Jeannette girls soccer players determined to keep season going despite low numbers

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Tuesday, September 3, 2024 | 7:53 PM

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When Billy Bryant went to Jeannette, he was the Jayhawk mascot.

He donned the furry, red-and-blue uniform and the bird head with the bright yellow beak.

“If that doesn’t tell you how much Jeannette sports mean to me, I don’t know what will,” Bryant said. “It’s sad what we’re going through. It’s different now. It used to mean something to play here. I think it starts at home. Parents are not encouraging kids to play sports like they used to. Girls just don’t want to play.”

Bryant is the girls soccer coach at Jeannette, with his wife Crystal by his side as his assistant. He has been lobbying through social media messages for more girls to join his team, which is down to eight players — the minimum number permitted to start a game — and has yet to play a game.

Jeannette finally is set to open the season Wednesday at The Ellis School with its diminutive roster and positive, keep-chugging attitude.

“We know we have to avoid injuries,” Jayhawks senior Mia Sarpolis said. “That’s the hardest part.”

Sarpolis and senior Lexi Bair have been with the team for four seasons, since Bryant took over as coach. They are team captains who are mindful of the situation and determined to make it work.

“I love the sport. I have been playing since I was 3,” Bair said. “We just have to push through and keep going.”

Said Sarpolis: “I just want to make it to senior night. I want a senior night.”

Jeannette has had low numbers before but not quite like this.

“We’re doing everything we can,” Bryant said. “I was hoping for a few more girls to come out and get us to 11, but there is no guarantee with them. I can’t force anyone to play.

“You have to figure at least two girls are going to get hurt, which could be a problem for us. … We’re going to be a work in progress. It’s heartbreaking for the seniors.”

Jeannette won a game last year, which was a banner moment for the team.

“We were so excited,” Sarpolis said.

Bryant said a few new girls have dipped a toe in the water, only to back away.

“We had some girls show up and try it,” he said. “They said we ran too much. I can tell you, we don’t run that much.”

Bair said practices are not hellish, even on unseasonably hot days like last week.

“Coach Billy is the nicest coach we’ve had,” Bair said. “He is not too demanding.”

What is odd is that Jeannette has decent turnout in other sports. The bowling team has 14, and the new flag-football team has 11.

With that being said, the girls basketball team struggled to maintain a steady starting five last season, although the word is more girls are showing interest.

Bryant doesn’t want to see soccer circle the drain should participation continue to dwindle.

“Jeannette is a small school,” Bryant said. “There aren’t a lot of girls playing multiple sports.”

Jeannette sponsors girls sports in soccer, basketball tennis and softball. Flag football could end up a PIAA-sanctioned sport in the near future.

“We don’t want to lose the team,” Bryant said. “It’s a lot harder to get back into the WPIAL.”

Teams that can’t hold steady numbers and develop a habit of forfeiting could have to play as a club team for multiple years before being allowed re-entrance to the WPIAL.

There was cursory discussion about a co-operative with another school, namely rival Greensburg Central Catholic, but it never developed.

Another way to attract players is through an already existing co-op with Harvest Baptist Academy, a school that even an unseasoned soccer player could kick a ball to: The school is just down the hill from McKee Stadium, on the other side of Lowry Avenue.

“There aren’t a lot of kids there to begin with,” Bryant said, referring to an enrollment of 60-plus students from K-12. “Trust me, we have tried all options.”

Unlike other area programs with travel and club players, Jeannette has few true soccer players.

It has a cheerleader and two tennis players.

“We’ve tried to get some band kids to come out,” Bryant said, nodding to what the football team did a couple of years ago when its numbers dipped substantially. “There is just a lot of uncertainty right now.”

Freshman Reece Brennan has been a ball girl for the team the last few years and finally will get to be a player.

“I don’t care if you’ve never payed soccer before in your life,” Bryant said. “Everyone who plays the game had to start somewhere.”

Opponents don’t have to play 8-on-8 when they face Jeannette, but Bryant said he will ask them to.

“We’re hoping teams will play down with us,” he said. “That will make it competitive. We will try to get the girls water breaks as much as we can.”

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

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