Saturday, September 22, 2012
Pictures from Brooks vs Phillips
One of the dads posted pictures from Wednesday's game. A few of Zach in action below!
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Brooks-Phillips - The 4 Year Series is Now 2-2
Well, the prep camp win over Phillips in Maine is now a distant memory. And soon enough today's 0-1 loss to Phillips will be as well. For now, we just look at the game today and think about it in terms of the season. If the team was ever going to come out flat, unemotional or just plain not themselves today would have been the best day to do it. So they did. Hopefully; hopefully, it's out of their systems. Last year's impressive win streak is long gone. It's a new year. A new team.
The game started normally enough. Pressure going both ways. A little over 5 minutes in Zach and his new striker partner Alex had a nice combination which ended up springing Zach behind the defender. The keeper came out fast to challenge and Zach pulled the ball just wide of the goal. Opportunity lost! That would have been a great way to start the game and would have possibly set the tone for the remainder. It would have broken the mold on the 4 year series between these two teams. Remember, Zach has scored in both wins and didn't in the loss. So the pattern continues.
I need to do a little research to find out the overall status of the series between these two schools. I'm sure it's a long, colorful history! One of the Brooks parents relayed a message from a friend who is a professor at Phillips. To Phillips, this rivalry with Brooks is greater and more important than the rivalry with Phillips Exeter. Interesting to learn for sure.
As for the rest of the game; after that miss by Zach, Brooks lost a bit of steam. Phillips took control of the half and pressed for most of it. Brooks looked sloppy, not playing their normal ball possession game. Instead they played the give the ball to Phillips game. Not fun to watch. One turnover almost resulted in a break in by 3 Phillips players. Zach made a hard saving tackle that caused the referee to scold him for almost a full minute, then turn and tell coach Dusty that he would be watching Zach. Not a good thing. No less than 5 minutes later, Zach earned his yellow card and was sent off the field to cool down. The card was given for yelling for a hand ball by Phillips in their own box. Should have been a PK for Brooks but it wasn't called. On it's own, not really a deserved yellow, but combined with the warning.... Well the ref was watching him! The play continued in Phillips favor. New Brooks keeper Mattie was pretty busy and made a couple of nice saves to keep the score at 0-0. Just before half, Phillips hit the crossbar and the ball bounced out. Halftime 0-0.
In the second half, the first 5-7 minutes was more of the same. Phillips applying pressure and Brooks surviving. Then the tide turned and Brooks started to take control back. Unfortunately, they would possess the ball and end up turning it over without anything to show. Zach tried multiple times to take things into his own hands, but the Phillips defense clamped down on him. Greg took his turns but again swarming defense stopped anything Brooks tried to develop. Brooks did get an occasional shot, but they were wide or high. Alex had a rocket of a shot scream by the crossbar about a foot high. Two minutes later, Zach took an identical shot from the 18 that the keeper JUST got a hand on and deflected up and over. Everyone thought that was in.
On the next throw in for Phillips the guy throwing it in did something very unique. He took a running start to the line, did a flip with the ball held over his head and sprung off the ball throwing it about 50 yards out to the field. COOL!! Play continued after that with Brooks building good pressure. Each Phillips throw in would be done by the same player now. Getting all kinds of noise from the stands when he did it. With a little over 2 minutes to go he did one more flip throw in. This one again traveled from almost the center line to just about the 6 yard box. It bounced off Sam's head and found it's way past Mattie into the net. Talk about deflating.
Brooks pressed for the final 2 minutes plus stoppage, but time ran out. Phillips had evened the 4 year series and were rightfully celebrating together. Brooks on the other hand, knew they let this one get away and all sat or stood and stared off wondering.
Hopefully this non league game will serve as a wake up call. Roxbury Latin is right around the corner on Saturday. If they don't want to go 0-3-1 against RL, the Brooksians need to get things together pretty quickly.
My evening didn't end with that game. From there it was over to Kat's Field Hockey game where her very strong Andover High JV team killed the Haverhill High team 6-0. Kat had 2 great assists in that one. Nice to have a win in the family today!!
The game started normally enough. Pressure going both ways. A little over 5 minutes in Zach and his new striker partner Alex had a nice combination which ended up springing Zach behind the defender. The keeper came out fast to challenge and Zach pulled the ball just wide of the goal. Opportunity lost! That would have been a great way to start the game and would have possibly set the tone for the remainder. It would have broken the mold on the 4 year series between these two teams. Remember, Zach has scored in both wins and didn't in the loss. So the pattern continues.
I need to do a little research to find out the overall status of the series between these two schools. I'm sure it's a long, colorful history! One of the Brooks parents relayed a message from a friend who is a professor at Phillips. To Phillips, this rivalry with Brooks is greater and more important than the rivalry with Phillips Exeter. Interesting to learn for sure.
As for the rest of the game; after that miss by Zach, Brooks lost a bit of steam. Phillips took control of the half and pressed for most of it. Brooks looked sloppy, not playing their normal ball possession game. Instead they played the give the ball to Phillips game. Not fun to watch. One turnover almost resulted in a break in by 3 Phillips players. Zach made a hard saving tackle that caused the referee to scold him for almost a full minute, then turn and tell coach Dusty that he would be watching Zach. Not a good thing. No less than 5 minutes later, Zach earned his yellow card and was sent off the field to cool down. The card was given for yelling for a hand ball by Phillips in their own box. Should have been a PK for Brooks but it wasn't called. On it's own, not really a deserved yellow, but combined with the warning.... Well the ref was watching him! The play continued in Phillips favor. New Brooks keeper Mattie was pretty busy and made a couple of nice saves to keep the score at 0-0. Just before half, Phillips hit the crossbar and the ball bounced out. Halftime 0-0.
In the second half, the first 5-7 minutes was more of the same. Phillips applying pressure and Brooks surviving. Then the tide turned and Brooks started to take control back. Unfortunately, they would possess the ball and end up turning it over without anything to show. Zach tried multiple times to take things into his own hands, but the Phillips defense clamped down on him. Greg took his turns but again swarming defense stopped anything Brooks tried to develop. Brooks did get an occasional shot, but they were wide or high. Alex had a rocket of a shot scream by the crossbar about a foot high. Two minutes later, Zach took an identical shot from the 18 that the keeper JUST got a hand on and deflected up and over. Everyone thought that was in.
On the next throw in for Phillips the guy throwing it in did something very unique. He took a running start to the line, did a flip with the ball held over his head and sprung off the ball throwing it about 50 yards out to the field. COOL!! Play continued after that with Brooks building good pressure. Each Phillips throw in would be done by the same player now. Getting all kinds of noise from the stands when he did it. With a little over 2 minutes to go he did one more flip throw in. This one again traveled from almost the center line to just about the 6 yard box. It bounced off Sam's head and found it's way past Mattie into the net. Talk about deflating.
Brooks pressed for the final 2 minutes plus stoppage, but time ran out. Phillips had evened the 4 year series and were rightfully celebrating together. Brooks on the other hand, knew they let this one get away and all sat or stood and stared off wondering.
Hopefully this non league game will serve as a wake up call. Roxbury Latin is right around the corner on Saturday. If they don't want to go 0-3-1 against RL, the Brooksians need to get things together pretty quickly.
My evening didn't end with that game. From there it was over to Kat's Field Hockey game where her very strong Andover High JV team killed the Haverhill High team 6-0. Kat had 2 great assists in that one. Nice to have a win in the family today!!
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Brooks-Phillips - Official ISL Web Site Story
9/19/2012 - Brooks 0 at Phillips Andover 1
Game Notes:
Brooks lost in heartbreaking fashion on an 88th minute own goal. It was a fine match for the early season with PA getting the better of it in the first half, but Brooks playing very well in the second. There were numerous near misses at both ends.
2012 Roster
The official ISL Brooks team page. Everything updated for the new year except for the 2011 team picture.
http://islboyssoccer.sps.edu/teams/3
http://islboyssoccer.sps.edu/teams/3
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
2012 Schedule
I've received a number of questions about the upcoming schedule. Here's the direct link to it on the Brooks web site.
http://www.brooksschool.org/athletics/teams/default.asp?sindex=8&teamid=77557&yearid=2012%20-%202013
The video on this page is from Zach's freshman year when the team beat Wilbriham and Monson Academy in the Class B semi finals.
http://www.brooksschool.org/athletics/teams/default.asp?sindex=8&teamid=77557&yearid=2012%20-%202013
The video on this page is from Zach's freshman year when the team beat Wilbriham and Monson Academy in the Class B semi finals.
Brooks/Phillips Matchup
The Eagle Tribune article previewing tomorrow's Brooks/Phillips match
Prep-Boys-Soccer-McGeachie-leads-Phillips
Jack and Zach played against each other for years while Zach was with Inter and with each other for the Aztec's U15 team when it and Inter combined.
Prep-Boys-Soccer-McGeachie-leads-Phillips
Jack and Zach played against each other for years while Zach was with Inter and with each other for the Aztec's U15 team when it and Inter combined.
The final Brooks School soccer season for Zach is upon us. How fast the time has flown. The talented, hopeful freshman is now one of the true team leaders. Zach is a Senior! OMG! Encouraging (scolding) many of the newbies to put more effort into a run; to make a better pass; to track back and assist the defenders; to be more accurate with a shot....to put more passion into their game.
The beard has been carved to resemble the coach. The Fisherman's chinstrap! Not sure if this is a good thing. Not sure if Dusty appreciates it. I think it is a sign of respect. I hope it is. The shy freshman who wouldn't say boo to anyone off the field is now either honoring or making fun of Coach. Coach, who after 35 years of coaching at Brooks gets the respect of all by just walking into the room. I sure hope it's honoring Coach!
The pre-season is done. The scrimmages are done. The last shirt awarded! The ritual of awarding shirts is cool. This year, I didn't get the excited call during the Maine camp. For three years I've received the call; "Dad, I got my shirt!" No call this year. When he arrived home, I asked, "Zach, did you get a shirt this year?" A very weird look came back at me. "Got it on the fist day Dad. Dusty threw it at me as soon as I got to camp!" Like it was an automatic. I should have know! I guess I should have. But I missed getting the call.
The first real game comes Wednesday against arch rival and 2011 Class A runner up, Phillips Academy Andover. A team filled with friends. A team Brooks has beaten twice and lost to once in Zach's tenure. Zach scoring in the wins and not scoring in the loss. Each team holding serve on their home field. This one will be at Phillips. We will know soon enough. Nine seniors on the Brooks squad. Only one on Phillips. Will Brooks take a 3-1 advantage in Zach's years? Will he have bragging rights for years to come? Or, will it end up 2-2? No matter what, it should be a great game!! After that, the real season begins.
The league games start with Roxbury Latin on Saturday. The one team Zach has yet to beat. I know he will be gunning for that win. The whole group will for sure. There are friends on that team as well. At the Class B finals last year, there was a discussion between Zach and some of the RL kids who watched the Brooks loss to South Kent, about the very topic. Both teams will be ready, but this is a game I know Zach and all the Brooks boys want badly.
So we wait for Wednesday. We get the blog started (hopefully started properly) and off we go. The final ride where we go and watch as often as we can. Who knows where Zach will be this time next year. Who knows if we will be able to watch. We know he will play somewhere, just not sure where yet. For now, let's just enjoy the season ahead and what little we have left on the Brooks sideline.
The beard has been carved to resemble the coach. The Fisherman's chinstrap! Not sure if this is a good thing. Not sure if Dusty appreciates it. I think it is a sign of respect. I hope it is. The shy freshman who wouldn't say boo to anyone off the field is now either honoring or making fun of Coach. Coach, who after 35 years of coaching at Brooks gets the respect of all by just walking into the room. I sure hope it's honoring Coach!
The pre-season is done. The scrimmages are done. The last shirt awarded! The ritual of awarding shirts is cool. This year, I didn't get the excited call during the Maine camp. For three years I've received the call; "Dad, I got my shirt!" No call this year. When he arrived home, I asked, "Zach, did you get a shirt this year?" A very weird look came back at me. "Got it on the fist day Dad. Dusty threw it at me as soon as I got to camp!" Like it was an automatic. I should have know! I guess I should have. But I missed getting the call.
The first real game comes Wednesday against arch rival and 2011 Class A runner up, Phillips Academy Andover. A team filled with friends. A team Brooks has beaten twice and lost to once in Zach's tenure. Zach scoring in the wins and not scoring in the loss. Each team holding serve on their home field. This one will be at Phillips. We will know soon enough. Nine seniors on the Brooks squad. Only one on Phillips. Will Brooks take a 3-1 advantage in Zach's years? Will he have bragging rights for years to come? Or, will it end up 2-2? No matter what, it should be a great game!! After that, the real season begins.
The league games start with Roxbury Latin on Saturday. The one team Zach has yet to beat. I know he will be gunning for that win. The whole group will for sure. There are friends on that team as well. At the Class B finals last year, there was a discussion between Zach and some of the RL kids who watched the Brooks loss to South Kent, about the very topic. Both teams will be ready, but this is a game I know Zach and all the Brooks boys want badly.
So we wait for Wednesday. We get the blog started (hopefully started properly) and off we go. The final ride where we go and watch as often as we can. Who knows where Zach will be this time next year. Who knows if we will be able to watch. We know he will play somewhere, just not sure where yet. For now, let's just enjoy the season ahead and what little we have left on the Brooks sideline.
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