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Oak Park gets defensive
"I remember in one of the first games we were down 5-0 at one point, and I came down the field yelling at (Chris) Henderson, asking, 'What are we going to do on defense? We are going to suck this year!'" senior Bill Cunningham said. "The coach just looked at me and told me to calm down and everything was going to be all right." Soon enough, things did get better, and now Oak Park has one of the best defenses in the TriValley League, helping the Eagles jump out to a 4-4-4 record.
"This is Matt's third year on the varsity team, but only the first year he has started," Oak Park head coach Chris Henderson said. "The other years he was a good goalie, but I gave the job to the older player. So I think Matt knew his time was coming." Raila never lost faith in his defense even as the team struggled early on. "We had to try and find the right players to play in the right places," Raila said. "We moved a lot of players around, but once we found out where everyone played their best, we seemed to pick it up." One thing that needs to get better for Oak Park is its offense. While the defense has been dominating, OPHS is currently having trouble finishing near the net. The Eagles have scored just nine goals in 12 games this year. "One thing we need to do better is control our third of the field on offense," Henderson said. "Against good teams we are only going to get about 10 shots a game at the net. We need to make sure we score on two or three of those attempts."
"One goal," Raila said. "That's all I ask for, is one goal. If we can score once, we are confident enough to think we can hold the other team and win." Although this year's team features 10 seniors on the squad, the underclassmen may prove the difference for OPHS. Oak Park features four sophomores and one freshman, Alec Arsht. All five start for the Eagles. "During tryouts he (Arsht) looked technically sound," Henderson said. "He is very smart and has the maturity of a senior. He understands formations, positioning and ball control. He starts every minute for us, and he is an outstanding player that will someday play college if he wants to." Raila agreed with Henderson that youth has helped Oak Park. "The young players are playing very well for us right now and have learned fast," Cunningham said. "We wouldn't be as good as we have started out this season without them." Henderson, who graduated from Oak Park in 1997, is hoping to get the Eagles their first outright league championship since he played on the team in 1996. Oak Park shared the championship in 2001, and the team has made the playoffs every season since Henderson took over the same season. "Foothill is the team to beat in this division," Henderson said. "I think we are one of four teams battling for the last two playoff spots. We had nine players graduate last year, but the young players have really played well in their place." Other players that should contribute to Henderson's squad this season are seniors Eric Johnson and Cameron Zadeh, as well as juniors Brett Zeolla and Wesley Taylor. All four of them have two goals on the year. Oak Park plays Friday at St. Bonaventure. Game time is set for 2:30 p.m. |
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