FRA vs Ezell

[jordan9]

Just a hats off to the FRA coach and team for great sportsmanship. As a Ezell parent it was wonderful to see great soccer play with excellent attitude and coaching. Well done!!

[FrankL]

cool

[hardball03]

FRA's coach is a class act, he will and has been good for their team. Most of the

younger players need his example.

[SWEEPINGUP]

then why would he harass the ref while holding a 4 goal lead with only a couple of minutes left to play??

[Fridge]

Because hes still a winner. He hates to see the game messed up by officiating, no matter the score. You cannot argue that hes a class act, especially if you have had the opportunity to speak with him. I played for him my freshman year, and he was by far the best coach I've ever had, and he knew how to develop players. He criticizes, but does it in a constructive manner.

[HickoryHusker]

Along with being a great coach and a class act, he is also one of the best recruiters in the state.

[futbolfan7]

Coach McDonald is a class act. I'm not sure what the comment about recruiting is about. There is no need to recruit when his reputation proceeds him. He has taken the soccer program at FRA and developed it into one of the finest in the state. A quality program supported by the school for both girls and boys and his fine coaching, experience as a former college coach and charactor are what would make his program attractive to serious atheletes.

[qwert]

Recruiting??? Just because people want to play for him because they want to play for one of the best (if not the best coach) in the state, does not mean that he recruits. I know people that have sent their kid to FRA to play soccer for Coach McDonald because he is a great coach, not because he recruited them. His reputation speaks for itself and an uninformed person should not tarnish it.

[soccergal9]

he is one of the best coaches. He can take a player and find the best out of them. He knows alot more about the game then alot of people. He is going to take fra far this year, in both girls and guys.

[Metroman]

Let's be honest, recruiting does occur on the small school level, but it isn't done be the coaches or teachers. It is done by other parents and students. I don't mean their is an organized attempt to woo players away from other schools, but most of these girls play for club teams across the mid state. They know each other and their parents know each other. If one player decides to she wants to be a soccer player and not a basketball player, she might switch schools before freshman year because of FRA's soccer reputation. This happens at all the private schools in the state (see Ezell, Goodpasture, Lipscomb, DCA). Whether its right or wrong can be debated, but its the truth.

 

As for the reason FRA has had so much success. There are a couple of reasons for that. First, Coach McDonald is the most competent coach in the midstate. Let's be honest, he coached a successful women's college team while most of the coaches in the midstate were learning the rules of the game. He is a good man with a ton of knowledge. He also has a wonderful middle school program that focuses on teaching the basic fundamentals. That is why FRA will continue to improve. Last years state championship may have been a bit of a fluke, but there will be several more in years to come.

[Fridge]

Im not trying to start something, but how was it a fluke? They beat Ridgeway, who many considered the top contender in a very well played match, and then won the state championship in possibly the most exciting game ive ever seen. If you are referring to the goal at the end of regulation, that was skill. The ball was played brilliantly, and Jenny Phillip made a nice leap to head it in. If youre going to say that, then you could say just about any victory is a fluke.

[hardball03]

Recruiting is recruiting. It's ironic in FRA's situation that a great number of their

younger players come from the same club team.....run by a couple of parents of

of an FRA player. :justwrestle:

 

Doesn't take away from the coach, he's first class.