Nova ’96 Black Wins Division I Indoor Regionals
Congratulations to the ‘96 Nova Black team for winning the U11 Division I Indoor Regional Championship!  Very tough competition throughout the weekend led to some great soccer matches and tense moments.  The boys prevailed in preliminary competition against Troy Elite Red, Ann Arbor Arsenal and Waza FC, facing the Michigan Wolves in the final match.  What great soccer as both teams came out playing hard.  Nova Black’s defense played amazingly, stopping the Wolves powerful offense from scoring.  Nova’s keeper made some awesome saves and the Nova offensive line kept the pressure on, persevering with great passes to get the ball to the back of the net!  Kudos to the Wolves for playing great soccer.  Final score:  3-2!  Congratulations ’96 Nova Black and Coach Henry Steinwascher for a job well done!  Good luck at Nationals! 
Front row (left to right):  Jason Licata, Mark Trombley, Nick Badalamenti, Chris Johnson, Christopher Berak, Marcello Mancini.  Back row:  Nate Peters, Greg Ognjanovski, Andrew Courtemanche, Robbie Beckwell, Cameron Jacques, Jimmy Trigger, Coach Henry Steinwascher.

Gene Harkins becomes Living Legend!
(From a letter to the Grosse Pointe News - November 9, 2006)

THANKS FOR A GREAT SOCCER SEASON

To the Editor:

I write as the result of a historic event in Grosse Pointe. The Grosse Pointe South High School men's soccer team vying for a place in the Michigan 1-A State Finals for 2006.

As a father of one of the 12 seniors on the team, I'm compelled to acknowledge myriad people, organizations and communities that have contributed to this moment.

First, to the community: We are blessed to have a strong infrastructure, and one such anchor is the Neighborhood Club. Like his teammates, my son Jake began his soccer career nearly 13 years ago in the Neighborhood Club "swarm ball" league. This introduced him to the pleasure of the game and gave the family what seemed like endless trips to fields and to the grocery store for untold bags filled with post game snacks. As his soccer passion increased, so did the way in which he played it.

Thank goodness the Grosse Pointe Soccer Association has a travel team for those serious about soccer. For more than six years the Salvo '89 boys team traversed the State, and to various Midwest tournaments.

The GPSA instilled in the boys important life lessons in many things including competition, camaraderie and communication. They learned from parents and hired coaches, professional trainers, as well as from the lessons success and failure brings.

All of which leads to a tipping point last year: Following the Blue Devils 2005 fall season, longtime Grosse Pointe South girls coach GENE HARKINS, who stepped in to take over the boys program, suggested they entertain being on a different club, FC NOVA in Utica.

With a dedicated indoor training facility that allows for winter workouts, with a professional coach in Ron Clarke, in a new schedule of teams with whom to compete, and with an emphasis on touch passing and precision, FC NOVA clearly laid the groundwork for what has been and incredible season for the Grosse Pointe South Blue Devils, and gave those on the east side a way to focus on soccer as their premier game of choice.

Were it not for FC NOVA, the Grosse Pointe Blue Devils team simply would not have veen as successful as they were this year. Yes, they had the talent, but they lacked the coaching discipline, and we can only ask "what if" FC NOVA had been around earlier in our son's careers?

This year the Blue Devils earned the MAC conference championship. It had been nine years since Grosse Pointe South won it's district championship, which they also did.

To the best of my knowledge, it had never won a regional game; this year, Grosse Pointe South beat defending State champion and No. 2 ranked Warren De La Salle, it then defeated Utica Ford II in double overtime to become Regional champions for Southeastern Michigan and get a shot at the State title.

This letter is a "thanks" to the parents who brought juice boxes and snacks by the truckload; to the Neighborhood Club; the Grosse Pointe Soccer Association; the referees and groundskeepers who made it happen.

Thanks also the Grosse Pointe North soccer team members and families who came to the De La Salle regional game to cheer ont heir friends playing for South - and yest, to cheer against our mutual foe.

Thanks to Brandon Sloane, Grosse Pointe South athletic director; coach GENE HARKINS; Will Beierwaltes, super-fan/parent, and the Blue Devils Booster Club.

And thanks, especially, to the entire 2006 Grosse Pointe Blue Devils team - it's been a tremendous year and one we won't forget.

Dutch and Becky Mandel
Grosse Pointe Farms

Michigan Gators/Nova Place 3 teams in State Cup Finals. Have 1 in Finals of Ford Cup
Out of 5 age groups where we placed a team in the State Cup tournament. Three Michigan Gator teams have survived to the Finals. Congratulations to the U13 team with Jeff Hodgson as the coach; the U16 team with Jeremy Harkins; and the U17 team with Coach Ron Clarke.

On the Nova side, we placed 2 teams in the Ford Cup Semi-Finals with 1 of them making it through to the Finals. Congratulations are in order for Coach Henry Steinwascher and his U12 Nova boys.

It must be noted that 7 of 8 teams which entered the tournament made it to the Semi-Finals. That was unprecedented in the history of the Michigan Gators/Nova soccer Club. Teams which made it through to the semi-finals included Neil Mcgill's U15 team, Coach Jeremy Harkin's U14 team, and Coach Henry Steinwascher's U11 Nova team.

This is an amazing result for a Club which has only been in existence for 6 years. The Finals will be held October 14-15th. If you can make it, come on out and support the teams. They love to play with a crowd watching.

U13 Boys Blue Team 2006 TBAYS Autumn Classic Champions!
The U-13 Boys Blue team, coached by Falah Hassan, participated in the 2006 TBAYS Autumn Classic, in Traverse City, Michigan, and came home champions.  The boys had some tough competition during the tournament, but made it look easy with three straight wins against, SCOR 7-1, ROYSA Renegades 4-2, and UP Allstars 6-1.  Advancing to the finals game on Sunday afternoon, they were facing the unbeaten Bloomfield Force team, who had shut-out all three teams that they played.  The Bloomfield Force shut-outs didn't phase our boys, as we socred fast and first during the first half.   We followed up with one another goal before half-time, leaving the Force dazed.  The second half was scoreless, and Nova 94 Blue SHUT-OUT Bloomfield Force 2-0?

Front row (left to right):  Jason Licata, Mark Trombley, Nick Badalamenti, Chris Johnson, Christopher Berak, Marcello Mancini.  Back row:  Nate Peters, Greg Ognjanovski, Andrew Courtemanche, Robbie Beckwell, Cameron Jacques, Jimmy Trigger, Coach Henry Steinwascher.

This is the first tournament for this new team and they are truly champions!!! Congratulations boys, and great job Coach Falah.

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U11 Boys Champions in MEAD Cup
The U11 Boys Blue team found the back of the net often in Dayton Ohio.  So often in fact, that they were the champions of the 8v8 Gold Division!