Even when they won their first Far East Class A title last season, the E.J. King boys soccer team struggled to score, netting just 28 goals in 21 matches.

Cobras coach Michael Erickson believes he may have found a two-pronged secret to springing the offense from its shackles in striker Tamir Seraphin and midfielder Jonathan Green.

Seraphin scored three goals, assisted each time by Green, as the Cobras came back from a two-week layoff with a 4-0 victory over Edgren on Friday at Sasebo Naval Base.

Seraphin’s three goals and Jeremy Ruelos’ goal helped E.J. King equal last year’s total in 10 fewer matches.

“Jon-Jon’s been feeding these guys, and the guys are starting to finish,” Erickson said, adding that he puts his Cobras through an hour of shooting drills in each practice. “It’s starting to click.”

Erickson worried that the Cobras would come out flat after having their scheduled matches last weekend at Matthew C. Perry called off due to wet grounds.

“We came out hot. We came out firing,” Erickson said.

The Cobras got an extra boost, Erickson said, when senior basketball stars Fernando Rico and Keith Williams came back out for soccer. They sat out last season after playing as sophomores.

“They’re a couple of good athletes. I’m happy to have them,” Erickson said.

Play of Samurai girls strikers impresses Yokota coachAll week long, Yokota coach Matt Whipple had warned his Panthers about Matthew C. Perry, long a Japan soccer league doormat until its runner-up finish in Class A last year.

“I told them all week not to take them lightly,” Whipple said before the Panthers took the field and escaped with a 2-1 victory over the Samurai on Friday. Yokota’s Courtney Richards scored twice, giving her 17 goals this season.

Particularly on defense, the Samurai are a “much improved” team, Whipple said, from the one that went 8-11-1 and lost the Class A title match 2-1 in overtime to Daegu American.

“Their No. 8 can play,” Whipple said of Karla Stroud, who drove through Yokota’s defense for her seventh goal of the season. “They’re much more organized and their defense has improved. We had trouble cracking it. They’ll be a tough team at the Far East.”

Okinawa’s sprint field bunched heading into Petty meetA week away from the first major Pacific invitational track and field meet of the season, a razor-thin margin separates Okinawa’s finest boys and girls sprint teams.

In Friday’s meet at Kubasaki’s Mike Petty Stadium, first through 10th place in the boys 100 were separated by a mere .82 seconds. On the girls’ side, the top six finishers were separated by .63 seconds.

“We’re trying to get into the high 10s,” said Kadena’s Brandon Harris, a junior who just lost out to teammate Shun Bowens, 11.15-11.21. “We’re trying our best. We’re working hard.”

The top boys sprinters are taking aim at next weekend’s 6th Alva W. “Mike” Petty Memorial Meet with an eye on shredding the meet’s record book.

“We’re looking at a major record rewrite,” said Kubasaki’s Emanuel Finney, who took fourth in 11.62. “We’re capable of taking everything.”

Kadena sophomore Jazzmine Baker matched Bowens’ effort by clocking a 13.3. She holds lofty goals, but also noticed how closely bunched was the girls field.

“Just keep working hard in practice and doing my best,” Baker said, adding that she wants to slash her time to 12.5. “It can be done,” she said.

Speed may not be the sole province of 100-meter sprinters.

Bowens edged Kubasaki's Michael Bennett 23.21-23.75, while Kubasaki’s Natasha Copeland nipped Baker 28.00-28.26 in the boys and girls 200.

The 400 relay teams posted times which coaches said were “impressive” for just the third week of the season. Kadena’s boys clocked a 45.43 and the girls ran a 54.62.

“If we keep this up, we’re looking at 44s in the relay” in the Petty, Finney said.

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