The field had never looked greener for the bright-faced squads of Pinckneyville Middle School Soccer at the 2019-2020 school year’s start, but Gwinnett County Public School (GCPS) closures amidst the Coronavirus pandemic have left parents and students wondering if their season will reconvene.

According to Pinckneyville Middle School Soccer Coach Sara Sanders, Pinckneyville Middle School tryouts commenced in mid-October in preparation for the Middle School Soccer tournament that normally takes place in March, but it has since been postponed.

Pinckneyville Middle School Soccer functions as a popular club sport, with one Boys and one Girls team spanning grades sixth through eighth. Because of the classification as a club instead of an official Middle School sport, Sanders and her team must work creatively to equip their players with everything they need.

Each year Sanders contacts other coaches to get Pinckneyville Middle School Soccer uniforms made, though this does mean that each child keeps their uniform at the end of the season. From scheduling to transportation and everything in between, no small detail can be overlooked. Sanders credits Sonia Lee, Sandra Goring and Gene Rouille with keeping her sane and on track.

Pinckneyville MS Soccer Club background

The soccer club at Pinckneyville Middle School kicked off five years ago with Sanders at the helm, starting with eighth-grade boys then expanding to all grades, eventually adding a Girls team as interest grew.

Typically, both teams have set separate practices, but they often practice together as well. This gives players the chance to hone their skills and interact with fellow students who they might not otherwise have the chance to. Both teams are currently in the top five teams of their respective leagues, with the girls ranked first and the boys ranked third.

Sanders has had the opportunity to watch former Pinckneyville Middle School Soccer players go on to play as Norcross High School seniors, bringing everything full circle. In order to further that legacy, Sanders has made efforts to keep the players in-game shape should the season pick up again soon.

“We have been doing virtual practices to stay sharp. I send the kids two practice sessions that they complete during the week and then record myself the other three days of the week for them to practice simple foot skills and moves to help keep them technically and tactically sound,” said Sanders.

She added that though parents and students are disappointed with the interruption in their season, the soccer club tries to stay positive through this difficult time. Pinckneyville Middle School soccer falls under the jurisdiction of GCPS and must abide by all extracurricular protocols handed down by Gwinnett County.

In the soccer community, the new suggested end-of-game procedure asks for touching of elbows or fist bumps instead of the customary handshake. It is unclear if more rules will change in response to the Coronavirus outbreak.

Pinckneyville Middle School Soccer anticipates reinstatement by GCPS along with all other extracurriculars on hold. Other school soccer programs in Gwinnett County face similar questions and challenges.

Cornerstone Christian Academy

The nearby Cornerstone Christian Academy has faced similar challenges and setbacks, but the staff continues to celebrate past successes and remains hopeful for the future.       

Cornerstone Athletic Director Chuck Faust had much to say in support of the growing soccer program. “The soccer program has come a long way in the last five years. We have quite a few soccer players who play on elite teams outside of our school, but the sense of camaraderie that our community provides has the players desiring to play at Cornerstone as well,” he said.

Austin McDonald heads up the boy’s program, while Chip Marsten and Helen West lead the girl’s program. According to Faust, the school itself has grown at a quick pace, and therefore the talent pool for soccer and other sports has expanded. The sportsman-like atmosphere provided to Cornerstone Cougars helps to foster school pride, and sport successes seem to also boost admissions for parents searching for strong sports programs to augment their students’ private school education.

“The players have a sense of pride when they compete for the school. We love feeling like an underdog when competing against the big schools. This passion is contagious for the parents and fans on the sideline,” said Coach McDonald.

Regarding the benefits of the Girls program, Coach West had this to say. “Cornerstone soccer is a place where our girls can have fun, play with their friends and represent our school. For many of our players, the team is less stressful than their club programs. This brings a different kind of joy to their game,” she said.

The soccer season had already kicked off for Cornerstone Christian Academy as well when the schools shut down in response to Coronavirus. Both boys and girls teams had already played about four matches, with the boys undefeated as well as achieving some big wins against large school rivals.

Play has been suspended along with school closure, but the season has not yet officially been postponed, according to Faust. Like many other schools in Gwinnett County and beyond, Cornerstone Christian Academy is monitoring how the current health situation develops and will utilize all information available to plan any protocols that may protect student athletes going forward.

Greater Atlanta Christian School

Some highly competitive schools, such as Greater Atlanta Christian School (GAC), have a significant number of student athletes in many sports eager to play once it is deemed safe.        Greater Atlanta Christian School, a private school located in Norcross, fills its rosters with student soccer athletes from sixth grade to high school level. Their trophy case looks rather full, with five state championships and 15 regional championships, among other accolades.

Thom Jacquet has served as Varsity Soccer Head Coach at Greater Atlanta Christian School for 29 years, with two sons and a daughter that have worn GAC Spartan Soccer jerseys at one time or another. “We have had a very positive start to our season and would very much like to continue. Saying that, obviously we are mindful of the much bigger picture going on in the world and we fully stand by the decisions of our school and others in the decision-making process,” he said.

When asked about how the current health crisis might influence the future of the game, Jacquet remarked that “the world will be in a different place when we are done, and some additional safeguards may be put in place either by us or mandated by health officials. Everything we do will be under review as we pick things back up.”

Wesleyan School

Similarly, Wesleyan School’s varsity teams were roughly halfway through their season when the school suspended play due to the Coronavirus. The varsity boys had played eight games before suspension was called prior to Wesleyan’s spring break.

Wesleyan CFO and Head Coach of Varsity Boys Soccer Billy Coxhead had much to say about the success of Wesleyan Soccer and its access to student participation. In the past six years, the varsity boys soccer team has been state champion twice and a state runner-up once, among other achievements. But despite its competitive nature, Wesleyan Soccer accepts the majority of students that tryout.

“At Wesleyan, most players can find a place to play on one of our teams. However, we play public schools every year before we play our Region schedule. Our varsity teams are competitive with the public schools even though we do not have the depth of players that public schools have,” said Coxhead.

This ability to allow as many students to play as possible allows coaches to have yet another outlet to instill “life lessons more than remembering win-lose records”, according to Coxhead.

“Soccer is vital to our school because we believe that athletics further the overall mission of Wesleyan,” said Assistant Coach of Varsity Girls Soccer, Glen Archer.

But of course, the more names on the rosters simply means more kids waiting to see when they can return to the field.

The student athletes at Pinckneyville Middle School, Cornerstone Christian Academy, Greater Atlanta Christian School and Wesleyan School come from diverse backgrounds across the Gwinnet County community, but they all share a love for the game of soccer. It remains to be seen if these schools will finish their seasons, but of course the health and safety of the players proves top priority.