Argos alumni impress in win over current team

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

All the participants in the Argos Alumni Boys Soccer Game meet for a photo following the alumni’s 10-1 win at Eugene Snyder Field Friday.

ARGOS — The Argos boys soccer team faced its alumni predecessors at Eugene Snyder Field Friday, and the alumni showed that the only thing more powerful than nostalgia are the alumni themselves.

The alumni scored eight unanswered goals in the second half to win 10-1 over the current team.

Argos coach Todd VanDerWeele coached the current team. Tim VanDuyne, who was VanDerWeele’s coach during his playing days, coached the alumni.

Kenyan Beldon scored on a 30-yard thunderbolt of a strike past alumni keeper Kurt Johnwith 1:21 left in the half.

But Damon Binkley scored a natural hat trick in the first 12:06 of the second half to make it 5-1. A Michael Richard goal made it 6-1, and Josh Overmyer scored twice to make it 8-1. Chad Kinney’s goal made it 9-1, and Johnson, who had taken his goalie jersey off and was now playing the field, scored with 1:12 left to make it 10-1.

The game even featured two alumni officials – Joe Stone and Ethan Petz. The third official was Payton Willis, who will be a freshman on the Argos girls soccer team. 

Spencer VanDerWeele both played for the alumni and helped recruit the team. The first alumni game was played five years ago. Spencer VanDerWeele has returned as an assistant coach for his father this year after coaching Northwestern to a sectional title last year in an interim capacity, and Todd VanDerWeele said this might be the best alumni team that Spencer has recruited.

One player, Vinny Stone, reportedly drove four and a half hours from Wisconsin to make it back home and play with younger brother Gabe.

“Usually, we get some combination of a Damon Binkley, of a Vinny Stone, of a Josh Overmyer, of a Phillip Ummel,” Todd VanDerWeele said afterwards. “This year, we happened to get all of them. It’s fun to watch. I mean, I’ve coached many of those guys that were out there tonight. It was fun to watch putting them all together. I don’t like being on the other end of a 10-1 game, but that was a team for the ages. Ryan Nifong was a star. Chad Kinney was a star. Phillip Ummel was one of the best players in the area during his time here. These guys were good players. … And six guys that played for me during the state championship run (in 2019). It’s a solid team.”

Todd VanDerWeele was asked if the alumni physically imposed themselves on the current players.

“Some of those younger guys – the Teddy Redingers … both Mike and Sean (Richard) – they take their physical fitness seriously,” coach VanDerWeele added. “They’re in really good shape for guys their age. And I don’t think it was so much overpowered. I think it was more (their) endurance.

“We’re not in bad shape. I’ve had teams that were in far worse shape than we are right now, but I just think they wore us out. You can only take getting pounded. And it was nothing malicious. It was a cleanly played game. But big bodies. Tyler Betz, he played for me in 2016. He’s not as small as he was, but he still moves really well. And those guys liked to throw their bodies around when they played.”

Argos graduated Petz, Elias Rakoczy, Boyd Paul, Austin Owens, Luke Stults and Ben Zahm from a team that went 9-6-1 overall and 6-0 in its first year in the Hoosier North last year. The season ended with a 2-1 loss to Lakeland Christian in the sectional final.

“We lost a lot of good players last year,” coach VanDerWeele said. “It was a senior group that had a lot of time. I think we had a little bit more grit potential to our team. We’ve seen it at times this summer. It’s just how fast we can clean some things up on the field.”

VanDerWeele also emphasized team bonding.

“We’ve got to become closer-knit as a group,” coach VanDerWeele said. “I think that’s something we think about every year. It’s no different this year, but we just need to become closer to where a Corbin Rex isn’t looking for a guy in a certain spot, and that guy isn’t there. That connection. And we’ll get there. But I think there’s some potential there. I think physically we can get in situations where we won’t back off as much maybe as we have in the past. I like our chances. Our biggest thing will be depth.”

The game also drew a crowd that would be comparable – if not outright larger – to a regular season varsity game. Game time temperatures were in the mid-to-upper 70s, and weather conditions were pleasant.

Spencer VanDerWeele used social media to market the game.

“We’ve had some pretty decent crowds for the alumni game,” coach VanDerWeele said. “That was probably as good as any we’ve had. Usually we pull them out, but it’s nice to see them come out, and they seem to be appreciative of especially the old guys. You know, I was a fan years ago, and I loved watching Phillip Ummel when he played. … And I’m sure there’s a lot of other fans that like watching.”

To illustrate his point about program continuity, VanDerWeele told of a visit he and Spencer made to Evansville the previous week. They went to see coach Bill Vieth, who won his seventh IHSAA state title when he guided Evansville Memorial to the Class 2A title last year.

“One of the things I asked him was how are you sustaining this,” coach VanDerWeele said. “But it’s a bigger school, but he’s like … the rest of the (coaches) are all Memorial graduates. It’s a huge part of that. They know what it takes. I played for Coach VanDuyne. I would have run through a wall in school for that guy because of what he was and what he represents. It’s added motivation.”