Grain Valley soccer sees boost in numbers for summer camp

by Michael Smith, Grain Valley News
 
The numbers for Grain Valley head coach Brett Lewis’ boys summer soccer camp keep growing.
 
Last year, he invited seventh and eighth graders to join the high school players in the summer camp for the first time, and that helped grow interest among youth to participate in soccer.
 
After having around 65 boys participants in 2024, Lewis said he has close to 75 participants this summer.
 
For the girls camp, there have been around 45 participants.
 
“There are a lot more people here than last year,” senior Cohen Hackworth said. “We have more competition which is pretty nice for us.”
 
For the middle school students, the camp has been a benefit for them as they get to play with high school and even college-level players.
 
“It’s always so fun,” Lewis said. “We wanted to get some kids involved that are close to going to high school. This helps the kids that are going into high school to connect more to the program and they are more invested and they come out and watch games. They get more excited to be a part of the program to be there.
 
“When they get to the high school level, they know what to expect.”
 
Added senior Cooper Bousselot: “It gives those kids an opportunity to see how we play and helps them see how physical the game actually is.
 
“Even if you aren’t in high school, you are still being evaluated and are getting looked at. But a lot of it is about having fun.”
 
Lewis’ annual summer camp started Monday and will end today. The camp gives students the opportunity to sharpen their skills by participating in drills and playing against each other in scrimmages for their World Cup Tournament.
 
Because the numbers for the boys camp has increased, Lewis splits his players into teams of eight or nine, which is up from the six or seven each team had last year.
 
In the World Cup scrimmage games, each team picks a country to represent, and they play each team in a round-robin style format. The nets are set up on the east and west sides of the field at Moody Murry Memorial Field. The winning team earns Lamar’s Donuts as the prize.
 
“The first two days we work more on the technical aspect of soccer, like the 1 vs. 1 play and the touches,” Lewis said, “and the different types of skill moves. On the last three days, we play games.”
 
“These smaller games allow more players to flourish,” Lewis said. “When you’re playing 11 vs. 11 soccer, some players may hide and not get on the ball as much.”
 
Even former players, who are currently playing at the college level, participate in the camp and play in the tournament. On the boys side, Owen White, Isaiah Johnosn and Campbell Childers were helping out, along with Emma Thiessen, Lexi Nicholson, Annabelle Totta and Meghan Knust on the girls side.
 
“They help with the coaching side a little bit and they will also pop in and play,” Lewis said. “They are still training, as well. They also set an example for the younger players to show the level of player they want to be at.”
 
Johnson, who plays for the Metropolitan Community College men’s soccer team, said he enjoys getting involved with the camp by mentoring the younger players and getting in workouts during a dead period for the college season.
 
“There are a lot of kids that are really good, even the middle school ones,” Johnson said. “I think they compete well with the high school guys. Some of those seventh and eighth grade guys are really good. Grain Valley has a lot of soccer talent.”

Photo credit: Michael Smith, Grain Valley News
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