WEBVTT

1
00:00:25.640 --> 00:00:28.160
<v Speaker 1>Welcome man, It's time for another Soccer down Here one

2
00:00:28.440 --> 00:00:32.600
<v Speaker 1>the one. I'm Jason Longshore, and Tonight we kick off

3
00:00:32.679 --> 00:00:35.640
<v Speaker 1>our coverage of the twenty twenty five Georgia high school

4
00:00:35.719 --> 00:00:40.520
<v Speaker 1>soccer season. The SDH Network will be live in Decatur

5
00:00:40.799 --> 00:00:45.320
<v Speaker 1>for the Bulldogs of Decatur High School hosting North Atlanta

6
00:00:45.399 --> 00:00:48.880
<v Speaker 1>Girls match kicksoff at six pm, the boys kickoff at

7
00:00:48.880 --> 00:00:52.600
<v Speaker 1>eight pm. You can listen as always at soccerdown here

8
00:00:52.799 --> 00:00:56.920
<v Speaker 1>dot mixler, m i xlr dot com. You can also

9
00:00:57.280 --> 00:01:01.719
<v Speaker 1>listen by clicking the listen button soccer down here dot net.

10
00:01:01.759 --> 00:01:05.000
<v Speaker 1>That'll take you right to the page with the Mixler

11
00:01:05.159 --> 00:01:09.280
<v Speaker 1>app ready to roll for you. Wednesday through Saturday, it's

12
00:01:09.280 --> 00:01:11.519
<v Speaker 1>going to be very busy on the SDH Network as

13
00:01:11.560 --> 00:01:16.359
<v Speaker 1>we cover the twenty twenty five Creek Cup, the first

14
00:01:16.760 --> 00:01:19.560
<v Speaker 1>edition of this tournament that I think is going to

15
00:01:19.640 --> 00:01:22.120
<v Speaker 1>have a lot of legs in the Georgia high school

16
00:01:22.159 --> 00:01:25.079
<v Speaker 1>soccer seeing. Kelly Bowler, the head coach at Johns Creek,

17
00:01:25.519 --> 00:01:28.959
<v Speaker 1>caught up with us to talk about bringing this event together,

18
00:01:29.239 --> 00:01:32.040
<v Speaker 1>why it's been such a passion of his, and what

19
00:01:32.120 --> 00:01:34.959
<v Speaker 1>to expect in the first edition of the Creek Cup.

20
00:01:35.120 --> 00:01:38.319
<v Speaker 1>Here's my conversation from late last week with Kelly Bowler

21
00:01:38.400 --> 00:01:44.239
<v Speaker 1>of Johns Creek High School. We've talked about the Creek

22
00:01:44.239 --> 00:01:47.560
<v Speaker 1>Cup for a little while. It's come together for its

23
00:01:47.599 --> 00:01:51.920
<v Speaker 1>first edition this year. How difficult was it to bring

24
00:01:51.959 --> 00:01:54.640
<v Speaker 1>everything together for the twenty twenty five Creek Cup.

25
00:01:54.799 --> 00:01:58.079
<v Speaker 2>So it's been about over a year's worth of work.

26
00:01:58.280 --> 00:02:01.120
<v Speaker 2>I started emailing teams I think a year ago December

27
00:02:02.079 --> 00:02:04.239
<v Speaker 2>about being in a Creek Cup the next year because

28
00:02:04.280 --> 00:02:06.280
<v Speaker 2>schedules were made so far in advance. Now with all

29
00:02:06.319 --> 00:02:08.599
<v Speaker 2>the lacrosse teams and everything else, you have to move

30
00:02:08.639 --> 00:02:13.560
<v Speaker 2>so fast on the schedules. The I mean it is.

31
00:02:13.639 --> 00:02:16.879
<v Speaker 2>We've We've met probably twice a month every month, me

32
00:02:16.919 --> 00:02:20.039
<v Speaker 2>and my Creek Cup committee, which is made up of

33
00:02:20.039 --> 00:02:22.240
<v Speaker 2>a lot of my soccer board members of the parents.

34
00:02:22.800 --> 00:02:26.680
<v Speaker 2>And when I pitched the idea to them, they were like,

35
00:02:26.719 --> 00:02:28.840
<v Speaker 2>this is awesome, but we need to do it right

36
00:02:28.879 --> 00:02:30.120
<v Speaker 2>if we're going to do it, you know, and we

37
00:02:30.159 --> 00:02:32.159
<v Speaker 2>need to like make it a big thing. And so

38
00:02:33.039 --> 00:02:36.400
<v Speaker 2>we went out and started hunting for sponsors. I was

39
00:02:36.439 --> 00:02:38.360
<v Speaker 2>hunting for all the teams. I had a lot of

40
00:02:38.400 --> 00:02:40.479
<v Speaker 2>teams like balk at me at first because they didn't

41
00:02:40.479 --> 00:02:42.960
<v Speaker 2>want to pay, you know, a fee to come play

42
00:02:43.599 --> 00:02:47.560
<v Speaker 2>you know, two games, you know, and so. But then

43
00:02:47.680 --> 00:02:49.840
<v Speaker 2>once it started to take off, it kind of grew

44
00:02:49.919 --> 00:02:54.280
<v Speaker 2>legs of its own and and and like now I've

45
00:02:54.280 --> 00:02:56.159
<v Speaker 2>had teams asking me can they get into it. I

46
00:02:56.199 --> 00:02:58.199
<v Speaker 2>just had a team email me last week and saying, hey,

47
00:02:58.199 --> 00:02:59.639
<v Speaker 2>do you have any openings in your Creek Cup for

48
00:02:59.639 --> 00:03:05.560
<v Speaker 2>next week? And I'm like like no, but it. It

49
00:03:05.599 --> 00:03:07.599
<v Speaker 2>has taken a ton of work. And I mean, we've

50
00:03:07.639 --> 00:03:13.639
<v Speaker 2>got everything, food trucks. I've emailed every college in Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama,

51
00:03:13.919 --> 00:03:18.360
<v Speaker 2>South Carolina, North Florida, like just trying to get colleges

52
00:03:18.360 --> 00:03:21.719
<v Speaker 2>to come. We've got, you know, fifteen schools coming. I

53
00:03:21.759 --> 00:03:24.000
<v Speaker 2>want to make it an op I want to make

54
00:03:24.039 --> 00:03:26.599
<v Speaker 2>it an event that high school soccer can be proud of.

55
00:03:26.639 --> 00:03:28.000
<v Speaker 2>And it's been a long time since we've had a

56
00:03:28.000 --> 00:03:29.759
<v Speaker 2>tournament here in Atlanta. Used to have to go to

57
00:03:29.840 --> 00:03:32.639
<v Speaker 2>Alabama to do the best the Stavia Hills or go

58
00:03:32.680 --> 00:03:35.919
<v Speaker 2>to the gold Shores one to get a tournament experience

59
00:03:35.960 --> 00:03:37.879
<v Speaker 2>like that. And I think Atlanta, being such a big

60
00:03:37.919 --> 00:03:39.719
<v Speaker 2>soccer mecca, should have a tournament like this.

61
00:03:40.000 --> 00:03:42.639
<v Speaker 1>So yeah, we're really happy to be part of this

62
00:03:42.759 --> 00:03:46.479
<v Speaker 1>and provide commentary for all the games throughout the tournament.

63
00:03:46.840 --> 00:03:50.719
<v Speaker 1>Hopefully that adds to that exposure component. You know, this

64
00:03:50.800 --> 00:03:53.199
<v Speaker 1>is a big deal and a big time for high

65
00:03:53.199 --> 00:03:56.199
<v Speaker 1>school soccer in Georgia. I've been doing state championship games

66
00:03:56.199 --> 00:04:00.400
<v Speaker 1>since twenty seventeen. I feel like the level jumps a

67
00:04:00.439 --> 00:04:04.639
<v Speaker 1>lot every single year. And last year across the board, boys, girls,

68
00:04:04.680 --> 00:04:05.919
<v Speaker 1>every single classification.

69
00:04:06.479 --> 00:04:07.599
<v Speaker 3>It was a great season.

70
00:04:07.840 --> 00:04:10.560
<v Speaker 2>Mm and it was it's and you called my game

71
00:04:10.879 --> 00:04:12.800
<v Speaker 2>a few years ago. I remember listening to your voice

72
00:04:12.800 --> 00:04:14.240
<v Speaker 2>back when I had to go back and watch through

73
00:04:14.280 --> 00:04:19.879
<v Speaker 2>our our painful loss to Dalton. So so the it

74
00:04:20.040 --> 00:04:23.680
<v Speaker 2>is like high school soccer has taken on a whole

75
00:04:23.720 --> 00:04:27.680
<v Speaker 2>new level. When I started at Chattahoochie back in two

76
00:04:27.720 --> 00:04:31.639
<v Speaker 2>thousand and five, you know, most of the soccer teams

77
00:04:31.639 --> 00:04:34.720
<v Speaker 2>were coached by offensive coordinators on a football team, or

78
00:04:35.240 --> 00:04:37.759
<v Speaker 2>you know, some somehow they were getting a football coach

79
00:04:37.800 --> 00:04:39.800
<v Speaker 2>into the school to do double duty. They'd be a

80
00:04:39.800 --> 00:04:41.959
<v Speaker 2>football coach and a soccer coach, and they wouldn't really

81
00:04:42.040 --> 00:04:45.279
<v Speaker 2>know anything about soccer. And so a lot of kids

82
00:04:45.319 --> 00:04:49.079
<v Speaker 2>either didn't play for their high school team or they

83
00:04:50.519 --> 00:04:52.360
<v Speaker 2>you know, they were they weren't very good or they

84
00:04:52.360 --> 00:04:55.639
<v Speaker 2>weren't very organized because they were pretty you know, poorly coached.

85
00:04:55.959 --> 00:04:58.439
<v Speaker 2>But now you look around and every high school around

86
00:04:58.519 --> 00:05:02.680
<v Speaker 2>us is either a former club coach, a former player,

87
00:05:03.079 --> 00:05:05.959
<v Speaker 2>you know, or is a current club coach. You know,

88
00:05:06.000 --> 00:05:08.240
<v Speaker 2>Like we've got Walton coming in. Bruce Wade is a

89
00:05:08.279 --> 00:05:11.160
<v Speaker 2>coach at NASA, you know, and he's a successful one.

90
00:05:11.160 --> 00:05:13.639
<v Speaker 2>You know, River Ridge won the state championship last year.

91
00:05:13.879 --> 00:05:18.000
<v Speaker 2>Phil Thomas is, you know, a really good coach at NASA.

92
00:05:18.120 --> 00:05:20.759
<v Speaker 2>You know, Like you've got all these club coaches that

93
00:05:20.800 --> 00:05:24.240
<v Speaker 2>are now involved in high school soccer and realize that

94
00:05:24.319 --> 00:05:26.959
<v Speaker 2>because Atlanta is so good at soccer and there's such

95
00:05:26.959 --> 00:05:30.079
<v Speaker 2>a depth of talent that the high school it like,

96
00:05:30.120 --> 00:05:33.639
<v Speaker 2>you don't you don't see teams playing like direct soccer anymore.

97
00:05:33.800 --> 00:05:36.439
<v Speaker 2>Everybody's trying to keep the ball, everybody's trying to play

98
00:05:36.480 --> 00:05:40.279
<v Speaker 2>the right way, and it's it's it's very competitive, and

99
00:05:40.319 --> 00:05:42.759
<v Speaker 2>it's gotten like more and more competitive as I have

100
00:05:43.120 --> 00:05:46.120
<v Speaker 2>gotten older and more experienced. It was. It has changed

101
00:05:46.160 --> 00:05:46.480
<v Speaker 2>a ton.

102
00:05:46.759 --> 00:05:50.000
<v Speaker 1>So yeah, and it's statewide too. That's what's so cool

103
00:05:50.000 --> 00:05:52.160
<v Speaker 1>about it. I remember you doing a state championship game

104
00:05:52.240 --> 00:05:56.319
<v Speaker 1>and Breeman came in and they're running a really well

105
00:05:56.439 --> 00:06:00.199
<v Speaker 1>organized pressing system, and I'm like, pressing in high school.

106
00:06:00.240 --> 00:06:02.839
<v Speaker 1>I haven't seen this before. It is amazing, and it's

107
00:06:02.879 --> 00:06:04.160
<v Speaker 1>just taken on so much debt.

108
00:06:04.720 --> 00:06:06.639
<v Speaker 2>And I invited Bremen to the to the Greek Cup

109
00:06:06.639 --> 00:06:08.720
<v Speaker 2>they're boys and girls, because they were both super successful

110
00:06:08.759 --> 00:06:10.399
<v Speaker 2>in the last couple of years, and so I was

111
00:06:10.399 --> 00:06:11.879
<v Speaker 2>trying to get them to come, and he was flirting

112
00:06:11.879 --> 00:06:14.399
<v Speaker 2>with the idea of coming. So, you know, in some

113
00:06:14.439 --> 00:06:16.879
<v Speaker 2>of the smaller classification schools, I get not wanting to

114
00:06:16.920 --> 00:06:19.519
<v Speaker 2>jump into something like this because it's going to be,

115
00:06:19.600 --> 00:06:21.759
<v Speaker 2>you know, some tough matchups, but also wanted to get

116
00:06:21.759 --> 00:06:24.759
<v Speaker 2>teams in there that like they might dominate their division

117
00:06:24.959 --> 00:06:30.759
<v Speaker 2>and and could especially with now the new format for

118
00:06:30.959 --> 00:06:33.800
<v Speaker 2>power rankings for the one through three a's. That's part

119
00:06:33.800 --> 00:06:38.680
<v Speaker 2>of the reason Lagrange is coming. The coach Pulliam at Lagrange,

120
00:06:39.680 --> 00:06:43.079
<v Speaker 2>he's a former college coach and he built a national change.

121
00:06:43.079 --> 00:06:45.040
<v Speaker 2>I think he won a national championship if I'm correct,

122
00:06:45.240 --> 00:06:47.560
<v Speaker 2>when he was in college or as a college coach.

123
00:06:48.319 --> 00:06:50.279
<v Speaker 2>And he's built that Lagrange program from kind of the

124
00:06:50.279 --> 00:06:52.839
<v Speaker 2>ground up. They were really not a great program. He's

125
00:06:52.879 --> 00:06:56.199
<v Speaker 2>gone in there turned them, you know, entirely around, and

126
00:06:57.000 --> 00:07:00.199
<v Speaker 2>he is, you know, like they he wanted to play

127
00:07:00.240 --> 00:07:02.199
<v Speaker 2>in a tournament like this to up his power rankings

128
00:07:02.240 --> 00:07:05.240
<v Speaker 2>because he's playing neutral on a neutral field against teams

129
00:07:05.639 --> 00:07:08.879
<v Speaker 2>up a classification and our successful teams, and that's going

130
00:07:08.920 --> 00:07:10.720
<v Speaker 2>to help him when it comes to making the playoffs

131
00:07:10.720 --> 00:07:12.959
<v Speaker 2>as an at large team or whatever, so or getting

132
00:07:12.959 --> 00:07:13.600
<v Speaker 2>a better seat.

133
00:07:14.279 --> 00:07:17.360
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, for kind of our our kickoff to high school

134
00:07:17.360 --> 00:07:20.160
<v Speaker 1>in twenty twenty five, explain that aspect of it, the

135
00:07:20.160 --> 00:07:22.839
<v Speaker 1>power rankings, and how that's different than previous years.

136
00:07:23.040 --> 00:07:24.959
<v Speaker 2>So I wish I knew more about it because they're

137
00:07:24.959 --> 00:07:26.279
<v Speaker 2>not doing it in my classification.

138
00:07:26.399 --> 00:07:27.680
<v Speaker 3>Like I'm trying to learn myself.

139
00:07:27.839 --> 00:07:29.959
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I've kind of like I've kind of like, okay,

140
00:07:29.959 --> 00:07:31.519
<v Speaker 2>I'll learn this when it comes. But I do know

141
00:07:31.560 --> 00:07:35.439
<v Speaker 2>that in classifications one through three A that you know,

142
00:07:35.480 --> 00:07:39.199
<v Speaker 2>they're going to base seeding. They did it in football

143
00:07:39.240 --> 00:07:42.279
<v Speaker 2>this year, right, you know, And and what they're trying

144
00:07:42.319 --> 00:07:44.759
<v Speaker 2>to do is get a more accurate seting of teams

145
00:07:44.839 --> 00:07:47.920
<v Speaker 2>going into the playoffs. And like this is one hundred

146
00:07:47.920 --> 00:07:50.000
<v Speaker 2>percent true. You know, when we went to the final

147
00:07:50.079 --> 00:07:53.240
<v Speaker 2>four two years ago, our first round game was against

148
00:07:53.319 --> 00:07:57.040
<v Speaker 2>Lanear and Lanier won their region going away like they

149
00:07:57.800 --> 00:08:00.519
<v Speaker 2>smoked their region and then we were the four seed

150
00:08:00.560 --> 00:08:02.439
<v Speaker 2>coming out of our region. But our region was the

151
00:08:02.439 --> 00:08:05.759
<v Speaker 2>toughest region in the state. So when we had to

152
00:08:05.759 --> 00:08:08.040
<v Speaker 2>go play linear, that was almost like a state final,

153
00:08:08.360 --> 00:08:12.079
<v Speaker 2>you know, or a state semi final level game. And

154
00:08:13.240 --> 00:08:15.120
<v Speaker 2>what they're trying to do is make sure that those

155
00:08:15.160 --> 00:08:18.399
<v Speaker 2>games happen later on in the playoffs and you get

156
00:08:18.399 --> 00:08:22.120
<v Speaker 2>a more true elite, a more true final four, a

157
00:08:22.160 --> 00:08:25.360
<v Speaker 2>more true championship game than somebody kind of coasting through

158
00:08:25.399 --> 00:08:29.199
<v Speaker 2>with like an easier bracket and not getting and having

159
00:08:29.279 --> 00:08:32.200
<v Speaker 2>like easier seeds to go up against. So they're trying

160
00:08:32.200 --> 00:08:35.320
<v Speaker 2>to create that by using power rankings, your difficulty of schedule,

161
00:08:35.480 --> 00:08:38.960
<v Speaker 2>your record where you play teams as well, because if

162
00:08:39.000 --> 00:08:42.279
<v Speaker 2>you play a home heavy schedule, it's going to hurt you.

163
00:08:43.120 --> 00:08:45.799
<v Speaker 2>So they want you to travel, play difficult games, see

164
00:08:45.840 --> 00:08:47.519
<v Speaker 2>how you do on the road, that kind of stuff.

165
00:08:47.960 --> 00:08:51.480
<v Speaker 2>And as I understand it, they're also not necessarily they're

166
00:08:51.519 --> 00:08:55.000
<v Speaker 2>they're flirting with the idea of not necessarily giving every

167
00:08:55.080 --> 00:08:58.639
<v Speaker 2>region for playoff bits. Okay, you know, like where they're

168
00:08:58.840 --> 00:09:00.360
<v Speaker 2>and that's as far as I understand, I may be

169
00:09:00.960 --> 00:09:03.519
<v Speaker 2>taking on that. But the idea is to have some

170
00:09:03.639 --> 00:09:07.120
<v Speaker 2>at large bids for some of those regions that are stacked.

171
00:09:07.279 --> 00:09:08.519
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, we saw it last year.

172
00:09:08.679 --> 00:09:11.039
<v Speaker 1>There were some really tough matchups late in the season

173
00:09:11.080 --> 00:09:13.480
<v Speaker 1>to determine who's going to get to continue on yep.

174
00:09:13.559 --> 00:09:17.519
<v Speaker 2>And I mean there's been years, several years in a

175
00:09:17.600 --> 00:09:20.080
<v Speaker 2>row where I finished as the fifth place team in

176
00:09:20.120 --> 00:09:23.519
<v Speaker 2>our region and we should have been a playoff team,

177
00:09:23.600 --> 00:09:25.519
<v Speaker 2>you know, like we should like, but our region was

178
00:09:25.559 --> 00:09:27.240
<v Speaker 2>so hard that somebody had to be left out. I

179
00:09:27.240 --> 00:09:29.840
<v Speaker 2>can't say how many times we've gotten into March or

180
00:09:29.879 --> 00:09:33.879
<v Speaker 2>mid March and the top ten has been full of

181
00:09:33.960 --> 00:09:36.399
<v Speaker 2>teams from our region, five or six teams, and I'm like, well,

182
00:09:36.399 --> 00:09:38.279
<v Speaker 2>two of these teams are one of these teams can't

183
00:09:38.279 --> 00:09:40.679
<v Speaker 2>go to the playoffs because there's only four spots. But

184
00:09:40.759 --> 00:09:43.559
<v Speaker 2>I think these at large bids, if they do implement

185
00:09:43.600 --> 00:09:45.240
<v Speaker 2>those at large bids, that's where you're going to be

186
00:09:45.240 --> 00:09:47.600
<v Speaker 2>able to get these teams in there, and they deserve

187
00:09:47.639 --> 00:09:50.799
<v Speaker 2>a shot. Because you lose a game in PKS in region,

188
00:09:50.960 --> 00:09:55.000
<v Speaker 2>that costs you a playoff appearance against another stacked team,

189
00:09:55.440 --> 00:09:58.320
<v Speaker 2>you know, that's that's not a real, you know, fair way.

190
00:09:58.320 --> 00:10:01.399
<v Speaker 2>And necessarily to determine you know, the best playoff teams

191
00:10:01.399 --> 00:10:02.200
<v Speaker 2>coming out of a region.

192
00:10:03.039 --> 00:10:06.559
<v Speaker 1>So you mentioned with with Creek Cup and bringing it together,

193
00:10:06.720 --> 00:10:09.159
<v Speaker 1>how important it was to have something like this in

194
00:10:09.200 --> 00:10:12.159
<v Speaker 1>the metro Atlanta area. What does it do in your

195
00:10:12.200 --> 00:10:14.840
<v Speaker 1>mind for the teams that are going to take part

196
00:10:14.879 --> 00:10:18.360
<v Speaker 1>in this early in the season, the first weekend of

197
00:10:18.399 --> 00:10:20.879
<v Speaker 1>the first week and weekend of the season, what does

198
00:10:20.960 --> 00:10:23.879
<v Speaker 1>it do to help them be a playoff team and

199
00:10:23.919 --> 00:10:25.279
<v Speaker 1>be a competitive team at the end.

200
00:10:25.519 --> 00:10:28.039
<v Speaker 2>Well, I mean to put you against challenging teams, and

201
00:10:28.080 --> 00:10:29.879
<v Speaker 2>it puts you in a like a playing for a

202
00:10:29.919 --> 00:10:33.039
<v Speaker 2>trophy environment like our kids, you know, even coming out

203
00:10:33.080 --> 00:10:35.799
<v Speaker 2>of club. And this is I love club. I used

204
00:10:35.799 --> 00:10:37.639
<v Speaker 2>to coach club all the time. But if you're an

205
00:10:37.679 --> 00:10:40.120
<v Speaker 2>e CNL or ECRL player, which a lot of the

206
00:10:40.120 --> 00:10:42.200
<v Speaker 2>teams that are coming in are stacked with right my

207
00:10:42.279 --> 00:10:46.000
<v Speaker 2>program is stacked with it, Walton, Sequoia, Campbell, you know,

208
00:10:46.039 --> 00:10:48.320
<v Speaker 2>they all are loaded with team with players that play

209
00:10:48.320 --> 00:10:50.759
<v Speaker 2>at this level. At that level, they don't get to

210
00:10:50.759 --> 00:10:52.960
<v Speaker 2>play for trophies anymore. You know, they're playing for a

211
00:10:53.039 --> 00:10:55.679
<v Speaker 2>league title and that's about it. But when they go

212
00:10:55.720 --> 00:10:58.440
<v Speaker 2>to these showcases, they're not playing anything. They're not playing tournaments,

213
00:10:58.720 --> 00:11:01.039
<v Speaker 2>you know, and so the kids kind of miss out

214
00:11:01.080 --> 00:11:04.720
<v Speaker 2>on that getting to play for a trophy thing. It's different,

215
00:11:04.720 --> 00:11:07.000
<v Speaker 2>and it is and and when you when there's a

216
00:11:07.279 --> 00:11:10.919
<v Speaker 2>something at stake, you know it, it definitely is different.

217
00:11:10.919 --> 00:11:13.360
<v Speaker 2>And that's a more playoff environment, you know. And so

218
00:11:14.320 --> 00:11:16.360
<v Speaker 2>we're trying to recreate a little bit of like a

219
00:11:16.399 --> 00:11:21.399
<v Speaker 2>little you know, semi final final for everybody against tough teams,

220
00:11:21.440 --> 00:11:24.320
<v Speaker 2>against good opponents. And when you look at the brackets,

221
00:11:24.360 --> 00:11:26.759
<v Speaker 2>and the brackets are pretty stacked with teams that are successful.

222
00:11:26.799 --> 00:11:29.159
<v Speaker 2>I mean, my bracket has doth In in it, which

223
00:11:29.200 --> 00:11:30.799
<v Speaker 2>was I think in the Elite eight or Final four

224
00:11:30.879 --> 00:11:34.039
<v Speaker 2>last year. In Alabama, you've got Tucker, who won their

225
00:11:34.080 --> 00:11:37.519
<v Speaker 2>region last year and pretty much dominates their region almost

226
00:11:37.559 --> 00:11:41.320
<v Speaker 2>every year. You know, Murray County is somebody that's trying

227
00:11:41.320 --> 00:11:46.480
<v Speaker 2>to build a program up. Then you go to that Walton, Sequoia, Campbell,

228
00:11:47.000 --> 00:11:50.679
<v Speaker 2>and North Atlanta bracket. North Atlanta's who knocked me out

229
00:11:50.720 --> 00:11:54.159
<v Speaker 2>of the playoffs and the Elite eight last year, they

230
00:11:54.159 --> 00:11:58.159
<v Speaker 2>won their region. Walton won their region, Sequoia was second

231
00:11:58.200 --> 00:12:01.240
<v Speaker 2>in their region to the state champion River Ridge. You know,

232
00:12:01.320 --> 00:12:06.720
<v Speaker 2>like so these these teams are like these brackets are stacked,

233
00:12:06.759 --> 00:12:09.600
<v Speaker 2>and like I want. I wanted to recreate a very

234
00:12:09.679 --> 00:12:12.440
<v Speaker 2>competitive environment that right out of the gate, you could

235
00:12:12.440 --> 00:12:14.320
<v Speaker 2>test your players, You could throw them in there, see

236
00:12:14.320 --> 00:12:16.759
<v Speaker 2>what you've got, see what you have putting it, put

237
00:12:16.759 --> 00:12:18.919
<v Speaker 2>them in front of college coaches. Play for a trophy,

238
00:12:19.240 --> 00:12:21.240
<v Speaker 2>you know, give them something to play for that matters

239
00:12:21.440 --> 00:12:23.559
<v Speaker 2>these non region games. And most of us play a

240
00:12:23.600 --> 00:12:26.240
<v Speaker 2>lot of non region games. Right we have six region games,

241
00:12:26.240 --> 00:12:29.720
<v Speaker 2>but we play eighteen game schedule, so that means there's

242
00:12:29.759 --> 00:12:32.600
<v Speaker 2>twelve games in there that are like they count and

243
00:12:32.600 --> 00:12:35.240
<v Speaker 2>they're important because they're you know, they go to your

244
00:12:35.240 --> 00:12:37.960
<v Speaker 2>schedule and their record. And as a soccer player, everybody

245
00:12:37.960 --> 00:12:39.559
<v Speaker 2>wants to win everything that they do. If you're a

246
00:12:39.639 --> 00:12:41.919
<v Speaker 2>high level soccer player, you want to win all the time,

247
00:12:41.919 --> 00:12:44.120
<v Speaker 2>whether it's a drill or a non region game or

248
00:12:44.120 --> 00:12:49.000
<v Speaker 2>an exhibition game like tonight. But the it just puts

249
00:12:49.080 --> 00:12:51.159
<v Speaker 2>a little bit more at stake when you're playing for

250
00:12:51.200 --> 00:12:53.759
<v Speaker 2>a trophy and you're playing for something, you know, And

251
00:12:53.799 --> 00:12:57.360
<v Speaker 2>so I wanted to create that. And the last time

252
00:12:57.399 --> 00:13:00.279
<v Speaker 2>I knew of an Atlanta tournament of this size was

253
00:13:00.320 --> 00:13:04.159
<v Speaker 2>back when I started at Chattahoochie. Chattahoochi and Brookwood were

254
00:13:04.159 --> 00:13:06.919
<v Speaker 2>like co hosting like an Adidas Cup or something like that.

255
00:13:07.039 --> 00:13:09.159
<v Speaker 2>At the that was a high school tournament and then

256
00:13:09.159 --> 00:13:10.799
<v Speaker 2>we haven't had one for a long time, and I

257
00:13:10.840 --> 00:13:12.799
<v Speaker 2>wanted to bring that back to the Atlanta area. Has

258
00:13:12.799 --> 00:13:15.960
<v Speaker 2>always been a goal of mine. And admittedly I didn't

259
00:13:16.000 --> 00:13:17.799
<v Speaker 2>want to stick my neck out for a long time,

260
00:13:17.879 --> 00:13:20.360
<v Speaker 2>you know, because like it can blow up in your

261
00:13:20.399 --> 00:13:22.440
<v Speaker 2>face if it's handled in correctly. So I wanted to

262
00:13:22.440 --> 00:13:24.120
<v Speaker 2>make sure I had the right people around me, and

263
00:13:24.159 --> 00:13:26.159
<v Speaker 2>I wanted to make sure that we were ready to

264
00:13:26.159 --> 00:13:28.159
<v Speaker 2>put on an event like this. And I also was

265
00:13:28.519 --> 00:13:30.519
<v Speaker 2>more concerned at the time with building my program to

266
00:13:30.519 --> 00:13:32.559
<v Speaker 2>where I wanted it to be, but now it's comfortably

267
00:13:32.559 --> 00:13:35.320
<v Speaker 2>where I want it to be on a consistent basis. Now,

268
00:13:35.360 --> 00:13:37.480
<v Speaker 2>I felt like it was something we could do and

269
00:13:37.600 --> 00:13:39.559
<v Speaker 2>my players are super excited about it, you know, and

270
00:13:39.600 --> 00:13:42.480
<v Speaker 2>it puts my program at the forefront of Georgia soccer

271
00:13:42.559 --> 00:13:46.000
<v Speaker 2>for a week and it's a really good thing to,

272
00:13:46.200 --> 00:13:48.039
<v Speaker 2>you know, bring the attention to my program, which I

273
00:13:48.039 --> 00:13:49.799
<v Speaker 2>think we're doing a great job running.

274
00:13:49.600 --> 00:13:51.360
<v Speaker 1>So and you guys have been able to bring a

275
00:13:51.399 --> 00:13:53.320
<v Speaker 1>lot of great sponsors on board with us too.

276
00:13:53.240 --> 00:13:57.840
<v Speaker 2>Right, Yes, So, Emory Sports Medicine is our keynote sponsor. There,

277
00:13:57.840 --> 00:14:02.320
<v Speaker 2>our key sponsor, Our our team doctor is doctor Janthy.

278
00:14:03.039 --> 00:14:06.519
<v Speaker 2>He's one of the head people for Emery Sports Medicine

279
00:14:07.120 --> 00:14:10.080
<v Speaker 2>and he he was all about this, he was all

280
00:14:10.080 --> 00:14:12.759
<v Speaker 2>over it. He wanted to do it. Not only did

281
00:14:12.759 --> 00:14:16.039
<v Speaker 2>he provide us a sponsor ship check, he is providing

282
00:14:16.080 --> 00:14:18.720
<v Speaker 2>all the trainers for free, which I mean.

283
00:14:18.639 --> 00:14:20.080
<v Speaker 3>Like that's a huge expense.

284
00:14:20.320 --> 00:14:24.320
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, that we would be paying that he's covering. So

285
00:14:24.360 --> 00:14:27.840
<v Speaker 2>we're super excited about them. We've got Toka, which up here,

286
00:14:28.159 --> 00:14:30.559
<v Speaker 2>I mean ninety percent of my soccer players go to Toka,

287
00:14:30.840 --> 00:14:33.600
<v Speaker 2>you know, once or twice a week just to work

288
00:14:33.639 --> 00:14:36.120
<v Speaker 2>on skills, work on first touch like that kind of stuff.

289
00:14:36.879 --> 00:14:41.639
<v Speaker 2>Then we have Football Vita, which is a clothing a

290
00:14:41.759 --> 00:14:43.679
<v Speaker 2>soccer clothing company that's coming in.

291
00:14:43.960 --> 00:14:46.480
<v Speaker 3>Yeah. They're great, they're great friends of us at SDH.

292
00:14:47.000 --> 00:14:49.480
<v Speaker 2>Yeah. So we've got We've just got tons and tons

293
00:14:49.519 --> 00:14:51.639
<v Speaker 2>of sponsors. And I wish I could name them all

294
00:14:51.679 --> 00:14:54.159
<v Speaker 2>they're like, but there's so many of them that I

295
00:14:54.799 --> 00:14:57.080
<v Speaker 2>would forget. I'm afraid I'm gonna forget some of them.

296
00:14:57.120 --> 00:14:59.000
<v Speaker 3>But we will be naming them on all the.

297
00:14:59.519 --> 00:15:02.759
<v Speaker 2>Every we're reading about them every day and like we

298
00:15:03.080 --> 00:15:06.960
<v Speaker 2>we are so excited about it. We've got three food

299
00:15:06.960 --> 00:15:10.000
<v Speaker 2>trucks coming to be there and they are giving us

300
00:15:10.039 --> 00:15:12.360
<v Speaker 2>a share of their sales. Like this is like this

301
00:15:12.440 --> 00:15:14.799
<v Speaker 2>has turned into a massive event where and Tokia is

302
00:15:14.799 --> 00:15:17.600
<v Speaker 2>going to have a soccer experience at our stadium, nice

303
00:15:17.759 --> 00:15:20.879
<v Speaker 2>in the grass field over to the side. So it's

304
00:15:20.879 --> 00:15:23.279
<v Speaker 2>just going to be a really cool event, I think

305
00:15:23.320 --> 00:15:26.159
<v Speaker 2>with college coaches in the stands, and yeah, want of

306
00:15:26.200 --> 00:15:28.320
<v Speaker 2>the talk of the Taco mac is providing the food

307
00:15:28.360 --> 00:15:30.759
<v Speaker 2>for the hospitality room for those college coaches and the

308
00:15:30.840 --> 00:15:33.840
<v Speaker 2>high school coaches that are coming over, the colleagues and

309
00:15:33.840 --> 00:15:34.559
<v Speaker 2>our announcers.

310
00:15:35.000 --> 00:15:37.159
<v Speaker 3>Yes, yes, exactly, that's what I'm talking about.

311
00:15:37.279 --> 00:15:39.120
<v Speaker 1>The college coaches is a big part of it, and

312
00:15:39.200 --> 00:15:41.360
<v Speaker 1>I kind of want to touch on that before we go.

313
00:15:41.759 --> 00:15:43.480
<v Speaker 1>You know, I do a lot of high school game

314
00:15:43.559 --> 00:15:45.200
<v Speaker 1>or high school games every season. I do a lot

315
00:15:45.200 --> 00:15:48.639
<v Speaker 1>of college games every season, and you mentioned getting those

316
00:15:48.679 --> 00:15:51.519
<v Speaker 1>players ready for that kind of atmosphere. I think high

317
00:15:51.559 --> 00:15:55.840
<v Speaker 1>school across the board, and this tournament specifically, it helps

318
00:15:55.879 --> 00:15:58.720
<v Speaker 1>these guys get ready and women get ready to play

319
00:15:58.840 --> 00:16:01.679
<v Speaker 1>at the college level in front of crowds, dealing with pressure.

320
00:16:02.320 --> 00:16:05.440
<v Speaker 1>This is a huge opportunity for both sides of it,

321
00:16:05.480 --> 00:16:08.440
<v Speaker 1>whether it's the kids and the families to play and

322
00:16:08.759 --> 00:16:11.639
<v Speaker 1>be seen, but it's also a huge opportunity for those

323
00:16:11.639 --> 00:16:13.440
<v Speaker 1>college coaches to come down and see a whole lot

324
00:16:13.440 --> 00:16:14.919
<v Speaker 1>of programs in a short period of time.

325
00:16:15.240 --> 00:16:17.480
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I mean, you get it on if you come on.

326
00:16:17.639 --> 00:16:20.200
<v Speaker 2>If the college coaches come on Saturday for our finals,

327
00:16:20.440 --> 00:16:22.320
<v Speaker 2>right for the for the final day, if you come

328
00:16:22.360 --> 00:16:25.440
<v Speaker 2>to Johnswree High School, they're going to get six games

329
00:16:25.519 --> 00:16:28.600
<v Speaker 2>of high school soccer, of high level programs, all on

330
00:16:28.600 --> 00:16:30.480
<v Speaker 2>a row of kids that they would go to a

331
00:16:30.519 --> 00:16:33.600
<v Speaker 2>showcase to see any day of the week. But now

332
00:16:33.639 --> 00:16:36.240
<v Speaker 2>maybe these kids are off of their e C and

333
00:16:36.360 --> 00:16:38.240
<v Speaker 2>L teams and now they're on a high school team

334
00:16:38.240 --> 00:16:41.000
<v Speaker 2>where they're even more counted on or more relied upon,

335
00:16:41.480 --> 00:16:44.080
<v Speaker 2>and now they can shine because they're not subbing off

336
00:16:44.240 --> 00:16:46.679
<v Speaker 2>halfway through the game. You know, these ECNL teams and

337
00:16:46.679 --> 00:16:48.879
<v Speaker 2>these ECL teams, I go watch. I've got some of

338
00:16:48.919 --> 00:16:51.200
<v Speaker 2>the top players in the state, you know, at certain

339
00:16:51.200 --> 00:16:53.720
<v Speaker 2>positions in my program, and I go watch them. I

340
00:16:53.720 --> 00:16:56.000
<v Speaker 2>went to their showcase in South Carolina to surprise them

341
00:16:56.039 --> 00:16:59.000
<v Speaker 2>and watch them play up there. And here my players

342
00:16:59.000 --> 00:17:02.320
<v Speaker 2>are playing the first twenty five minutes and then coming

343
00:17:02.399 --> 00:17:05.519
<v Speaker 2>off the field, and I'm like, you know, sure college

344
00:17:05.519 --> 00:17:07.240
<v Speaker 2>can watch you in those twenty five minutes, and most

345
00:17:07.279 --> 00:17:09.440
<v Speaker 2>college coaches can probably tell you how interested they are

346
00:17:09.440 --> 00:17:11.720
<v Speaker 2>in that player in those twenty five minutes. But now

347
00:17:11.759 --> 00:17:14.640
<v Speaker 2>if you're put in a position where maybe you're an

348
00:17:14.640 --> 00:17:16.720
<v Speaker 2>outside back. We had a we had our one of

349
00:17:16.720 --> 00:17:19.400
<v Speaker 2>our star players last year was an outside back for

350
00:17:19.480 --> 00:17:22.400
<v Speaker 2>NASA and then for US he was our attacking mid.

351
00:17:22.759 --> 00:17:24.720
<v Speaker 2>You called I think you guys called his game. I

352
00:17:24.720 --> 00:17:26.519
<v Speaker 2>think you were the announcer for the game last year

353
00:17:26.519 --> 00:17:29.680
<v Speaker 2>against Carrollton. Yeah, it was Julian sa Here. Yeah, he

354
00:17:30.119 --> 00:17:32.759
<v Speaker 2>I remember he played outside back for his club team,

355
00:17:32.839 --> 00:17:35.200
<v Speaker 2>but for US he played attacking mid and was, you know,

356
00:17:35.279 --> 00:17:37.880
<v Speaker 2>an All state player. You know, so they're going to

357
00:17:37.960 --> 00:17:40.079
<v Speaker 2>get to move to positions where they're more relied upon,

358
00:17:40.160 --> 00:17:42.599
<v Speaker 2>where they're more central to everything, and it's going to

359
00:17:42.680 --> 00:17:45.000
<v Speaker 2>be you know, it's it's an opportunity to see players

360
00:17:45.000 --> 00:17:47.799
<v Speaker 2>in a different environment, and it's important to be that

361
00:17:47.880 --> 00:17:51.160
<v Speaker 2>kids get recruited. I send college emails all the time.

362
00:17:51.880 --> 00:17:54.799
<v Speaker 2>I've put people in college that had no idea that

363
00:17:54.839 --> 00:17:57.960
<v Speaker 2>they had even had the opportunity to do so and so.

364
00:17:59.240 --> 00:18:01.039
<v Speaker 2>I think it's really important and I want to get

365
00:18:01.039 --> 00:18:03.599
<v Speaker 2>more colleges. I was hoping for even more schools than

366
00:18:03.599 --> 00:18:05.759
<v Speaker 2>we currently have, but I'm super excited that we have,

367
00:18:06.160 --> 00:18:09.839
<v Speaker 2>you know, eight boys programs and three girls programs coming

368
00:18:10.559 --> 00:18:12.079
<v Speaker 2>to come up here and watch. Most of them are

369
00:18:12.119 --> 00:18:15.359
<v Speaker 2>pretty local, but you know, they you know, it's an

370
00:18:15.400 --> 00:18:17.880
<v Speaker 2>opportunity for some of these kids. It'll be an opportunity

371
00:18:17.920 --> 00:18:19.359
<v Speaker 2>that they might not have gotten otherwise.

372
00:18:19.839 --> 00:18:22.359
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, and it's awesome that all these games are going

373
00:18:22.400 --> 00:18:25.319
<v Speaker 1>to be streamed. You can watch them on the different

374
00:18:25.319 --> 00:18:28.720
<v Speaker 1>schools John's Creek and Northview's websites where the games will

375
00:18:28.720 --> 00:18:31.440
<v Speaker 1>be streamed on their sites. You'll have our commentary provided

376
00:18:31.440 --> 00:18:34.000
<v Speaker 1>by the SDH Network, and hopefully some college coaches tune

377
00:18:34.000 --> 00:18:35.440
<v Speaker 1>into that as well. If they can't make it out

378
00:18:35.480 --> 00:18:38.359
<v Speaker 1>in person, they'll be able to see a lot of

379
00:18:38.440 --> 00:18:41.039
<v Speaker 1>great soccer in a short period of time. Creek Cup

380
00:18:41.039 --> 00:18:44.759
<v Speaker 1>twenty twenty five. It starts on Wednesday. It runs through Saturday.

381
00:18:44.880 --> 00:18:47.599
<v Speaker 1>Every team's going to play two games at both John's

382
00:18:47.640 --> 00:18:51.079
<v Speaker 1>Creek and Northview. If you're in the area, come out

383
00:18:51.119 --> 00:18:53.880
<v Speaker 1>and see some of this high level soccer. And if

384
00:18:53.920 --> 00:18:56.480
<v Speaker 1>you can't get out there. You can listen to us

385
00:18:56.519 --> 00:18:58.920
<v Speaker 1>on our mixer app, and you can watch on the

386
00:18:58.960 --> 00:19:01.960
<v Speaker 1>school websites. It's going to be amazing. We're really happy

387
00:19:01.960 --> 00:19:03.720
<v Speaker 1>to be a media partner this. Thank you so much

388
00:19:03.759 --> 00:19:05.599
<v Speaker 1>Kelly for having us on, thank you.

389
00:19:05.559 --> 00:19:07.720
<v Speaker 2>For broadcasting it, and thank you for having me as

390
00:19:07.759 --> 00:19:08.759
<v Speaker 2>a guest. I appreciate it.