April 1, 2010

RedStorm signs ZT Trio

Rio Grande --- Three Zane Trace High School soccer standouts will now call the University of Rio Grande home. Tyler Kuhner, Jordan Jenkins and Paul Wyatt Smith have all signed national letters of intent to continue their soccer careers at Rio Grande beginning in the fall of 2010.

All three are very accomplished players. Kuhner, a 5'10" forward, was the leading goal scorer for the Pioneers in 2009, making All-Scioto Valley Conference and all-district. Jenkins, a 6'0" left corner back, was a 1^st team all-district selection as was Smith. Smith, a 6'0'' left wing player, was also named 2^nd team All-Ohio and leaves Zane Trace as the all-time assist leader with 57. 

All three players are excited to be a part of the RedStorm program. "I'm very excited to join the Rio Grande soccer team and finish my education there," Kuhner said. "It's a great place and it has a great soccer team."

"I'm very excited to further my soccer career," Smith said. "I liked the coaches and the location."

"I'm very excited," Jenkins said. "I liked the coaches, the location and it looked and sounded good and that made me want to go there." 

Rio Grande head coach Scott Morrissey likes all three players and is pleased to have them as a part of the program. "Three-for-one is not bad, but we're excited to get the boys from Zane Trace," Morrissey said. "They had an outstanding high school team, very well-coached, all of three of the boys stood out."

"Primarily for me, I think Wyatt, probably has more of the talents and more of a soccer mind than the other two, not discrediting the other two," Morrissey added. "Wyatt was someone from the first training session I watched at the summer camp - I could tell right away he had a lot of good qualities about him."

Smith added that his prior relationship with the coaching staff through club ball and the summer camps was a key reason for his signing with Rio Grande. He mentioned that he had some familiarity with the campus and university life as he had an older brother who attended Rio Grande. "I know both of the coaches and the campus, the team and the university because my older brother is an alum," he said. 

All three players discussed their strengths and weaknesses. "My strengths are set pieces, crossing and knowledge of the game," Smith said. "I need to work on my defense, off the ball movement and physical presence." 

"I think I'm a pretty good finisher, but I need to learn to be a smarter soccer player," Kuhner said. 

"My best assets are my speed and knowledge," Jenkins said. "I need to work on my (physical) presence and movement off the ball." 

Morrissey likes the fact that Smith is a left-footed player. "One of the biggest things is that he is a left-footer, he's got great delivery of the ball and he really does have a great mind for the game," he said."

"Tyler is a great athlete, someone that is going to be able to get behind defenses and he's going to be able to stretch defensive teams just because of his pace and work ethic," Morrissey added. "We're really excited about all three of the boys."

"They come from a real good background, obviously good parental support and the kind of players you want to have in a program," Morrissey said. "So we're definitely excited to have all three of them."

All three aim to become better soccer players while at Rio Grande. "I want to try to be a helpful player on the first team," Jenkins said.

"My goal is to become a better player than I am now," Kuhner said. "Also, if possible, become an All-American."

"My goal is to become a vital role on the first team," Smith said. 

Smith plans to major in nursing. Jenkins is set to pursue a degree in accounting and Kuhner will be majoring in Radiologic Technology.

Jordan is the son of Don & Georgia Jenkins of Kingston. Paul is the son of the late Paul J. and Katrina Smith of Chillicothe. Tyler is the son of Keith Kuhner and Jennifer Miller of Chillicothe.