The Richmond Hill varsity and junior varsity soccer teams came together to play scrimmages against each other before the official opening of the season on Friday. Admission was a family-size package of snacks to help fuel the athletes for the spring season. 

“These kids work really hard, and in turn, they burn off a lot of calories,” boys’ head coach Stephen Peterson said. “Soccer requires a ton of running and cardio, so having the admission be snacks truly helps us to put some calories back in them.”

The scrimmage event not only helped out with feeding the student-athletes, but also aided in preparing them for the season ahead. 

“These types of scrimmages allow for us to get everyone involved,” head girls’ coach Kelly Anderson said. “We are able to get everyone in the match and get them some fine tuning before the season begins.”

Experience is especially crucial for the junior varsity teams, since–unlike the varsity teams who faced off against Brunswick earlier this week–they haven’t played any games up to this point. 

“The JV teams have games coming up,” Anderson said. “This is a good way to make sure everyone understands the warm-ups are like that they will perform pregame each night. We can make sure everyone is prepared and does it the right way come that first game, and just gets everyone ready as well.”

The coaches also agree that these preseason scrimmages help bring the Richmond Hill school community together.

“Soccer has deep roots in this community,” Peterson said. “Just about everyone around here knows somebody in the soccer community or has a family member or friend on the team. This is a nice way to get everyone out here, but even more importantly, a chance for everyone to have some fun.”

“This is also a great opportunity to get the younger kids involved,” Anderson said. “We have middle schoolers and even the elementary kids out here, so it is a way for them to see us and get excited to play here for us in the future, as well as to see how much a family we all are, as well as see what it is like to have fun with us.”

Both Richmond Hill varsity teams will travel to Effingham to open their season on February 6. Kickoff for the girls is at 5 p.m. and at 7 p.m. for the boys.