The story below was published in the Peak in July of 1999.
Silver at the provincial championships in Trail capped off a strong season for Powell River's under 17 boys soccer club. The team took on clubs from Kamloops, Prince George, West Vancouver, Point Grey and top-seeded Nelson in the sweltering heat and emerged second best. Nelson captured gold.
The tournament became a fitting ending for the local squad, which sometimes dominated their short yet powerful season. Coach Harry Zroback was more than happy with his club's performance.
"The heat was a big factor for everyone," he said. "The afternoon games rose to 92 degrees but all the boys played great. Our defence and both goalkeepers were especially excellent.
Powell River fell to Kamloops 3-0 in their opening game, which, as Zroback pointed out, started out slow for the local squad.
"We weren't in the park in the early part and we went down three nothing; we tried to come back but it was too late," said the coach.
Against Prince George, Powell River more than showed their talent. overpowering the opposition 5-1, led by Kelsey Louie with three goals and Jesse Gordon with two. The third game saw the locals up against top-seeded Nelson and holding a 1-0 lead after the first half. Then, as Zroback explained, "we just fell apart and got down on ourselves and Nelson stormed back for convincing 4-1 victory."
Powell River redeemed itself against West Vancouver, again led by Louie with two goals, beating the city team 2-0. In the team's final game of the weekend, Louie's two goals, along with a single from Gordon, helped the locals tie their nemesis Point Grey by a score of 3-3. Louis had evened the score with a free kick.
Point Grey had beaten Powell River earlier in the season in the Coastal Cup final, so this new match was meaningful for the locals.
Before the provincial showdown began, Powell River hadn't played an important game since late April, but had continued to work out and stay in top shape to prepare for the big event. Losing to Kamloops in their opening game became a major setback for the team in the round-robin, but,as Zroback pointed out, his team played well at all positions.
Winning silver was a fine feather in their cap for these young players.
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