First Person: Lancer soccer player Jim Newton

By Laura Clark

Published: April 30, 2008

Senior Jim Newton is a starting defender for the Amherst boys’ soccer team.

On how the flat-back defense communicates:
We try and play the offside’s trap a lot so they can’t play the through-ball as much. We try to work together and get a lot of two-on-one balls, and just push them into each other.

On going for tackles:
I usually try to just go for the ball and keep my hands down because you keep your hands up it’s almost automatically a foul if somebody sees your hands on a jersey. The way I see it is that as long as you go in clean for the ball you might make a foul every now and then but try your best not to. Play the ball not the person.

On choosing soccer over baseball:
I miss baseball a lot. We play homerun derby every now and then.
My brother (Harrison) played soccer. I guess that had (something to do with it). He was a big soccer star, I guess you could say. I just chose soccer. I guess it’s more physical.

On his brother, Harrison:
He went to college for two years and joined a fraternity. His fraternity was heavily Army, and their regiment got called up, so he joined the Army right away and went over there (to Iraq). He’s over there right now, and he ought to be coming home in July.
We all worry about him and miss him. We hope he’ll be alright and keep him in our prayers. He’s 21.
I try and stick with his morals. He’s helped me a lot. We both wanted to join the armed forces and he’s shown me now what a hard time he’s had with it over there, how hard it’s been on my mom and dad. I don’t know if I want to do that now.

On being an uncle:
I have a sister (Phillips) that’s 25. She lives up Timberlake (Road) in Lynchburg. She has one (son, David). He’ll turn three in July. He’s a good kid. I like being around him. I taught him to give high-fives. I try to teach him words. He’s had a lot of trouble with talking because he’s had ear trouble.

On his senior-year expectations:
We can’t seem to put a goal in the net, but other than that we’re playing really strong.

On working with goalkeeper, Andrew Bray:
Andrew’s a good guy. We had a couple of collisions last year, both going for the ball and we didn’t know each other.

On the team comedian:
I would have to say Ellis Turner or Drew Carter. Ellis is just a funny guy all around. He’s indescribable. Drew, we’ll be on the field and hear Drew make all these weird noises. It’s kind of comical. He’ll go for the ball and be like, “Arrgh! Arrgh!”

On his responsibility on the field:
I just feel like we should keep our mouths shut and just play our game. In soccer, on the field, there’s a lot of trash talk. I don’t like it at all. It’s more of a mind game. I just don’t like to hear people talking smack and whining to the refs. Keep your mouth shut. Play your game, and it goes from there.

On Amherst soccer:
We’ve always been a very physical team. We’ve simmered down a little bit. When my brother left, which would have been my tenth grade year, we got a new coach, Kevin Fabulich. We used to just drive straight down the middle, very physical. We’re working the ball a lot better. We’re finding some control.