Senior credited for helping hold young team together

By Sean Ammerman

Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008 | midnight

As a young soccer player, Drew Suits would practice dribbling against his dog in the backyard.

When Suits had no one to play with, he would work on his shots at the local park.

The Foothill senior may have spent a lot of time practicing alone, but he is far from a selfish player.

“Growing up all of my coaches taught me to pass and share the ball,” said Suits, who leads Southern Nevada with 17 assists. “That’s the way I play. The game flows so much easier when you know how to distribute the ball.”

Suits, a senior forward, has been the glue holding a young Foothill team together.

As the team’s most experienced player — he’s spent years on club teams and even went to Europe and South America with traveling teams — Suits is the Falcons’ unquestioned leader.

Foothill coach Ric Grenell said Suits has had a hand in a majority of Foothill’s goal this season.

“He’s really what you’re looking for when it come to a true soccer player,” Grenell said. “He’s the guy who creates the problems for the defense and then dishes it out to let somebody else score.”

With a 5-8 Southeast Division record as of Oct. 28, Foothill will miss the playoffs for the third straight season.

However, the season was a major improvement over last year, when the team finished with two wins.

The Falcons were led by the tandem of sophomore Christian Volesky and Suits, who have led with 16 and 15 goals, respectively.

In Foothill’s 9-0 win against Liberty on Oct. 21, Volesky had three goals and Suits had four assists.

“We feed off each other,” Volesky said. “I don’t think either of us would have scored as many goals without that chemistry.”

A major factor in Foothill’s improvement was the addition of Grenell, a former girls coach at Gonzaga.

Grenell, also the director of coaching for Southern Nevada Soccer Association, coached Suits on his first club team with the Henderson United.

“I was thrilled when I heard he would be coaching,” Suits said. “He’s one of the best coaches in the state. This is a totally different team from last year.”

Foothill has had its share of ups and down during Suits’ four-year tenure as a varsity starter.

After helping to lead Foothill to a playoff appearance his freshman year, Suits played on teams that totaled three wins the next two years.

Going out with another losing record this fall was another disappointment. Nevertheless, Suits said he has no regrets.

“I have always been proud to play for Foothill, even if we may not have always been the best,” he said.

Sean Ammerman can be reached at 990-2661 or [email protected].