Myers, SV busy making a name
Tri-State Sports & News Service
There aren’t many high school athletes who can look up at their home field and see the family surname in big, bold letters overhead.
Austin Myers can. The Seneca Valley senior’s father, Jeff Myers, sponsored the school’s multi-use soccer and lacrosse field via his law farm. So, Austin Myers has been playing home matches at Myers Law Group Stadium since his sophomore year, when the 10-year, $50,000 partnership began.
“It was different, for sure, walking down to a stadium with your name on it,” said Austin Myers. “I’m kind of used to it now.”
These days it’s Austin Myers making a name for himself on the field.
The Raiders (6-1, 4-1 Class 4A Section 1) have been on a roll and look like a contender for the WPIAL title. Their only blemish was a 2-1 nail-biter to defending district champion North Allegheny. Seneca Valley has defeated top competition in Pine-Richland and Fox Chapel.
Myers is one of Seneca Valley’s top scorers in the early going with three goals. Junior Ben Francis also has scored three times and several other players have multiple goals for the balanced Raiders attack. Goalie Will Gallagher has been steady in net.
“If I didn’t have the other 10 guys on the field with me, I wouldn’t be where I’m at,” said Myers.
For the Raiders, this season isn’t a marathon. It’s a sprint, and they have been training as such from the get-go.
“Getting into shape was a focal point,” said Myers. “We did a lot of running in the preseason. There was just a ton of running at the beginning.”
Playing in a section with dangerous foes like the Tigers, Rams and Foxes meant the Raiders needed every edge they could gain. The extra sprints and long jogs are paying dividends now for a squad that is 3-1 in games decided by one goal.
“It definitely paid off,” said Myers. “You can definitely tell in the last 15 minutes of the game. Against most teams, we’re in a lot better shape and we can keep making the runs that we’ve been making the whole game.”
Pushing the pace is a concept that is usually applied to an offensive philosophy. Seneca Valley, however, uses it as a mantra and its aggressive defense can lead to offensive opportunities.
“We keep a high work rate and that’s really how we’ve been holding all these teams off,” Myers said. “Some of these teams are tactical and they try to possess. But whenever we’re working hard and keeping the work rate up, it kind of confuses the team we’re playing against. It’s a fullteam priority: high work rate, high aggression. We just have to keep pressing on the ball until they give it up. Then we can do our thing.”
The Raiders aren’t expecting to tire out. All of those conditioning sessions have them thinking about a championship run.
“We know we have a strong group,” said Seneca Valley coach George Williams. “The goal is to make it to playoffs. It’s a great, hard working group this year and they really are dedicated. They really are determined and driven to succeed and not just in the section, but in the WPIAL.”
Record setters
Scoring records at Ringgold and Belle Vernon were set this month. The Leopards’ Markello Apodiakos, a senior, netted his 70th career goal in a 4-1 triumph against Trinity Sept. 11. He scored a single-season record of 37 goals in 2017.
At Ringgold, Eli Schoedel knocked in the 57th goal of his career and finished with a hat trick in the Rams’ 6-0 win against Albert Gallatin Sept. 11.
Springdale
It just keeps getting better for goalie Mike Zolnierczyk. He began the season as one of the most highly regarded goalies in all of the WPIAL. He proved that point by shutting out his first five opponents and allowing just one goal through the first six games. To top it all off, he recently received a second Division I offer from Robert Morris. He also has an offer from Harvard.