Jan 11,
2001 - 05:45 PM
Uncertain no more, King High now a
surprising district leader
EAST TAMPA - King coach
John Ackerman knew exactly what he was in store for before accepting his new
position, but not his players.
King girls soccer coach
John Ackerman has endured a reciprocal relationship with his team - he knew
what to expect this season while his players had no idea what they were in
store for.
Ackerman took over the
coaching duties from Shane Moody, who resigned. After serving as the cross
country coach and assistant track coach at Plant City since 1994, Ackerman was
looking for the opportunity to work closer to home, even though he didn't have
any soccer coaching experience outside of one season at Tomlin Middle School.
Though he had no history of
dealing with a high school team, Ackerman knew what to expect after
conversations with other coaches.
The same could not be said
for his players.
``With him coming in as a
cross country coach, all we figured was he was going to make us run,''
sophomore forward Becky Ware said.
Run the Lions did, upwards
of three miles a day. That, the players expected.
This year's results,
however, are somewhat of a surprise.
Heading into the final two
weeks of the regular season, the Lions are at the top of the Class 3A-District
10 standings with a 5-0-1 district record and 10-3-1 overall. With only four
district games remaining, King is in the driver's seat for the top seed in the
district tournament.
Before the season started,
few thought the Lions would even be in the middle of the pack, let along
leading it.
``I didn't think we would
be anywhere near this good,'' senior midfielder Kelly Owen said. ``I knew there
were some talented players on this team, but with a new coach and some
uncertainty I thought we might struggle.''
But it has been King's
opponents that have struggled to slow down the Lions. Of their three losses,
one came to nemesis East Bay in the regular season, one came to Durant in the
Soccer Line Holiday Tournament and the other came to high-powered Bloomingdale
in last week's tournament.
Along the way, King
captured the championship of the Soccer Line tournament, winning its final
three games of the round-robin format, and gaining some confidence. But the
loss to Bloomingdale might have been the biggest boost this year.
The Lions lost 1-0 in the
semifinals, but had plenty of chances to score at least the equalizer if not
the game-winner. Bloomingdale finished last season 25-1-2, with its only loss
in the state semifinals to Lake Howell, and started out this year unbeaten in
its first eight games.
``We played with them and I
don't think anybody expected us to,'' said junior defender Jessica Bell, who
transferred from Tampa Catholic this season.
The close game with
Bloomingdale one of several confidence boosters for the Lions. The first came
in a 4-1 win against Plant, which at the time was undefeated and leading the
district. The second came in the championship game of the Soccer Line
tournament when Ware scored the game-winner in overtime vs. East Bay.
``I think that maybe at the
start of the season, because we all knew he was a cross country coach that we
didn't respect him all that much as a coach,'' Ware said of Ackerman. ``And it
probably took about halfway through the season, but now, I think just about
everybody knows he can do the job.''