April 14-15, Columbus, OH

A local group of 8 year old boys has been having an excellent year.  Most of the boys, having trained under Heights High Soccer Coach Sean Sullivan at his summer camp and his Heights United Academy, showed off their skill in the OASL travel league in the Fall, going 8-0 and taking home the Championship.

During the winter the boys played in the Indoor Force League, where they won both the 9 year old and 10 year old divisions.

The team began to explore the higher level of soccer by playing in Premier Tournaments, facing the best premier teams in Northern Ohio and competing honorably.  With his team holding a record of 39-11-2 in all competitions, Coach Paul Eyre, former Heights High Soccer Coach, tested the boys against the best of the Midwest.

On the weekend of April 14-15, the team traveled to Columbus, Ohio to play in the famed Blast Cup, which attracts premier teams from Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Most Premier teams attract the best players from multiple communities, whereas the home team trains and plays where most of the boys attend school, Roxboro Elementary.

After going undefeated and winning its Group Stage against all odds, the team found itself on Sunday afternoon in the Finals of the Blast Cup, where it faced a powerful Premier Program, Project 24 Soccer Academy.  Late in the second half, with the score tied 2-2, Coach Eyre told the boys that they were about to do something no Eastside Kicker team had ever done before - win the Blast Cup.  Sure enough, with two goals in the final 10 minutes, the local neighborhood team beat the Premier Team and hoisted the Blast Cup.

To learn more about the Eastside Kickers, Cleveland Heights' Travel Soccer Club, visit their website at http://eastsidekickers.org.

Members of the Eastside Kickers’ U9 Boys Team:

Luke Culver, Nicholas Kalady, Jake Loor, Emmett Meyer, Noah Ndyajunwoha, Gavin Rourke, Finn Rourke, Mitchell Stiefel, Charlie Tuggey, Eli Weisblat, Aidan Wolf, Eli Celeste-Cohen, Izac Coleman, and Simon Lynn.

Coaches: 

Head Coach - Paul Eyre
Assistants -  Scot Rourke, Jade Wolf