PRSC sending multiple teams to state tournament

Published 4:02 pm Friday, April 2, 2021

The Pearl River Soccer Club is hoping to end its season with a bang as several teams have qualified to compete in the upcoming state tournament in Starkville.

The majority of teams will see the season end next week with the PRSC set to host its final games.

However, four teams will continue playing at the April 10 tournament with a chance to win a state title.

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PRSC President Dave Ortmann said a U12 girls team, a U14 coed team, a U15 boys team and a U16 boys team all performed well enough during district to move on to state.

“The state does help rec programs because most of the teams can’t compete (against select/travel teams), so they’ll give us this tournament. (Some PRSC teams) have made it in the past and some have even won state,” Ortmann said.

Not only is this an opportunity for the athletes to go up against some of the best rec teams in the state, but it also benefits the organization as a whole.

They’re trying to draw more people in and have them join the organization as society contains COVID-19, and if PRSC’s teams do well enough at state that may be a driving factor in people joining up.

“I hope we can compete with rest of the state. It would be nice to win one or two of them, maybe get a runner up.

It’ll be nice for the club to say, ‘Come here and play here, then there’s a chance you’ll get a medal.’ It’s a selling point. Look at what you get to do,” Ortmann said.

Once the tournament is over and the spring season has ended, planning for the next season will automatically commence.

The organization will have its registration period early in the summer, which will then enable PRSC to create teams, find coaches and secure uniforms proactively instead of waiting until the last minute.

“We’re going to have all of that lined up by August 1 hopefully. Everyone will be registered, teams will be picked and hopefully the start of the third week of August everything is in place,” Ortmann said.