Soccer continues training

Thompson Falls High School soccer is done for the season, but the work for the players continues with an indoor program in an effort to stay sharp for next season.

It's called futsal - indoor soccer modified with five players on a team, but in a smaller venue - and several players are participating in the Clark Fork Soccer Alliance program, said Nick Lawyer, head coach for the Thompson Falls Lady Hawks, which includes Plains players. He's also one of the futsal organizers. The participants meet three times a week in Plains and in Thompson Falls.

"In a continuing show of community spirit, the Clark Fork Soccer Alliance, based in Sanders County, has expanded its popular futsal program to offer more opportunities for youth and adults to stay active throughout the winter months," said Lawyer, who has been involved with the Plains soccer program for more than a dozen years. "With the recent addition of high school soccer in Thompson Falls, the program has grown to include indoor sessions in both Plains and Thompson Falls, bringing the excitement of indoor soccer to even more families across Sanders County," he added.

This year was the first for a Sanders County high school to have a soccer program. Thompson Falls and Plains, normally big adversaries, formed a co-op fall soccer team. The girls team also had one student from St. Regis. The new Lady Hawks finished the season with one win, nine losses and two ties. The Blue Hawks, coached by Michael Scharfe of Thompson Falls, finished with two wins, seven losses and three ties.

Just over a dozen Blue Hawks and Lady Hawks gathered at the Plains Alliance Church gymnasium Friday evening to play futsal soccer for two hours. A few adults and younger kids participated in the indoor soccer games, including Joel Myers, a U14 soccer coach, who took his coed team to a championship in a daylong tournament several weeks ago. Jeremiah Allen, 22, who played club soccer in Plains, Dave Wrobleski, president of the Clark Fork Soccer Alliance, and Bethany Myers, Joel's wife, also participated in the games.

"This is a great way for players to improve their technical skills. Players will see growth in their ability to give and receive passes, dribble, and make quick decisions. It's about speed of thought and speed of skill," said Lawyer. "I think they are really different games, and they offer different growth opportunities. Players will see improvement in their technical skills on how to interact with the ball at their feet. Better receiving and passing and dribbling is the hope and expectation of futsal," added Lawyer.

High school soccer players served as captains and picked team members. Three teams were formed, most of which were filled with the high school soccer players, but also with the four adults and two of Myers' kids, Titus and Elsie, a 13-year-old who plans to play for the Lady Hawks next season. The futsal soccer program started in Plains in 2017, said Lawyer, but this was the first time the sport has been utilized specifically to help the high school soccer players stay in shape and keep their skills sharp for the next season. Most of them plan to participate in the spring club soccer program. The high school players do futsal soccer twice a week at the Plains church and once a week at the Thompson Falls High School gymnasium.

"It's a way we can stay fit through the winter," said Thompson Falls junior Solveig Nygaard, a Lady Hawk who played multiple field positions last season. Thompson Falls sophomore Jacob Howell, who served as keeper for the Blue Hawks, also believes the indoor soccer will help him next season. Grayson Stevens, a Thompson Falls freshman, joined the futsal soccer games and plans to play for the Blue Hawks soccer team next fall. "My kicking has improved a lot," said Plains freshman Leanna DeMars. Last fall was her first time to play soccer, but she plans to play the next three years.

Futsal soccer is different from regular outdoor soccer. The gym soccer "field" is around 40 feet wide and 70 feet long. There were only five players to a team. The coed games were five minutes long or three goals, whichever came first. Instead of a throw-in when the ball went out of bounds, which it did a lot, a player kicked the ball in. And there were no offsides. The winner of a game played the one sitting out. It was a rotation system that went on until about 9:30 p.m. With only two teams participating toward the end of the night, the final game went for just over 30 minutes with team black besting team green 22-21.

"The thing that this has is the speed of play," said Wrobleski, whose children, Andrew and Katherine, played for the high school team last fall and were present Friday. Both are fierce competitors, though Andrew accidentally scored a goal for the other team in an attempt to pass the ball back to his father, the keeper. "They couldn't score, so I helped them out," was his excuse and he did eventually score for his own team. The game ended with his team winning 2-1.

"This is a lot harder. It's a lot smaller area and there's no grass, so the ball goes faster," said Andrew Wrobleski, a junior from Plains who served as a midfielder on Scharfe's Blue Hawks team, but he had played club soccer since a young tyke.

"It's harder to dribble up the field because of the smaller size. The kids that play get so much better because they get to touch the ball a lot more," said Dave Wrobleski, who often referees club soccer. "There's a lot more chance for them to touch the ball here. There's a lot of repetition. It teaches them to think faster," he added. "The program's emphasis on ball control, quick decision-making, and agility translates well to the larger soccer field and beyond," said Lawyer.

He also noted that futsal offers a unique opportunity for kids to hone their skills in a fast-paced, indoor environment. He said it focuses on technique, coordination and teamwork, builds better soccer players and can benefit athletes in other sports. He added that it's a game-changer for many of his players.

"We've seen players who were initially hesitant become enthusiastic participants. It's not unusual for kids to start playing with their parents and both the kids and the parents discover a passion for the game that keeps them coming back week after week." He said that the futsal program began with just 10 participants once a week, but that it has flourished with an average of 60 players a night. The younger kids usually play first, leaving the second part for the high school players and older kids. "The expansion is a testament to the dedication of the soccer community and the growing interest in developing soccer skills among local youth," said Lawyer. Participants use the gyms for free, but have to wear non-scuff shoes.

"The success of the futsal program highlights a broader need for accessible indoor facilities for youth sports in the area. As interest grows, the Clark Fork Soccer Alliance faces the challenge of accommodating everyone who wants to participate. The club is currently considering adding more nights or securing larger spaces to ensure that no one is turned away due to overcrowding," said Lawyer.

For more information or to get involved, Lawyer said people can visit the Clark Fork Soccer Alliance at the Plains Alliance Church on Tuesdays and Friday nights or the Thompson Falls High School on Sunday afternoons.