Published Wednesday, Oct. 1, 1997
BACK TO HERALD...
Hickory High soccer coach B.J. Rudge, center, has some advice for his squad during a recent match. Despite his youth, the 20-year-old mentor has his Hornets on the winning track. (Jean Angelo/Herald)
HERMITAGE
Despite youth, initial impressions of Hickory soccer coach Rudge favorable
By Ed Farrell
Herald Sports Writer
Some scholastic student-athletes are 19 years old by the time they graduate. By the time he turned 19, B.J. Rudge was head coach of the Hickory High School varsity soccer team.
``I really don't know of any other 19-year-old head coaches, do you?'' Rudge recently rhetorically asked, admitting, ``It's been a unique situation.''
Rudge is in his second season working with his alma mater's soccer program after assisting Mike Pearce at Kennedy Christian three seasons ago. Now a Geneva College senior pursuing a B.A. degree in biblical studies, he is continuing a life-long love affair with the sport of soccer, while simultaneously making up for lost time.
As a high school junior in 1993 (playing for Matt Frey and Ned Seder, now the Grove City High head coach), Rudge played on Hickory's inaugural soccer team, which competed as a club sport. But during the summer prior to his senior season, he tore an anterior cruciate knee ligament and played just one match.
Despite missing that '94 season, Geneva College coach Dave Murray saw enough of Rudge's potential to offer him a scholarship. Unfortunately, Rudge tore the ACL in his other knee approximately a week before the Golden Tornado garnered a national championship during his freshman season.
Owing to his fragile knees, Rudge decided to take off the following fall, and that's when he was approached by Pearce, then Kennedy's coach and now the head coach at Sharon.
``I pondered it, prayed about it, and decided to take it, and that first year, under the mentoring of Mike Pearce, we went to the playoffs. We had a good season that year ('95),'' Rudge reflected.
Then early in the winter of '96, Rudge haltingly decided to apply for the Hickory post.
``I hesitated for a long time,'' Rudge recalled. ``I prayed. The way my knees were going, I could not see myself going back and playing, so I decided to pursue the job at Hickory.''
During the interview process, Rudge related that school district officials were somewhat hesitant to hire someone 19 years old as a varsity head coach.
``I explained to them a couple of reasons,'' Rudge remembered. ``No. 1, I was young enough to still be an effective coach, maybe moreso than an older coach. I basically told them I still had the energy to go out and show the kids the moves _ which, I think, is the most effective way, by showing them _ not just telling them, so that they could actually visualize it.
``And I told (school directors) that I'd be more flexible, not running into conflicts with family (responsibilities),'' Rudge continued.
Armed with a year's worth of having played for Murray _ ``one of the best,'' Rudge praised _ as well as some European experience, he felt it lent him a certain ``expertise. ... I had a basic knowledge of drills and formations.''
Another plus, Rudge told the board, was that, having just undergone the recruitment process himself, he felt he could aid Hickory players with collegiate aspirations.
``I thought I could be instrumental in helping some of the kids who were pursuing college careers. ... I knew what the kids needed to do.''
Another part of Rudge's platform in campaigning for the position was ``the success of the players for the long run, not just the short term.''
Rudge carried instant credibility with Hickory's players, who either knew of his talent or, in some cases, had played alongside him.
``It's a unique situation ... 19 years old, coming in and coaching. When I first started coaching, there were two seniors I had played with before at the (Shenango Valley) Y and in high school,'' Rudge recalled.
``The kids were kind of hesitant, having a young coach come in,'' Rudge recalled, ``but one thing that gave me credibility was my past playing. When players see a person who used to play in the area and was one of the better players, they give more respect. When I came in, they understood I knew what I was talking about and they started to give that respect.''
His European experience earned him some merit, too, considering he not only played, but emerged as the leading scorer, and captained a team that traveled Sweden, Denmark and Holland for 31/2 weeks. That enabled him to teach some advanced footwork skills, and he also learned some techniques from Central American players with whom he came in contact.
``It was an awesome experience,'' Rudge related, noting that Grove City's Brian Beil had a similar opportunity and `` ... his play has improved'' considerably.
Rudge also has worked with Jamie Demsing, who played professionally in Seattle and offered additional instruction, especially with foot skills.
``I've taken from all these different styles and tried to incorporate what's most useful to the players I have,'' Rudge explained.
His philosophy must be working. A year ago, Hickory finished 8-9-1. And thus far this season, the Hornets have improved to 7-3-1 overall, 6-3-1 in the Mercer County Athletic Conference.
``We're doing well,'' Rudge admitted. ``This year's team has a great senior class ... good leadership.''
Hickory, which boasts a 37-player program, also has benefitted from the play of a pair of foreign-exchange students, Gorka Muela of Spain, and J.P. Bernal from Ecuador, who have helped compensate for some personnel losses due to injury, including Brendan Deeb.
And Rudge noted, ``My bench personnel have picked it up and filled the gaps. We have players picking up their level of play.''
Rudge's youthful exuberance also has enabled him to see to it that Hickory's players are playing more _ in some cases, almost year 'round _ similar to what he did while honing his game while playing in Olympic developmental programs and the Keystone State Games.
``When I was playing soccer (as a youngster), I had to travel to Pittsburgh and Erie to play competitive soccer, so my parents sacrificed a lot of time, because when I was going through high school, there was nowhere to play around here,'' Rudge recalled.
But that type of gradually growing commitment is helping make soccer a ``premiere sport around here,'' he insisted.
A sound foundation at home helped Rudge develop his skills, and that support system continues today, bolstering his coaching career.
``My parents and some other families were instrumental in getting soccer at Hickory,'' Rudge related. ``I still look at my dad (Bill, his YMCA youth league coach) as my mentor. He still comes to practices.''
And Rudge cited not only his own parents, but others, including the Hermitage School District administration as being ``really supportive of the soccer program. It's nice to have the administration and parents supporting you. It makes the transition a lot easier when people are supporting you.
``I've been given tremendous support from my parents and the administration and the parents and players. They've given me a lot of respect and worked hard.''
Another factor has been his coaching staff.
``Most soccer teams have 1-to-2 coaches, varsity and JV. But in addition to myself and three other paid assistants (Rick Tabis, Dan Zahniser, Mike Perry, Mike Cingolani), I have 2-to-4 volunteers. That's six coaches throughout the 101G 3whole season helping out.
``They're always supportive, and there are certain things about each personality that adds to (the program).''
``My greatest asset is to be able to go out and coach the kids. With all the other coaches supporting me, I'm able to go out and just coach the kids. That's very helpful,'' he emphasized.
In retrospect, the decision to hire Rudge, now 20, has been beneficial, both for the Hickory program and him.
``It's been great,'' Rudge said. ``I've played soccer ever since I was a little kid, and when my knees put a hindrance on my playing ability, I thought, through coaching, it'd give me the chance to be in the game, give back a little bit to what the sport had given me the last 10 years.''
However, how much longer Rudge remains at the Hickory helm is unknown. His long-range plans call for seminary study while working toward a masters degree, then pursuing his Ph.D. in theology.
``I have a long haul ahead of me,'' Rudge, who commutes to Beaver Falls to attend classes at Geneva, understated. ``I'm just taking it year by year. Being able to coach the last four years, I've been, pretty much, blessed _ to get a degree in four years and be able to coach.''
His unique perspective also afforded him a broad vision relating to what he's gained from the experience. One of the players with whom he's worked, '96 graduate Brian Jones, has matriculated at Susquehanna University, while last season's lone Hickory senior, Casey Kohut, currently is playing at Lake Erie College.
``It's nice to hear from players you've coached. ... It's nice to see kids continuing in the sport and excelling in academics, making a positive contribution to society,'' Rudge related, concluding,
``To me, the greatest satisfaction will come when I'll get a phone call four years from now, when some of the guys playing now have just graduated from college, and are starting a whole, new life.''
