Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School is having a sensational season in soccer this year. Both of the school’s soccer teams have made the playoffs.
The coaches of the two teams come from different backgrounds. Matt Wedel coaches the boys and has played or coached soccer since he was almost a toddler. Cammie Palmer did not have a back ground in soccer and has picked up the game making the Lady Bears very competitive.
Coach Wedel is in his first year as coach for the district champion Bears since returning to LC-M. After an opening win over Nederland the Bears struggled a bit before righting the boat in time for district play. “District started, and we jelled, and it’s been smooth sailing ever since,” Wedel informed.
The new coach had his ideas of how the team should play which did not necessarily match what the players were used to doing. Wedel did a little shaking up to getting players in the right position for LC-M to be ready for district. Wedel advised, “That took some time getting through it, but when it was done the success has been proof.”
The coach credits his three captains Seth Brown, Noah Hammer, and Samir Zambrano as being the leaders of the team. Their work ethic and their desire to push themselves as far as they can were keys to the Bears’ success. Wedel emphasized, “From a defensive standpoint to offense across the board these three are crucial in the field, period!”
Team captain Noah Hammer has played the game for a little over four years after being invited to play on a recreational team by Seth Brown. Now he loves the game and the success LC-M is achieving this season. Hammer exclaimed, “To work as hard as we did and get what we did it’s just unbelievable.”
Last year the Lady Bears advanced to the fifth round of the playoffs before being eliminated by Jasper. Coach Palmer points to a game early this season for the Lady Bears against Jasper as a measure of how good her girls could be. LC-M played the top caliber Lady Bulldogs even for most of that game. Palmer analyzed, “It was crazy good for us because it gave us confidence and it showed us that even though we don’t have the same players that we had last year we still have the players that we need to be a great team and be successful.”
Palmer recapped the season so far for the LC-M girls soccer. The Lady Bears finished 6-2 in district play giving them a second seed for the playoffs. “All of its been about being a team and just knowing that we can still do what we need to do,” Palmer reminded.
Captains Kourtney Baldwin, Mayra Hernandez, Dherin Wright, Morgan Dollar, and Kayla Nichols are the leaders for the Lady Bears. Coach Palmer identified some other girls playing key roles for girls at LC-M as Caitlyn Janise, Avery Holland, Alyssa Ammons, and Jayce Doyle. Palmer professed, “It takes all of us working together to make this happen.”
Dherin Wright serves as a captain for the Lady Bears and appreciates the benefits she has received playing soccer. “It’s help me learn a lot of things about teamwork and about people skills,” Wright admitted.
Because of the small size of the district Little Cypress-Mauriceville plays in its two teams have completed their district season. Both teams must wait for larger districts some with as many as ten schools to finish before the playoffs start the last week of March.
The Lady Bears will open the playoffs on Thursday, March 29, against Diboll. Coach Palmer analyzed the strategy for the LC-M girls to advance in the playoffs like they did last year. Diboll seems comparable to how the Lady Bears have been playing. “We’re excited about that and just the opportunity to have a good game. All we want every single time is they do their best, we go do our best, and see what happens from there,” Palmer evaluated.
The boys will play Lufkin Hudson in the first round. The Bears’ Samir Zambrano reminds that the two teams met earlier this season. LC-M came back from a 2-0 deficit in the first meeting between the two schools. Zambrano predicted, “We’re coming out very strong, very hungry, and I think we’ll be ready.”
Coach Wedel provided the key for the Bears to be able to advance in the playoffs is them staying hungry. Other LC-M soccer teams have made the playoffs and were eliminated in the first round. A couple of years ago the Bears advanced to the third round it’s furthest advance ever. Finishing undefeated in the district has set the bar higher this season. “That’s over with, that’s done. It’s time to move on and they realize that. They want to make history again and go further than anybody else,” Wedel concluded.
The Little Cypress-Mauriceville Bears play the Lufkin Hudson Hornets on Thursday, March 29, in Lufkin.
Pictured in LCM soccer pic: Samir Zambrano; Noah Hammer; Coach Matt Wedel; and Seth Brown. The picture of the Lady Bears include Kourtney Baldwin; Mayra Hernandez; Coach Cammie Palmer; Dherin Wright; Morgan Dollar, and Kayla Nichols.
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