STELLARTON, N.S. — Players from Antigonish town and county were part of the regional Highland Football Club (HFC) U-15 boys ‘AA’ team which won their division of the Nova Scotia Soccer League.
The season wrapped up March 10 and HFC finished with an impressive 13 wins and one draw record to claim the title.
Amongst their other impressive statistics was an astounding 73 goals in those 14 games.
The local contingent on the club included John Kendall, Myers Hayne and Abdullah Khan of Antigonish, as well as Nicholas Delorey of Heatherton. They joined players from Truro, Upper Stewiacke and Pictou County, where the team was based (Stellarton’s William M. Sobey Indoor Sports Complex).
“Just a good group of kids who enjoyed playing the game,” coach Aaron Hayne, an assistant coach with St. F.X. X-Men soccer program, said of the team’s success.
Hayne also referenced the high goal total amassed by the team.
“We had a high-powered offence; the top goal scorer in our league on our team,” he said.
Assisted by Nat Teacle, Marco Zanchetta and Oliver Hewish, Hayne noted the team practiced twice a week in Stellarton and started back in October.
“We practiced with an older group of boys as well; a U-17 squad which was in a different league,” he said. “We would practice all together on Tuesday and Thursday evenings in Stellarton.”
A coach for about a decade now, Hayne talked about working with the U-15 age group.
“It’s great; they’re willing to learn and, each and every day, they’re changing,” he said, noting the physical change as players literally grow taller during the season.
“The first of the season, they’re all six to eight inches shorter than where they end up; it’s amazing how quick they grow and how quick they learn.”
With his involvement with X soccer, Hayne said he gets university players to come and work with the youth athletes as often as he can, and the students are able.
Now the attention for all soccer players turns to the outdoor season which gets underway next month.
“There are opportunities for double and triple ‘A’ soccer in the area and the success rate of our team shows we can compete with anyone in the province,” Hayne said, while providing the web address highlandsoccer.demosphere-secure.com for those looking for information.
