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Saturday, September 1, 2007
Coaching Connection
Central Kansas, KS
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Photo(s) By: Kyle Danztler/MyActionPortraits.com
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THESE TWO LEADERS OF WICHITA SOCCER GO WAY BACK
Questions:
HSSTM: Coach Bribiesca, your Wichita Northwest squad in 1995 is the only Wichita area school to win a Class 6A state soccer title (in 1989, Wichita North won the title when there was one class). How do area schools become more competitive with teams from the Kansas City area that dominate at the state level?
BB: Ever since the state tournament started back in ’86, I have not missed a state final. The reason those kids (in the greater KC area) keep winning games is, one, I don’t know what they eat down there, but they look bigger and stronger. They’re bigger, stronger and faster. And not only that, but I think the coaching at the club level, maybe, might be a little bit better. They’ve got the professional team, the (Kansas City) Wizards (MLS), that they can look at every week. And in their high school programs, every game is very competitive. Over there, there are no easy games.
TR: We have some games on our schedule where we know we’re going to win eight or 10 to nothing, and that just doesn’t do us any good. So we try to schedule some teams outside our league that are good, like Liberal and Maize, to help us get ready for the state tournament.
HSSTM: With all of the Beckham hoopla going on, what do you think about the development of soccer in the area and America at large?
BB: The thing with bringing Beckham here is good. I saw (his first game) against Chelsea and the standing ovations everywhere he goes – what he’s done is put soccer back in the news….
In this country, everyone plays the game of soccer; it’s a participation sport. The issue we have with soccer (in this country) is we don’t want to pay the money to see it. We don’t fill the stadiums up, and that’s sad.
Now, in Wichita, we’ve had soccer in the high schools 20 to 25 years, and I’ve seen the kids – the skill level in Wichita is better (now), but, perhaps, the work rate is not as good as it was 10 years ago…. They love to play; they’ll play 12 months out of the year. But to get the work rate out of them – to me, that’s the most difficult thing.
TR: From when I played, (the game of soccer) has grown exponentially…. The more we can get guys like (Beckham) – and when Mia Hamm played and the girls won the World Cup – the more and more soccer can get exposure, I think the game is going to continue to grow.
HSSTM: Pick out a few stops along the way that were landmarks in your career as a figure in Wichita area soccer.
Thomas Rhodes: Well, one of them was the state championship in ’95 (at Wichita Northwest). I learned a lot that year; I was the C-team coach. And I learned from Coach B. that you need to teach the game before you get to the game and to coach players before you get there, because once the game starts it’s hard to coach. The field is so big.
Bobby Bribiesca: The thing about Coach Rhodes now is that when we play Southeast, it’s a good game. He does a good job with the kids at Southeast. But I do not want to lose to Tom Rhodes, okay; I want to beat Tom Rhodes. I look for that challenge every year.
Thomas Rhodes: It’s fun to play Coach B. I like going back to Northwest and beating him (laughter).
HSSTM: A brief outlook for your guys’ seasons?
BB: I think Southeast and Kapaun and, perhaps, Northwest, will be the top three, simply because of tradition. I see the three of us always challenging each other. Jack Geist at Kapaun does a good job. (Geist remembers meeting Bribiesca when he was seven or eight years old in the early 1970’s when Geist played AYSO soccer. Bribiesca helped start the league in Wichita.)
Thomas Rhodes: Yeah, Kapaun is the team to beat till we knock them off. They’re the city champions. They still have Anthony Cantele, and he’s good.
Bobby Bribiesca: And Maize High School is not in our league, but being in 6A, we’re always knocking heads. For us, it’s a west-side rivalry, and Mike Darrah does a good job over there. I look forward to playing Maize.
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