Published: August 19, 2008 11:41 pm         

Eagles enter post-Rodriguez era

Woodrow Wilson has lots of new faces in the lineup this season

For the first time in several years, Woodrow Wilson enters the boys soccer season without a superstar in the lineup.

Joe Rodriguez, like another former state player of the year, Chase DeWese, and MSAC player of the year Alex George before him, has graduated after leading the Flying Eagles to a ton of wins.

Rodriguez will be missed, but assistant coach Dave Harrah, speaking for an under-the-weather head coach Rocky Powell, said life must go on without him.

“Joe was a great player for our program and our school (Rodriguez helped win a state championship in both soccer and basketball), but high school is an evolutionary thing,” Harrah said. “New players come along, and you don’t look back. You look forward.”

So while Woodrow, 14-2-3 last year, must learn to play without Rodriguez, fellow all-staters Chandler DeWese and Dylan Foster, defender Travis Parkulo and goalkeeper William Turner, all of whom graduated, a new group of players is stepping up for its turn in the limelight.

Some were starters last year, such as all-state outside midfielder Jared Morgan, sweeper Tony Serge and defenders Aaron Dunbar and Jonah Moore.

Serge is the only player who will return in the same position, however.

Morgan and Moore will move to central midfield spots, while Dunbar, and occasionally Moore, will become strikers.

“We’re still jockeying with all the positions,” Harrah said. “We have a lot of new guys who will get playing time.”

The Flying Eagles have two promising candidates to replace Turner at goalkeeper, senior Eric Pettyjohn and junior Pierce Jarrell.

Harrah expects them to share time in goal.

“They’re both athletic and have had good preseasons,” he said. “Whoever we have in goal, we’ll have an excellent goalkeeper, no question.”

Serge, a quick junior, will anchor the defense. The stopper and back positions are still up for grabs between senior Cory Jenkins, junior Christian Planté and sophomores Matt Prelaz and Travis Cole.

The midfield will feature Morgan, a senior, and Moore, a junior, in the center. Andrew Blair can also play there, freeing Moore to move up to striker.

Senior Chris Payne, junior Reid Landis and sophomores Tanner Pfeiffer and Ben Stafford will share the wing positions.

Junior Derrick Law and Aaron Dunbar look to be the strikers, but Moore and Payne will also come up from time to time.

“We’ve got more depth at midfielder and forward than we’ve had in years,” Harrah said. “And we have considerably more speed in front.”

So far, Serge and Morgan are the team leaders on defense and offense, respectively, but Law, Moore and Blair show promise as well.

“We seem to have a good chemistry among the players,” Harrah said. “That’s as important as anything else your team can have.

“Some of these guys have sat on the bench and watched J-Rod and the other guys perform. They’re enthusiastic about having their turn.”

The Flying Eagles open their campaign Saturday at Morgantown, a final four team last year.

— E-mail:

dstillwell@register-herald.com