Lightning strikes down Vestavia match for JC Girls Soccer

The Vestavia Hills team plays nursery games in a circle as they waited to see what the verdict was on the game that was postponed due to lightning on Friday.

By Caleb Odom (caleb@themadisonrecord.com)

MADISON — There was an impending look to the sky on Friday evening as the James Clemens girls soccer team went through warmups before their match against Vestavia Hills on April 21, at the Jetplex.

A regular tradition that the Jets participate in is the Pilot Peptalk where last game’s key player dons on a leather pilot hat and delivers a speech to her team.

A ritual that may seem unorthodox to the untrained eye, but is one of many ways that the James Clemens club has bonded during this season.

On Friday, the pep talk came from the senior Noemi Loza who had a big smile on her face as she wore the hat and she encouraged her team.

“I was just hyping them up so we were ready for the game,” Loza said.

“Telling them that we need to keep our own and play our game because we know that we can get into our heads, but if we keep our own we can get that dub.”

Just minutes before the game was to be played, the sky was flashed with a jagged streak of lightning that sent the teams speed-walking for the locker rooms.

While the Jets took the time stuck in limbo to listen to music in the locker room, a couple of the seniors had time to reflect on the season that is now on the verge of the playoffs next month.

“Before the season started, I had really high expectations because we had some good upper classmen come up,” James Clemens senior Emma Plummer said.

“I think we have done really well this season so far. We have had some challenges, but we have overcome most of them and are still working to get to the top.”

Undeniable is a word that fits this Jets program that won the area champs crown against Bob Jones with a 3-0 victory despite having fallen to the Patriots a week before.

Now James Clemens has an opportunity on May 1 to play host to Sparkman in the first playoff game of the year, a team that defeated the Jets back on April 14.

“Even though they are a very tough older team, A lot of their girls are older just in average age than the team we have right now that we are fielding,” James Clemens head coach Erin Riddle said.

“It’s really cool to be a part of a program that on any day is going to be talented enough to lead in our area.”

The belief that their coach has in them echoed by the seniors who have no fear to face Sparkman again in the first round.

“I’m not nervous for this game,” Plummer said.

“I think if we play like we played Bob Jones last week, we’ll take the dub.”

As Loza and Plummer talked about how much they believe in their team, the rain continued to fall hard outside and the cheers from Vestavia Hills playing a nursery game in the weight room echoed through the building.

Even without soccer to play at the Jetplex, the feeling around the building is cheerful and full of growing anticipation for the tilt with Sparkman.

“Having the home field just makes us want it more since we don’t want to lose on our turf,” Loza said. “And the boys like coming out to our games. It gives us a lot of confidence.”

The night before, many of the student-athletes, soccer players included, went to the first installment of the Bob Jones vs James Clemens baseball game on Thursday where the Jets fell 4-2.

“I think everything is just getting to its highest point and we are about to be done in less than a month,” Plummer said.

“And also since we are the only team to beat Bob Jones, we have to show out in the playoffs.”