ON DECK: Growth Spurt

I was out in beautiful Ram Country the other day covering my first prep soccer game of the season.

I collected the rosters, found a nice seat and when I heard the whistle blow, I looked up and thought, “Am I in the wrong place?”

I could've sworn I was supposed to be at a high school match, but the forwards for Yuma Catholic all had to be under five feet tall.

The Shamrocks have a young team, but they're full of energy. Coach Ralph Evans described Jorge Ruiz as “a little fireball.” And that's exactly what he was, scoring two goals against the Rams to lead Yuma Catholic to their 3-0 win.

After the game I asked Evans about their size and he laughed it off.

“You take the goalkeeper out of it and I think our biggest kid is their shortest one. It didn't size up but it paid off,” Evans said.

Indeed it did. The Shamrocks are a team packed with freshmen and they'll take their lumps this year, but I envision a few growth spurts too.