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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

EV’s Funkhouser named to national select soccer team


East Valley High's Ben Funkhouser moves the ball past a teammate during practice Tuesday. Funkhouser was selected for the national junior team last fall. 
 (Liz Kishimoto / The Spokesman-Review)
Steve Christilaw Correspondent

Ben Funkhouser is on the list.

The East Valley High School senior has made a lot of lists during his stellar soccer career. All-Greater Spokane League lists, premier and select team lists. Even the list of players for the Spokane Shadow of the Premier Development League.

Added now to that impressive list of lists is one for the National Olympic Development Program Select team.

“I went to a national camp where I made a select list,” Funkhouser explained. “Basically, it gives me a chance of playing further at the national level.”

Soccer already is a year-round endeavor for Funkhouser. Since leading East Valley to a share of the GSL title and the Class 3A playoffs a year ago and attending the National ODP camp, Funkhouser played significant minutes with the Spokane Shadow in a league made up primarily of college players – including former University standout Brett Hite, who started his Shadow career while an underclassman for the Titans.

“Playing with college players like that really helps my game,” Funkhouser said. “They’re bigger and faster and more experienced than the guys I usually play against. It helps me learn how to take my game to the next level.”

The level of Funkhouser’s play was impressive enough before last summer.

“I think he’s a phenomenal player,” said University coach Kevin Houston. “He plays a different style from Brett Hite, but he’s got speed, he’s got strength, he can hit the ball long. He’s just as big a threat from 25- or 30-yards out as he is from 10- or 15-yards out.

“He’s the kind of player you have to plan for because, if you don’t, he’s going to beat you.”

“Every day in practice he does something that just makes me stop and go, ‘wow,’ East Valley coach Jeff Rose said.

The GSL opens Wednesday with EV at University at 7 p.m. Defending 4A district champion Central Valley opens at home against Gonzaga Prep at 6:30. West Valley, in its final GSL season, is home against Shadle Park at 4 p.m. at Smith Field.

Central Valley

The Bears are coming off their most successful soccer season in school history, reaching the state quarterfinals, where they dropped a 2-0 decision to state runner-up Pasco.

“There’s a buzz around this team,” coach Brandon Deyarmin said. “It started way back in the fall when school started.”

As the second week of practice drew to a close, Central Valley was struggling with a few minor injuries and awaiting the addition of Kevin Cameron, who was busy playing point guard for the basketball team.

“We have a majority of kids back from last year,” Deyarmin said. “Last year gave us a taste of what it’s like (to be in the playoffs). That was the farthest I’ve gone in the playoffs as either a coach or a player. Having a nucleus of those players back gives us a group that wants to get back and, hopefully, go the next step and make it into the final four and be the representative from Eastern Washington.”

The Bears are experienced on defense, returning seniors Lucas Chesher and Taylor Fyhrie and goalkeeper Ryan Skay. Seniors Matt Bunch, Jesse Dunbar, Tyler Wilcox and Brian Riffel give the team a veteran midfield while standout forward Jay Vela is joined by Cameron and senior Josh Angles.

“We still have some goals that we didn’t achieve last year,” Deyarmin said. “We want to win the GSL; CV has never done that. We had a chance to win it last year, but we let that slip through our fingers.

“One of the things we talked about last year was how there were no plaques on the wall for boys soccer in our gym. There’s one under girls soccer, but nothing for the boys. Now there is. Some of last year’s players came back, and the first thing they checked out was to make sure it was there. They never saw it last year because they graduated right after the season.”

East Valley

The Class 3A Knights earned a share of the league title a year ago but aren’t planning to sit around, resting on their laurels.

“We have to go out there and work hard,” Funkhouser said. “Winning the league was good, but we can’t count on doing that again. This is a really tough league, and you have to play hard every game. We beat up on each other pretty good, and it’s hard to say who’s going to be there at the end.”

East Valley has just three seniors on its roster, with defender Matt Klaiber and midfielder Aaryn Bergum joining Funkhouser.

The Knights strength rests in its junior class, which boasts 10 players on the 16-player roster.

Junior goalkeeper Josh Peck returns along with defenders Josh Polello, Nathan Weiler, Marcus Intinarelli and Steven Tate.

Juniors Matt Miller, Dino Valdez and Matt Schneidmiller join Funkhouser in the midfield.

“We have a good group,” Rose said. “We have a solid core of players back and I think we have a chance to be pretty good.”

University

The Titans lost some key players to graduation last year, but those holes have been filled in quickly this spring.

“Some of the spots I was worried about filled themselves in,” Houston said. “Still, we have a lot of youth and inexperience mixed in.”

Leading University is senior all-league midfielder Keith Realing.

“It’s been a lot of fun watching him develop since his freshman year,” Houston said. “I’ve seen growth and maturity. He’s tough, fast and quick with the ball. He’s fun to watch.”

Also back is three-sport athlete Clint Moquist, who takes on the job of goalkeeper full-time.

“I had to talk Clint into coming out and it’s been fun watching him learn the game of soccer and gain confidence,” Houston said. “He’s a tight end in football, and he’s on the basketball team, and I think those two sports complement being a goalkeeper.

“Clint divided time in goal last year, and I think he’s ready to take on that job full-time this year.”

Houston hopes his keeper will keep an open mind about continuing to play the game.

“Clint has been talking about walking on at Eastern Washington in football,” he said. “But I think he’d make a great Division I college goalkeeper. He’d be a bit of a project – some school that already has a quality goalkeeper for this year or the next two years and can bring Clint along as a back-up. I think he’d have a bright future.”

The Titans have a solid junior class. Trent Hemingway and Bryce Burchak return at defender. Bill McElroy and Christian Holloway return at midfield and Aaron Anderburg returns at forward.

West Valley

Two years ago the Eagles struggled to field a junior varsity. This year coach Matt Nelson has numbers to work with.

“The numbers can be pretty cyclical,” he said. “We had 42 kids sign up, and we’ve had 38 turn out. Those are good numbers for us.”

The Eagles return their leading scorer from a year ago in senior forward Neil Bachman, who finished the season among the top five in the GSL in goals.

Team captain David Luden, a senior, anchors the team’s defense and will be joined by juniors Ryan O’Neel, who can fill in at any position, and Alex Kautzman.

Seniors Treavor O’Neill and Carlos Moreno lead a solid midfield, with junior newcomer Devin Merrill expected to play a significant role.

“I don’t have anyone back in goal,” Nelson said. “I’m looking at a couple of guys there. If I had to fill out a lineup right now, I’d start senior Andrew Richardson there, but it’s wide open right now.”