National Soccer Powers from MD, VA, and DC visit Middle Tennessee

[95GSoccer]

(--Article from the Williamson Herald--)

 

Local girls’ soccer powerhouses Franklin and Brentwood, along with Rutherford County’s Siegel high schools will be hosting three of the nation’s top programs in a special event format beginning tonight at Franklin.

Our Lady of Good Counsel from Olney, Maryland, Arlington, Virginia’s Bishop O’Connell and St. John’s College High School from Chevy Chase, Maryland will be in Franklin this weekend, bringing national championship-level competition to the mid-state, according to legendary Franklin Head Coach Jimmy Burchett.

“These teams are nationally ranked every year and will give our fans an excellent look at girl's high school soccer at the highest level.â€

Bishop O’Connell is typical of the three visiting teams and an early favorite in every game they play.  The Knights are considered an early contender for the national high school title, according to unapproved website.com, bringing to Williamson County a program record of 438-72-48.  Bishop O’Connell has made 20 appearances in the ultra-competitive Washington Catholic Athletic Conference championship game in the past 28 years, with 10 championship trophies already in the case.

Their biggest challenge in the WCAC has been Our Lady of Good Counsel, whose record is very similar to Bishop O’Connell.
The Washington, D.C.-area teams are not expecting a cakewalk on their trip south.  Franklin (4), Brentwood (3) and Siegel (1) have captured eight of the past 15 state championships in Tennessee and the Lady Rebels and Lady Bruins have made a combined 12 appearances in the title game in same period. 

“We’ll compete well.  The Williamson County area is still the hotbed for soccer in the state.  Germantown Houston and Oak Ridge are very good, but this is still the heart of Tennessee soccer country,†said Burchett, whose team has already knocked off Knoxville Farragut on the road when the Lady Admirals were ranked number one in the state.

The four-day event begins tonight with Bishop O’Connell playing at Franklin at 7 p.m.  

On Friday, Our Lady of Good Counsel plays at 4 p.m. at Brentwood in the midst of the Bruin’s Homecoming celebration and Bishop O’Connell with play Sigel at Franklin at 5 p.m. prior to the Franklin-McGavock football game at 7 p.m.

Action returns to Franklin High on Saturday at 2 p.m. with Our Lady of Good Counsel facing the Lady Rebels and St. John’s College High School will be at Brentwood at 4 p.m.

The final game of the special event is scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. as St. John’s College High School plays at Siegel in Murfreesboro.

 

 

 

 

(--Article from the Tennessean--)

 

Defending Class AAA champion Brentwood, state runner-up Siegel and perennial title contender Franklin are set to each play a pair of games against nationally renowned teams traveling from the D.C. area this weekend.

Bishop O’Connell, from Arlington, Va., will play Franklin and Siegel. Our Lady of Good Counsel, from Olney, Md., will play Brentwood and Franklin. St. John’s College High School, from Chevy Chase, D.C., will play Brentwood and Siegel.

"We and Franklin and Siegel have been pretty successful as a whole the last few years," Brentwood coach Cal Long said. "It’s exciting to play against someone that’s been successful the way they have."

Good Counsel is ranked seventh in the most recent National Soccer Coaches Association of America’s Top 25, with O’Connell 2--st and Franklin tied for 25th.

Franklin coach Jimmy Burchett was the primary contact in arranging the matchups, which stem from a series of games dating back nearly 20 years.

"Back in the ’90s, (the late) Barry Redmond was into all the national rankings and he had contacts with teams up in the D.C. area," Burchett said. "He’d put on the Tennessee Classic and he’d have teams from Knoxville and Memphis come in and play four or five days against some teams from up in the Northeast, to get a comparison for rankings.

"After he died, some of it died down, but some of those guys are still involved with their teams -- and they like country music. So every three or four years, I’ll get an e-mail from them saying they want to come down."

The schedule is as follows:

Thursday -- Bishop O’Connell at Franklin, 7 p.m.
Friday -- Our Lady of Good Counsel at Brentwood, 4 p.m.; Bishop O’Connell vs. Siegel at Franklin, 5 p.m.

Saturday -- Our Lady of Good Counsel at Franklin, 2 p.m.; St. John’s College High School at Brentwood, 4 p.m.

Sunday -- St. John’s College High School at Siegel, -- p.m.
 

Good Counsel, O’Connell and Franklin are second, fourth and fifth in the current NSCAA Region IV poll, which also includes Hendersonville (No. 9) and Father Ryan (No. ----). Region IV encompasses the District of Columbia, Kentucky, Maryland, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

[95GSoccer]

Results: (2-3-1)

 

Franklin (1-0-1)

4-2 Franklin vs Biship O'Connell, VA

2-2 Franklin vs Good Counsel, MD

siegel (1-1-0)
0-4 Siegel vs Bishop O'Connell, VA

3-2 Siegel vs St. Johns College, DC

Brentwood (0-2-0)

1-5 Brentwood vs Good Counsel, MD

2-4 Brentwood vs St. Johns College, DC

[AAASOCCER]

Thanks that must of been some great soccer.!

 

 

Results: (2-3-1)

 

Franklin (1-0-1)

4-2 Franklin vs Biship O'Connell, VA

2-2 Franklin vs Good Counsel, MD

siegel (1-1-0)

0-4 Siegel vs Bishop O'Connell, VA

3-2 Siegel vs St. Johns College, DC

Brentwood (0-2-0)

1-5 Brentwood vs Good Counsel, MD

2-4 Brentwood vs St. Johns College, DC

[ChattanoogaCannon]

Very cool! I wish I had known about it.