Boys Soccer POY: Metz's statistics shined brightly in 2005
Boys Soccer Player of the Year -- By Ryan Sonner (Daily Staff Writer)
QUICKSBURG — Charles Metz loves numbers. He can spit out the statistics of just about any one of his favorite athletes, most of whom play for the New York Yankees. He also can tell you exactly how many goals he scored during his career on the Stonewall Jackson boys soccer team.
During the season, Metz kept count on a piece of paper he stuck in his wallet. After each game, he would write down the number of goals he had and keep a running tally.
"I've been around sports my whole life," he said. "Stats are something I'm interested in. I can tell you the stats for my whole high school career."
What he won't do, however, is sacrifice winning for a more impressive stat sheet.
He'll gladly give back every one of his school-record 35 goals this season for a shot at the state championship. He'd even hand over his 66 career goals, also a school record, for 80 minutes of soccer to determine the best team in all of Virginia.
"[Stats] look good, but I'd be happy as long as we had success," he said. "As long as we're winning and having fun while we're winning, that's all that matters."
Metz's record-breaking season earned him recognition as the Northern Virginia Daily's 2005 Boys Soccer Player of the Year. Thanks in large part to Metz, the Generals won their second Shenandoah District regular-season championship in a row and came within two victories of the Group A state tournament, a tournament Metz said the Generals could have won.
Stonewall (16-3) defeated eventual champion Clarke County 5-0 in the regular season, but they fell to state runner-up George Mason 2-0 in the Region B quarterfinals.
"I went down to the semifinal state games and the whole time I was there, I was thinking we should have been there," Metz said. "I stayed and watched Mason make it to the finals. We should have been there instead of them. We just couldn't put away our shots, but that's how it goes sometimes."
Stonewall Jackson coach Nate Hissong never had to worry about Metz putting away his shots. The senior scored four or more goals five times this year, including a career-high five against Rappahannock County on March 24.
During that game, Hissong switched Metz to forward in hopes of generating more offense. From then on, Metz was a mainstay on the offensive end of the field.
"I didn't think I'd be able to do anything like that," Metz said of the Rappahannock game. "I finished all my chances and didn't waste any shots."
Even when Metz stepped onto the pitch for the first time as a freshman, Hissong knew he was going to be a show-stopper. A preseason scrimmage against Spotswood only drove home that notion.
Brandon Ryman, the former holder of the career scoring record at Stonewall, had a breakaway on the left side while Metz was back on defense. Just as Ryman was preparing for a shot on goal, Metz appeared, streaking down the middle of the field. Ryman flipped a soft pass across to Metz, who drilled in the goal.
"The thing that impressed everybody was the sheer dedication to run across the field," Hissong said. "We were losing like 6-0 and he blew everybody away with this huge run.
"That was indicative of his work ethic."
From the time he was a freshman until his senior year, Metz, who will play next year for Potomac State Junior College, slowly made the transition from defense to offense. It was a gradual move that Metz said he enjoyed. Back in the days of youth soccer, he was a scorer, but as he grew older, defense became just as appealing.
"I don't have a problem adapting to any position," he said. "I used to score six goals a game and then I'd go back on defense. Once I played travel soccer, I played midfield — both offense and defense."
Metz didn't have the luxury of honing his soccer skills at the junior varsity level — he was thrust onto the varsity squad as a freshman. Four years later, he has cemented his status as the best player in Stonewall Jackson history.
And he's got the stats to prove it.
R Contact Ryan Sonner at rsonner@nvdaily.com
Charles Metz
School: Stonewall Jackson
Class: Senior
Position: Forward
Stats: School-record 35 goal, along with 9 assists this season
