High school soccer: Hull, Adams lift Rowland Hall
Hull remembers being decked out in his UnderArmour turtle-neck and bundled up in a warm blanket when he got off the bus in Morgan, where he was subsequently told that he, along with fellow freshman Adams, would be in the starting 11.
Over 80 minutes of what proved to be a 4-0 loss to the Trojans, Adams and Hull quickly realized that high school soccer against older players would be much different than the high-level club soccer they were used to. Hull, playing at sweeper, got dispossessed on a play that resulted in a Morgan goal, and both youngsters struggled in the unfamiliar environment.
"We didn't have the specific dialogue" afterward, said coach Bobby Kennedy, "but I have the memory of shaking both of their hands, and having them go, 'Boy, I kind of learned a lesson out there,' and just saying, 'You have to defer to the 45-year-old guy that has a little wisdom on his hands. You're gonna be OK. I know it probably doesn't feel that way right now, but you're gonna be OK."'
Not only have the two talented youngsters, who are both now juniors, been OK, they've thrived on the field and have helped change the whole soccer culture of the tiny Salt Lake City private school.
With their precocious young stars leading the way, Rowland Hall advanced all the way to the state championship game a season ago, and nearly 12 months later, they've helped pace top-ranked Rowland Hall back to the semifinal round, where the Winged Lion will face ALA on Friday.
Hull, a classic center-mid type, and Adams, a quick and shifty midfielder, grew up attending elementary and middle school at Rowland Hall, and they opted to stay at RHSM when it came time to attend high school.
"You can pull up yearbooks from 10 years ago, and you'll see their little faces in the pictures," said Kennedy. "Probably more poignant is that they chose to stay, and chose to stay when they realized the depth of the (soccer) program and the quality of the program top-to-bottom was quite frankly not the highest standard in the world."
Adams and Hull have helped immensely in that regard. That isn't to say they don't have help — they do. Sweeper Donny White is as solid as any defender in 2A, forward Jared Accettura can score bags of goals, and there are other talented club players in the side. However, it's abundantly clear that the two star juniors lead the way — on and off the field.
In terms of building up the soccer culture of Rowland Hall, Adams and Hull, and their families, have played huge roles. Kennedy pointed out that both sets of parents always attend Rowland Hall's soccer games, and their presence in the program has helped lift it.
"Are they poster kids for Rowland Hall? I don't know. I do know that the kids look at them and say, 'Hey, I see Walker doin' this, that and the other with the ball. He's got two feet. I've got two feet,"' said Kennedy.
"It's so cool to see that (Adams and Hull) want to be a part of something a little bit bigger. And we don't get too philosophical about it, but I think they recognize that."
E-mail: drasmussen@desnews.com
Recent comments
BK was one of the best coaches I've had. During my stay tenure...
RH Soccer Alum '07 | May 10, 2008 at 12:34 p.m.
Do they still have that balla goal keeper from last year?
Waterford!!! | May 9, 2008 at 10:14 p.m.
So true. Both are terrific.
soccafan2 | May 9, 2008 at 10:43 a.m.
