Kyle SouthardTrack and field

Ramstein

Last week: Southard, 17, a junior who transferred into Ramstein from Illinois last fall in time to place ninth overall in the European cross country championships, ran the 1,500 meters in 4 minutes, 5 seconds Saturday to win by one second over teammate Dan Edwards. Southard’s time, which came in just the second meet of the season, would have won the gold medal in last May’s European track and field championships.

Southard “excels at the mid-distances,” his coach, Steve Meadows, wrote in an e-mail to Stars and Stripes on Tuesday. “Kyle is a hard-working young man who trains year-round and who is a pure pleasure to coach.”

Meadows added that Edwards and Ramstein’s other middle-distance and distance stars went a long way toward propelling Southard to Saturday’s brisk time.

“Kyle would be the first to admit that he has great teammates in Noah Sheppard, Dan Edwards and Kevin Edwards who push him each week in practice,” Meadows wrote. “I would not be surprised if Kyle breaks the school record in the 1,500, which is 4:03.7 and set back in 1989.”

Michelle RosasGirls soccer

Brussels High School

Last week: Rosas played at a level well above what might be expected of a 15-year-old freshman by hammering home five goals Saturday in the Lady Brigands’ 7-0 defeat of visiting Alconbury.

“I tell my girls that when they have the ball close to the goal to shoot it,” Brussels coach Brandy Witmer said by telephone on Saturday. “She did, and scored two goals when the rebounds came directly back to her.”

Rosas, named all-conference in volleyball last fall and voted to the European Division IV all-tournament basketball team in February, benefited from the Brussels style of play and defensive lapses by Alconbury.

“We tell our wings to center the ball when they get ahead of the defense,” Witmer said. “Michelle then collects the ball and drives toward the goal. It worked well Saturday because there was no one on her.”

With seven goals in three games, according to Witmer there’s apt to be a minimum of one person on Rosas in the remaining two conference games standing between the Lady Brigands and the Division III-North conference championship.

— Selected by Stars and Stripes staff

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