Cam Turner, the longtime soccer coach at Windsor Forest High School, is known for his devotion to his program and his dedication to help grow the sport in the Coastal Empire.
On Saturday, Turner was at Islands High School Stadium to oversee the 14th annual Coastal Empire All-Star Soccer games as more than 130 players from more than 35 schools converged at Whitemarsh Island to show off their talents one more time in a celebration of the sport.
Thunderstorms put a damper on the event early, causing games on the girls side to be canceled. But Turner and his fellow coaches pushed through the deluge and the boys event went on after a delay of a couple hours.
The boys action got off to a spectacular start as South Effingham star Edson Escobar got control of the ball after the kickoff and caught a keeper coming off his line a bit too far ― launching a shot from midfield that found the back of the net for an unforgettable play.
"It was a great day even though we had to deal with some bad weather," said Turner, who also is an athletic director at Windsor Forest. "We got to see some great soccer, like the play that (Edson) Escobar made to start the boy's event, and all the games were won by a goal or were draws. It was evenly balanced across the board, and it was a chance for all these players to get together one last time and play with and against each other in front of friends and family."
Ben Weisel, the sophomore from Benedictine, was recently named the Region 3-4A goal keeper of the year. He said playing in the event was an excellent experience.
"There are so many good players here so the competition is really high," Weisel said. "And a lot of us know each other from playing club and high school soccer growing up. You get a chance to meet and get to know new guys ― it was a fun event to be part of."
In the girl's competition, Capers Child of Glynn Academy was named the MVP after converting a corner kick for her side before the rains came. In the boys tournament, Ashton Bowen scored a goal in the final game to secure the title for the Blue team as the junior took home the boys' MVP trophy.
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN
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