Lakewood Ranch 8-year-old lives for 'awesome goals'

When I was 3, I used to run around my house telling people, “I’m a genius.”

That wasn’t necessarily true, but people were impressed because I knew the word, so they laughed and agreed with me.

I also was somewhat of a hot dog, once calling myself a “a young Sidney Ponson” on the mound. Ponson had a few average-to-good seasons for the Baltimore Orioles, but eventually was jettisoned due to attitude-related issues. I was never kicked off a team, but I certainly never had a problem telling people how good I thought I was.

Confidence, in doses, can be a good thing.

Last week when I asked 8-year-old soccer player Parker McElyea what he wanted people to know about him, he said, “I’m really good at soccer. I score awesome goals all the time.”

His quote brought me back to my childhood and made me smile. “Good for you,” I told him. Kids should take advantage of their exuberance at a time when it has no negative connotations.

McElyea plays for the Lakewood Ranch Chargers U9 boys soccer team. The team won the 2016 Chalice Cup, the first tournament of its season, on Oct. 9 at the Premier Sports Campus. They didn’t just take home the trophy, they dominated.

Over four games, the Chargers outscored their opponents by a combined score of 27-5. The Chargers U12 girls soccer team also took home the first place prize for its age category, so it was a good weekend for the program overall.

McElyea likes playing forward the most because that’s when he gets the most chances to score. His coach, Luis Baeza, moves the kids around to all different positions, though, and McElyea even played a little goalie during the tournament.

He didn’t like that too much. You just stand there, McElyea said. It gets boring.

Scoring goals is much more exciting, and score McElyea did, netting seven goals over the four-game stretch. He’s been playing soccer since he was 2, but this is his first season with the Chargers.

McElyea is having the time of his young life, not just because his team is winning (although that helps), but because he gets to play with his friends, specifically Mateo Tsakiris, Broden Beorlegui and Jaxon Lemus, who McElyea said also score lots of goals with “really good bullet shots.”

“It was a team effort,” McElyea said. “We couldn’t have won the tournament without them (his teammates).

Playing in an U9 soccer league, but talking like a pro athlete. I couldn’t get enough of this kid.

McElyea’s mother, Candice, said her son is quite the ham even when not talking to reporters. She said her son’s favorite thing about soccer, while not as noticeable as scoring goals, is the camaraderie he has gained with his friends. The team has grown so much in the time it has been together, Candice McElyea said, and Parker McElyea has grown being around other 8-year-olds and learning from them.

“It’s so awesome to watch as a mom,” Candice McElyea said.

Soccer isn’t the only sport McElyea has played. He gave football a shot when he was younger, but stopped. It just didn’t give him the same feeling that soccer did.

I asked McElyea what was going through his mind when his team won the tournament.

“It felt good, I don’t know.”

What is his favorite thing about soccer?

“Something I can’t explain.”

I guess that sums it up?