, recently received his Montana Officials Association (MOA) certification to referee in the school's new soccer season. Several Sanders County residents recently received their MOA certification.

"We're shaking off the rust, and getting acquainted with our new players," said Lawyer, whose daughter, Ava, will serve as one of the team's starter keepers. Ava is one of a dozen members who played with the Clark Fork Soccer Alliance, some for over a decade. The coach said they are presently focusing on the fundamentals. Both coaches emphasized the importance of passing the ball to teammates, using good techniques and good defensive mindsets. Allday talked to the team right away about moving the ball quickly but with purpose. "Our plan is to build a new program from the beginning and make sure that everyone has a solid grasp of the fundamentals of soccer. We're working to improve our endurance and physical fitness," said Lawyer.

Lawyer, who is now also MOA certified, was one of the handful of residents pushing for local schools to add soccer to their sports program since 2018. "It's an inspiring moment for soccer in Sanders County. I give great credit to the schools, both Thompson Falls and Plains, who took a very thorough look at the idea of adding soccer, they were very diligent in doing their homework, and made the decision after seeking input from many, many parties," said Lawyer. He noted that soccer has been a growing sport in Sanders County for nearly 30 years and getting it into the schools was the next evolutionary step.

"The legitimacy and authenticity with adding soccer as a school sport helps those children who love the game of soccer, it helps them to be treated fairly and equally to their peers who play other sports," he said. Though he won't be able to coach club soccer this year, he's sure someone else will step up to take over a U18 girls team. "This is really about the kids and the players and they have earned the chance to represent their schools and their communities while playing their sport," he added. He's also pleased that Thompson Falls took the lead in getting the program started. "But this is a joint program between Plains and Thompson Falls. These are two communities working together to form one program," he said.

Scharfe has 21 boys on his team, including four homeschoolers and three eighth graders. "I think the first two practices went very well. We are still getting some of the summer rust off, but I am very encouraged with these boys," said Scharfe, who's looking to put Jacob Howell, a sophomore at Thompson Falls High School, in as his starting keeper.

"The boys we have are definitely showing some good quality talent and I am excited to see them compete," he said. Scharfe said they have a core of experienced players, including seven of the players who had played soccer for 10 years or more and form a solid structure they can build from. He also noted that Allday has more than 20 years of coaching experience under his belt. "We've got experienced players all over the field. We also have three new players who are learning about the game and are growing into the team and the culture of our soccer program. There are also five players who have played at least a few years and are continuing to develop as soccer players," he said.

Lawyer expects his girls to be competitive in every game and said they will be setting their sights on the state championship. "But we can also be realistic. This is a growth season for us. We'll be learning about the level of physicality and speed of play that our opponents will bring," said Lawyer. "Our players expect success and they're working hard for each other to be ready for the season. We're going to take this one game at a time and we plan on working to be tough to beat," he said.

Scharfe said he plans to have practice Monday through Thursday for the next two weeks from 5:30-7 p.m. He said they're coordinating the practices at the same time as the girls team for bus scheduling purposes for the Plains players. Lawyer plans to practice six days a week for the first three weeks, but once games begin he will cut back to three or four days a week. "I subscribe to physical periodization with a plan to help kids develop physically and aerobically, which means a strong pre-season program followed by a maintenance program once the regular season starts," he said.

"This is a great celebration of how popular soccer has become in our county, as well as a lot of hard work from a lot of people. I am very excited to see this off and running," said Scharfe. Lawyer said he's focused on building the sport of soccer in both communities. "We're trying to continue to provide high quality, entertaining soccer that everyone can enjoy," he said. Lawyer added that maybe one day Plains would have its own soccer team, but for now, he's focused on the present.

"I love the game of soccer and I love teaching it," said Lawyer. "I'm proud of how far the game has come in Sanders County and I want to continue to help kids who are passionate about soccer. I want to help them grow and develop both as people and as soccer players."

The boys and girls teams both have 12 games scheduled for the fall season.

with six games at home at Thompson Falls, starting with the first game of the season on Aug. 31, at home.

for a non-conference game against Lone Peak of Big Sky. Home games will be played at Thompson Falls High School. They will face eight conference games against Bigfork, Libby, Columbia Falls, and Whitefish and non-conference games against Polson, Corvallis and Livingston.

"We're very hopeful that the Plains and Thompson Falls communities will come out in force and make our home-field advantage strong," said Lawyer.