Sunday, December 2, 2012
Tue DALLAS POST
PAGE 9
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Dallas High School 1993 grads Steve McCafferty, left, and Jim
Fazzi pose for a photo before the annual alumni soccer game.
SOCCER and
CAMARADERIE
Annual Dallas High School Alumni Soccer Game gets bigger
and better every year.
By TOM ROBINSON
For the Dallas Post
Johnny Sheehan’s roots as
goalkeeper made him comfort-
able directing the teammates in
front of him.
When it came time for a group
of players from different eras to
quickly form into a team for the
Dallas High School Alumni
Game in bitter, windy conditions
on a Saturday morning two days
after Thanksgiving, it was Shee-
han who took charge. :
Sheehan positioned his team-
mates, noting that the presence
of three goalies might be useful
inst younger opponents. His
A-hearted approach — “hey,
are you guys any good?” he shout-
ed to the high school players as
they lined up — helped set the
tone for the game’s mood.
Sheehan, who settled into the
stopper position while brothers
Mike and Tim Raub shared goalie
duties, was the most vocal player
on the field, clearly having fun
now that he’s become part of an
annual gathering that has lasted
about a quarter of a century.
While he took a break on the
sideline, however, Sheehan fin-
ished talking about the game by
“He's pretty much the
reason these guys in
blue have the chance
they do every year.”
; John Sheehan
About the late John McCafferty
pointing out an important seri-
ous side to the day. The game be-
gan under John McCafferty, a na-
tive of Scotland who started the
Dallas High School program in
1981 and is one of those most re-
sponsible for the Back Mountain
being at the center of soccer’s de-
velopment in northeastern Penn-
sylvania.
“He’s pretty much the reason
these guys in blue have the
chance they do every year,” Shee-
han said of McCafferty, who im-
mediately turned the Mountain-
eers into a championship pro-
gram that reached the state final
and two other state quarterfinals
under his guidance. “The roots in
the program started with John
and the life lessons he taught ev-
ery one of us, even after he fin-
ished coaching.”
It was McCafferty’s illness and
death in November 2010 that
sparked a boost in interest in the
Alumni Game, including making
Dallas soccer alumni moms Kathy Murray, right, and Diane Dom-
zalski watch their sons play in the alumni soccer game.
Class of 201, defends.
BILL TARUTIS PHOTOS/ FOR THE DALLAS POST
Dallas High School 1987 grad John Sheehan makes a save in practice before the annual Dallas alumni soccer game at Lt. Michael Clea-
ry Field.
it a mandatory part of Sheehan’s
plans.
Attendance spiked in the past
two years, leading to one of the
two adjustments that booster
club vice president and alumni
game committee chair Kathy
Murray had to make in this year’s
t-shirt orders.
Murray increased the order of
light and dark blue t-shirts, used
as jerseys for the game, to 60. She
also adjusted e the order for XXL,
which allowed for necessary use
over sweatshirts and/or for ad-
justments to the effects of age.
Murray said alumni not part of
the extensive contact list the club
manages can add themselves by
passing along information to
head coach Chris Scharff or any
booster club officer.
“The turnouts have been bet-
ter the past couple of years,” said
Tim Raub, while visiting on the
sideline with Steve McCafferty,
son of the former coach. “We're
getting some of the older guys
who are more than just a couple
of years removed from school.”
The alumni forms one team,
with the assistance of younger
legs from an occasional son or
daughter who joins in the action.
See SOCCER, Page 10
Raising funds with
LJ
JEWELRY
he Dallas High School lacrosse team held its annual jewelry
fundraiser at Appletree Terrace at Newbery Estates on Nov. 18.
Female members of the team modeled the jewelry. Denise De-
Luca was coordinator of the event.
BILL TARUTIS PHOTOS/ FOR THE DALLAS POST
TOP LEFT PHOTO: Senior Cara Pricher, left, of Dallas, senior Fal-
lyn Boich, of Mountain Top, senior Madeline Mulhern, of Dallas,
and freshman Julia Baloh, of Shavertown, practice modeling rings
before the event.
TOP RIGHT PHOTO: Dallas Booster Club event coordinator Denise
Deluca, right, shows off hors d'oeuvres at Appletree Terrace at
Newberry Estates during the jewelry fundraiser.
BOTTOM RIGHT PHOTO: Sheila Davis, right, of Larksville, holds
up an earring with Kathie Davis, of Dallas, at the jewelry fundrais-
er for the Dallas High School lacrosse team at Newberry Estates.
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