It’s hard to believe, but Matt Fitzsimmons is now one of Western Wayne’s longest-tenured head coaches.
While its seems like just yesterday that he appeared on the Varden scene, Matt is entering his 12th year at the helm of the boys varsity soccer team.
Last fall, Coach Fitzsimmons put it all together in leading the ‘Cats to a first-ever Lackawanna League divisional championship. Western Wayne finally got the monkey off its back, edging Valley View for the 2009 Division Two title.
“That felt really good,” Coach Fitzsimmons told TWI Sports during a break in Wednesday’s practice. “The competition in the Lackawanna League is always really intense, so to win the division is a pretty big accomplishment.”
On the heels of that accomplishment, the ‘Cats earned a high seed in the District Two play-offs.
Western Wayne upset perennial Class AA powerhouse Lake Lehman in the quarterfinals, but then were eliminated by Wilkes Barre Coughlin in the semis.
This fall, Coach Fitzsimmons believes his team will once again be competitive... although, another division crown seems unlikely.
“We lost some very good players to graduation who will be tough to replace,” he said. “But, our overall numbers are good and we have some talented kids coming up, too.”
Western Wayne opens its exhibition slate next Tuesday at archrival Honesdale. The ‘Cats follow that up with a Thursday afternoon exhibition at home versus Carbondale Area.
The Lackawanna League regular season begins Saturday morning, September 4th at West Scranton.
Back in the Fold
A quartet of seniors will lead the charge for Western Wayne this fall.
Andrew Green, Anthony Kovaleski, Evan Decker and Cody Osif should each play a major role in whatever success the Wildcats enjoy in 2010.
Green is a Lackawanna League all-star who will likely make the move from defense to offense.
Kovaleski is a talented, hard-working player who may see a great deal of his time at sweeper.
Decker will once again be playing golf and soccer during the same season. Evan is an immensely gifted natural athlete who also excels in baseball during the spring and wrestling in the winter months.
Osif is another battle-tested veteran player who’ll figure prominently in Coach Fitzsimmons’ plans. Cody should provide a spark for the ‘Cats on offense.
“This is a very nice group of seniors,” he said. “I can see already that the younger kids are looking up to them. “They’re a good mix of kids who lead by example and kids who are a little bit more vocal.”
