By Alan Wise

The JHS soccer program is now officially into the 2010 season. Last Wednesday, both the girls and boys teams welcomed the Chargers of Central Macon to town in a preseason exhibition match. For both teams, the season officially kicks off on Tuesday, February 23. This preseason match would give them both an idea of the season to come.

The Lady Devils played first and showed they were ready to fight. Led by captains Morgan Shaddix and Hannah Kline, the Devils were inches away from several goals. Coach Kevin Shivers said that his girls "showed a lot of promise" in how they performed. Their defense was quite impressive, not allowing the Chargers much of a chance on offense. The Lady Devils ended the half tied, 0-0.

The second half belonged to the girls JV team. Central Macon did not bringing their JV, and Central Macon's varsity team proved to be a little much for the JV Lady Devils. Given their lack of experience, the younger Lady Devils put up a good showing and showed a lot of potential for the future of the program.

Red Devils enjoy exhibition win, 2-1

The Devils boys team finished the night against a team they have showed success against in the past. Led by captains Jay Glidewell and Steven Higginbotham, the Red Devils took the field with one of the largest senior classes the program has seen. The action on the field was much warmer than the fans in the stands, as two teams that have played each other for years seemed to forget this was just a scrimmage.

At about 10 minutes in, the Chargers struck and found the back of the net on a long shot from outside. The Jackson defense made a few adjustments, and the score at the half remained 0-1 in the favor of Central Macon. The Devils came out after halftime in their new uniforms, a surprise for the fans who expected to not see them until the season opener. With the defensive adjustments holding the Chargers back, the offense could push forward. Headers by Luke Aiken and Ryan McClendon put the Devils up 2-1 to close out the exhibition.

Both programs looked strong in their preseason opener. Despite the cool temperatures, a decent sized crowd was in attendance. The Soccer Boosters look for more support as the season begins, and both programs look to reach the state playoffs.

The season officially begins Tuesday, February 23, in Covington as the Devils take on Newton County. The Devils next travel to Macon to take on the Hurricanes of Rutland. The Devils then travel to Lakewood Stadium in Atlanta to take on Maynard Jackson on Saturday. The Devils return to Jackson for the home opener on March 2 against rival Mary Persons. Kickoff for the home opener will be 5:30 p.m. for the girls and 7:30 p.m. for the boys.