Connect with us

Arkansas

Bouyed by Booy | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

Published

on

Bouyed by Booy | Arkansas Democrat Gazette


There was little Ian Booy couldn’t do during his time with the Conway boys soccer team.

He was a two-year captain, a mainstay in defense, one of the team’s top passers, was a consistent aerial threat on throw-ins and corner kicks and could even play some goalkeeper if needed.

It’s no coincidence the time Booy spent on the Wampus Cats’ varsity roster resulted in the program’s greatest three-year run as it claimed three state championships.

For that, Booy was named the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s All-Arkansas Preps Boys Soccer Player of the Year.

Advertisement

“He’s our go-to player,” Conway Coach Matthew Page said. “Everything runs through him. He’s so unselfish. I know that he’s the type of player that could take on multiple kids at a time when he gets the ball at his foot and all the time he passes, gives everybody else a look. He always pushes up for us on set pieces and then hustles back, and it wears on him. I’ll be honest, he’s dead after every game.

“He’s definitely a special kid, and you don’t get a kid like that very often.”

He joins former teammate Will Childers, the 2023 Boys Soccer Player of the Year, among recipients.

Despite his versatility, Booy typically found himself just ahead of the Wampus Cats’ defensive line. With the foresight to clean up messes before they happened and the full attack in his sights, he was central to Conway’s dominance en route to the Class 6A state championship this season.

The Wampus Cats finished 19-1-2, ending the season on a 21-game unbeaten streak. With Booy leading the way, they allowed just 12 goals, nine of which were in the final 21 games.

Advertisement

Conway had 14 shutouts, including the state semifinal against Bryant and the championship game against rival Little Rock Catholic.

The win over Bryant to clinch his team’s spot in its fourth straight state championship game was Booy’s shining moment.

In that match, he scored two goals in two minutes — one from a throw-in and the other from the penalty spot– to secure a 2-0 victory.

“It was amazing, just hard work paying off early and just creating memories,” Booy said. “I really want to perform for this team, and I care about it a lot. So being able to do that was really, really awesome.”

Conway’s offense was centered around dead-ball opportunities. It’s controlled chaos, like a dust storm in a sandbox, constantly forcing defenders into uncomfortable positions in confined spaces.

Advertisement

Booy thrived in that chaos all season as he led the Wampus Cats with 14 goals and 2 assists. He led all defenders in goals this season.

“It’s super fun because it feels like [with] every opportunity, we have a chance to score,” Booy said of Conway’s strategy. “A lot of teams can’t say that, but I love the chaos and really, it’s what wins us games sometimes.”

For his career, Booy scored 22 goals and assisted seven. Off the field, he was a straight-A student, who has decided to forgo his athletic scholarship offers to attend the University of Arkansas and major in finance.

Booy was at the center of an unprecedented senior class for Conway. The 15 athletes ended their careers with three state championship rings, four state championship appearances and a 55-5-5 record over their final three seasons.

After each of those state-title game appearances, Page and the Wampus Cats have needed to reload with the next group up.

Advertisement

“I think just the camaraderie we’ve had,” Booy said. “A lot of these guys this senior class, we’ve been together since before high school, like in middle school, elementary school. We’ve just known each other, hung out with each other and played soccer together, and that’s kind of what makes us so good and made us so successful.”

“It seems like we just keep reloading, repeating,” Page said. “And this team was a special team. We got 15 seniors, and these guys did amazing. These guys played a lot in the last two state championships as well, And it’s going to be sad to see them guys leave. But they were amazing and they continued to do everything I’ve asked them to do.”

More News

[]

 

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Arkansas

Arkansas wins 53rd cross country conference championship | Whole Hog Sports

Published

on

Arkansas wins 53rd cross country conference championship | Whole Hog Sports





Arkansas wins 53rd cross country conference championship | Whole Hog Sports







Advertisement






Advertisement





Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Arkansas

Why Ole Miss Should Beat the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday | Locked On Ole Miss Podcast

Published

on

Why Ole Miss Should Beat the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday | Locked On Ole Miss Podcast


Today’s Locked On Ole Miss Podcast discusses why Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels will beat the Arkansas Razorbacks in Saturday’s matchup. This will be the next opportunity to play clean football, and I think they will put it together against the Hogs and Sam Pittman and cut down on the penalties that have been allowing teams to stay in the game.

This matchup is absolutely massive for the Rebels because of what it means in the season as a whole, and Taylen Green against the Ole Miss defense will draw everyone’s eye. People look at the Arkansas stats and assume this is a typical Bobby Petrino team, and that isn’t quite right. John Nabors of Locked On Razorbacks said that if Ole Miss goes up by 14, it is over because this team is not a play-from-behind team.

In our final segment of the day, we give our final thoughts on Ole Miss vs. Arkansas and talk about expectations for Saturday and why everything points to an Ole Miss win, but Ole Miss fans before a trip to Fayetteville have seen this movie before.

WANT MORE OLE MISS SPORTS CONTENT?

Advertisement

Become an LOOM Insider HERE

https://joinsubtext.com/lockedonolemiss



Source link

Continue Reading

Arkansas

Ole Miss Football Reveals Uniform Combination For Road Game vs. Arkansas

Published

on

Ole Miss Football Reveals Uniform Combination For Road Game vs. Arkansas


The No. 19 Ole Miss Rebels have a big test on Saturday when they travel to face the Arkansas Razorbacks in Fayetteville, and we now know what uniform combination coach Lane Kiffin’s team will feature on the field.

For the first time in two years, the Rebels will not be wearing a different uniform combination in each of its regular season games. Ole Miss is reusing the uniform it wore earlier in the year at South Carolina, opting to don powder blue helmets, white jerseys with powder blue accents and white pants.

You can view the uniform reveal below, complete with modeling from edge rusher Princely Umanmielen.

Since this is the first year the Rebels have ever used this jersey, they are technically undefeated all-time in this uniform combination after knocking off South Carolina 27-3 in Columbia earlier this year. They hope that good luck follows them to Fayetteville this weekend, a place they have not won since 2008.

The last time Ole Miss reused a uniform combination during the regular season came in 2021, but the last time they did it in a campaign including the postseason was in 2022 when they repeated a uniform in the Texas Bowl against Texas Tech. Assuming this is the Rebels’ only road jersey in this year’s rotation, we should also see a repeat when Ole Miss travels to face Florida later in November.

Kickoff on Saturday between Ole Miss and Arkansas is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT, and the game will be televised on ESPN.





Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending