High school rivals united as teammates

LAKEWOOD RANCH — Center midfielders Matt McNab and Tyler Norris know what the other one is thinking well before they even step out onto the field.

The two grew up playing on the soccer field together. They are best friends and teammates.

Well, that is except for two nights during the winter — then they become enemies.

McNab, who graduated from Braden River Thursday, May 31, and Norris, who graduated from Lakewood Ranch Saturday, June 2, spent the past couple of years joking around at midfield, as captains for their respective high school teams, only to become enemies once the game began.

“We would meet in the halfway circle and joke around and have fun until the game starts, but then when the first whistle blows,we’re enemies,” McNab said. “Then, when the final whistle blows, we can go back to being best friends again. It’s great.”

Now with their high school soccer careers behind them, the two best friends, who spent the past 10 years playing together at the Braden River Soccer Club, can put the two-night rivalry behind them, because they both signed national letters of intent to play soccer for Division II Francis Marion University, in Florence, S.C.

“We’ve been playing together for so long, so just to have the opportunity to possibly start together and continue what we’ve been doing for the past 10 years ... ” Norris said. “It’s a brand new team and everyone’s got an equal opportunity to make the starting lineup, so hopefully we’ll both make it and continue playing alongside one another.”

McNab and Norris’ journey together started a decade ago when the two boys began playing competitive soccer for the BRSC. The two attended every practice together and played on the same teams.

“Honestly, it’s been great,” McNab said of playing with Norris. “He’s my best friend. We’ve been to every practice together, and when we’re not playing soccer we’re hanging out. We went to elementary and middle school together, so we’ve always been pretty close.”

“It’s been awesome,” Norris said. “We play the same position, but we’re pretty different players. We each have our strong suits. I learn from him and we feed off of each other.”

After receiving interest from some of the same schools, McNab and Norris visited several schools together, including Dominican College, in New York, and Francis Marion for tryouts.

McNab and Norris will spend the summer training with the BRSC U18/U19 team, for which they plan to guest play when they’re home from Francis Marion, before heading Aug. 12 to Florence, where they’ll officially start the next phase of their careers as collegiate teammates and roommates.

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].