INLAND FIELDHOUSE

I covered the CIF-Southern Section Division 3 Boys Semifinal match between Anaheim and Temecula Great Oak for the Riverside Press-Enterprise on March 3, 2009 and came away thinking Great Oak may have found its recipe for success.

The Wolfpack make the most of their chances in the attacking third, control the ball at midfield and don’t allow the other team to score. Pretty simple, huh?

“We make sure that we take care of our opportunities to score and then get back on defense,” said senior midfielder and team captain Dakota Collins. “And if we don’t get scored on then we can’t lose.”

Ain’t that the truth. Great Oak hasn’t allowed a goal through four games this postseason and junior goalkeeper Bryce Bookhammer has played every minute. The blond-haired blue-eyed keeper has been the most energetic player on the pitch in the two playoffs games I’ve seen from Great Oak. One minute he’s diving horizontally to make a save, the next minute he’s screaming at his defenders to keep their heads up. It may not sound like much but the kid just makes plays.

And Great Oak dominated possession in the midfield. Led by Collins, who is headed to UCLA on a soccer scholarship in the Fall, the Wolfpack take control of the ball and keep it at their feet. And when it’s time for a player to make a run, there is never a shortage of quality passes to be found from fellow seniors Matt Howard or Justin Knight.

There is one negative here. As I mentioned in a previous post, Collins seems to get bored. It seems like he can play at another level and knows it.

Against Anaheim on Tuesday, though, Collins made two splitting runs that sent defenders chasing then gasping for air. He clearly has another gear that he did not show against Bloomington last week.

“It’s weird,” Great Oak head coach Geoff Houck said. “It’s kind of up to Dakota when he turns it on. As you saw, he can run past anyone. The thing is, he has to WANT to.”

Clearly, the pressure of a 1-0 lead compelled Collins to give his best effort.

I had wondered, then, after Great Oak’s 4-0 trouncing of Bloomington last week, why Collins was such a hot property. Sure he scored a goal and assisted on another, but his play was, for the most part, uninspired.

As it turns out, Collins spent time in two German Bundesliga training camps over the summer. He spent a week with last season’s Bundesliga runner-up FC Schalke 04 and then a second week with German second division team FC Kaiserslauten. He was also brought into the fold with the U.S. Under-17 National Team for the first time.

So, by now, he knows he’s good. It just took a quality opponent, in a tense environment, to bring out his fire.

“We’re going to go all the way with this kid!” exclaimed Bookhammer, arm around Collins.

That might be true. Great Oak faced its toughest challenge yet — a top-quality opponent from soccer-rich Orange County. Now the Wolfpack get the Coachella Valley-Montclair winner in the championship game. Should be a walkover if Collins suits up and Bookhammer is standing in goal.

From everything I’ve seen, Great Oak will win its first ever CIF soccer title. And in the future, when some scrawny freshman looks up at the Wolfpack’s 2009 championship banner, he’ll know only the dates and names, not the shy, self-conscious star-in-the-making (Collins) or the happy-go-lucky future frat boy (Bookhammer).