Making some noise for this area
This area has made a little noise in recent weeks with some pretty famous celebrities coming to spend some time on the lake.
With a few wins in Indiana a little later this week, a group of soccer players from right here in this area can get some notoriety of their own as national champions.
REGARDLESS OF what happens as the Sting Timbers 00/01 girls soccer team travels to the U.S. Soccer Presidents Cup in Westfield, Ind., this team has done something no other Sting Timbers team has done.
Advance to a national tournament.
“I enjoy playing soccer and playing with this group of players,” said Tiana Cydell, a Lake City High graduate who will play at North Idaho College in the fall. “We’ve been going to regional camps together for a while now. A lot of us, we stick together and love playing soccer. It’s a good match.”
Both Cydell and recent Coeur d’Alene High graduate Megan Drake — who plays forward for the Sting Timbers — plan to study biology and pre-med in college. Drake will attend and play soccer at Eastern Washington.
“I was trying to figure out if I wanted to go to either Gonzaga or Eastern Washington,” Drake said. “I also had some interest in Seattle Pacific, but just kept going to camps around the area. I’ve wanted to be a surgeon since the fifth grade.”
Bridget Rieken, a rising senior centerback at Lake City, has been with the program for as long as she can remember.
“I found out about a week ago that I’m one of the oldest players in the program and been with the Sting the longest,” said Rieken, who has verbally committed to Washington State. “Other than Mike Thompson (the club’s current director of coaching), I’ve been with the program the longest.”
No matter what happens next, the team’s coach, Julio Morales, has been impressed with the support they’ve received.
“It’s been great having the support of the community,” Morales said. “We’ve got a nice wave of momentum right now. It makes the girls feel good about what they’re doing to have the support from the community. It’s been great.”
OFTEN TIMES, even in a snowstorm, at least one area high school will hold parades through a city to celebrate state titles.
This past sports season, the folks of Post Falls have been able to celebrate a few championships at the high school level.
For some on this soccer team, this will be a conclusion to a prep career that has had good and bad moments.
Others, it can be the start of something special for the 2018 season, whether it be soccer or any other sport.
Regardless of the final scores, this group has already proven itself as a special bunch.
And maybe good enough to make some noise across the country.
Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at (208) 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter @JECdAPress.