2020 Vision: Intramural Soccer Launches New Chapter
Carolina Ramirez6 Stones and HEB ISD have partnered to provide local students with access to soccer for almost a decade now. What started with six hastily assembled teams has grown into a league that will include nearly 150 students in 2020. This year, for the first time, Liga HEB will feature eight teams representing all five Junior High schools in the district. What’s more, the addition of Harwood Junior High opens the door for an exciting new setup that puts every school in contention for the Champions Cup.
Blackhawk Soccer Club Takes Flight
Thanks to a generous grant from the FC Dallas Foundation and the continuous support of Zeb’s Foundation, male students at Harwood Junior High will finally have a team of their own. League veteran Phillip Baumann and HJH counselor Stacy Force will lead the Blackhawks in their inaugural season. They’ll start the year as a Dark Horse contender, but there’s a clear path to the playoffs if they can find their feet early.
Two Tables, Four Contenders, One Champion
The addition of an eighth team created a unique opportunity in the 2020 schedule. This year, teams will be divided into two divisions based on their skill and tenure in the league. The three founding schools will each be represented by their most talented players in Tier I, with Bedford United joining the mix at the top of the table after a strong showing in 2019. Every club will play the others twice; “home” and “away.” Three of those teams will qualify for the Champions Cup Playoff in March. The bottom team, however, may face relegation in 2021.
League newcomers Blackhawk SC will compete against developing talent from Hurst, Euless, and Central. Just as in Tier I, every team will play a home-and-home series against the rest of the division. The first-place finishers in the second division will get a shot at the title. But reaching the championship game will require them to topple the second-place team from Tier One.
The Stars at Night are Big and Bright…
After several successful years of intraleague All-Star scheduling, Liga HEB is welcoming a new challenge. Come March 18, the top players in HEB ISD’s intramural league will take on All-Stars from another program on the other side of the metroplex: Denton G.O.A.L. The Denton ISD program provides students with the same access to soccer as Liga HEB, with an equally strong record. The historic match will take place at Pennington Field in 2020, with an option to return to Denton in 2021.
4 Schools to Debut New Kits
The recent exponential growth of Liga HEB has only been possible because of the dedicated support of local sponsors. Old favorites The Soccer Corner, Parra Car Care, Insurance for Texans, and BoomerJack’s are back for more this season. They’ll be joined by new sponsors at Euless (Rita’s Italian Ice) and Hurst (Kelly-Moore Paints), with former league sponsor Zeb’s Foundation making the move to the Black and Orange. Bedford United are nearing completion of a new sponsorship deal, but final arrangements haven’t yet been made.
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Comments (6)
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Holly
Awesome! What is the process for 7th graders to be a part of this?
Steven Jones
Hi, Holly! Any students who have not enrolled in Athletics are eligible to participate as long as they fill out a waiver and practice with the team. Each campus has a representative on their counseling or teaching staff who oversees the program. You may want to reach out to your administration to ask who their point of contact would be, or use the “contact the commissioner” form on the soccer page of our site to get in touch with the folks who oversee the 6 Stones side of things. I hope that helps! Good luck!
Catherine
I would love to see which administrator can help my son play soccer and also allow him to play other sports like football, basketball, and track for his school. I don’t understand why he would have to choose between pe and athletics just to play soccer the sport he’s been playing since he was 4. I’m very disappointed Euless JH hasn’t found a solution yet. We will be there Aug 2020 and would love for the board to find a way to allow all kids to participate.
Steven Jones
Hi Catherine,
We understand your frustration. Unfortunately, the policy regarding PE and Athletics eligibility comes down from much higher in the school system than a single campus. This is a district-wide policy that affects junior high soccer specifically because it is a club program, not an official school sport. The goal of Liga HEB is to provide a space to play for students who may not have another outlet, and our priority is to include players who are least engaged at school; starting with students who have no other extracurricular affiliations.
If you’d like to reach out to an administrative representative, we recommend contacting someone in HEB ISD’s main office. Mr. Joseph Harrington, the Assistant Superintendent, is a strong advocate of the program and may be able to provide you with more specifics about the policy.
Thanks for your passion!
Steven
Karin Bunton
Thank you for doing this for our boys at Harwood. It has been one of the biggest complaints parents have had since we started going there. Some parents have brought their kids to other school districts because there is not a boys soccer team to keep their kids in shape for high school teams. Thank you!
Steven Jones
Thanks, Karin! I’m actually an alumnus of Harwood, and it’s been my dream to get this team in place since I took over the league in 2016. Running a league for boys like me at all five campuses is a huge blessing. Keep supporting our Blackhawks so the team can stick around!
-Steven