BY SCOTT HUNTER HADDOW
Confederation Charger blood runs thick through the veins of Scott Cliff.
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It gives Scott Cliff, 17, a great feeling of pride and honour to continue on the long-standing family connection with Confederation High School in Valley East. Cliff is an outstanding soccer player and excels in other sports. |
His father and mother were both Chargers, his aunts and uncles were Chargers and his older sister was a Charger.
It gives Cliff, 17, a great feeling of pride and honour to continue on the long-standing family connection with the Valley East high school.
?There?s so much background in my family with Confederation,? said Cliff. ?It?s great to know that I can carry on
the tradition.?
Born and raised in the Sudbury area, Cliff has always had a huge interest in athletics. From playing hockey to
soccer to football, Cliff has made sure he has had his full share of sports.
His first athletic love is soccer. The competitive nature of the sport has made it his favourite and allowed him to find a major purpose in life.
?I want to play soccer for a NCAA division school in the United States,? said Cliff. ?They have players from all over the world in the league and a lot of pro scouts attend the games.?
Cliff plays goalkeeper in soccer. His competitive fires inside make him a resourceful player. Cliff knows what makes him great at soccer.
?My fearless play is my greatest strength,? said Cliff. ?I will dive at the ball and do anything to stop it.?
Cliff played this past summer in the Central Soccer League for Barrie. He played with poise and established himself as a rising star in the world of soccer.
?Out of all the tournaments we played this past summer, I only allowed five regulation goals in 17 games,? said Cliff. ?It was a big accomplishment.?
Overall, Cliff allowed 20 goals in 35 league and tournament games.
Cliff enjoys the demand of being a soccer goaltender.
?As a keeper, you have to rely on yourself to make the saves for your team,? said Cliff. ?It takes a great deal of skill and I love to mentally break down games.?
Cliff recognizes playing sports can help obtain better opportunities for post-secondary education, which is important to him.
?I would like to major in biology because it?s a subject that just clicked with me and I love finding out how things live and work,? said Cliff. ?If it happens that I don?t go far in sports, then I have my education to fall back on.?
Peter Dawson, Cliff?s head coach in Barrie, is impressed with Cliff?s dedication to the sport.
?Scott is an outstanding athlete who is 100 per cent committed,? said Dawson. ?He has tremendous ability, agility
and a great attitude.?
When Cliff isn?t making dramatic saves on the soccer pitch, then he?s asserting himself on the football field.
Confederation rejoined the high school football circuit last year after a lengthy absence. It was something that hit home with Cliff.
?I was so happy when football returned to Confederation,? said Cliff. ?Ever since my dad told me he played and won a city and NOSSA championship, I?ve wanted to play too.?
Football is a family tradition.
?My dad and his brother played and my dad played almost every position,? said Cliff. ?To get the chance to carry on the tradition has been awesome.?
Besides soccer and football, Cliff enjoys playing basketball and hockey. Cliff will play high school hockey this year and has been on the blades for 13 years.
?I love the speed and finesse of hockey.?
Gilbert Briscoe, Athletics Program Leader at Confederation, knows Cliff has meant a lot to the school.
?At every opportunity, Scott comes to me to see if there?s something else he can do for the kids at the school,?
said Briscoe. ?A lot of kids don?t do that and it shows true leadership.?
