Soccer teams gear up for cross-county 'reunion'

We've got a large family in Columbia County. Our six local high schools are almost like siblings. I'm not sure who the parents are, but I'd guess they were driven crazy a long time ago.

Harlem and Evans, the two oldest siblings, have a storied history together. Sure, they've gone through their fights, but both have a strong foundation. The Columbia County family wouldn't be the same without them.

Lakeside, the middle child, sometimes complains that it gets left out (believe me, I've heard you). It brought something new to the family when it first came around. Now it's settled in and has a personality all its own.

Then there's Greenbrier - the baby of the family. In every American household the older kids always think the youngest is a spoiled little brat who gets his way every time. It's just not fair (I've heard plenty of this, too).

Finally, there's the twins. Augusta Prep and Augusta Christian are small in comparison to the rest of the family and aren't always heard. Their slice of the family pie might be small, but they like to do things their own way, and there's certainly nothing wrong with that. You couldn't find two classier twins anywhere.

Well, that's one big happy family.

Get ready, family; the relatives are coming.

Cousin Aquinas isn't a part of the immediate family. She's one of those out-of-town relatives, kind of like Westside, Westminster and Thomson.

You know what type of relative I'm talking about. We say they're just another part of the family, but when cousin Aquinas comes to visit, Mom makes you put on a nice shirt and you have to eat dinner at the dining room table.

This week, the Aquinas Lady Irish soccer team will make the short trip from its Richmond County home to take on Evans, Greenbrier and Lakeside in a six-day span.

It's going to take more than a nice shirt to impress them.

The Lady Irish have started the season with a 5-0 record (more than we can say for any Columbia County team).

On top of that, they're doing it with a few of our girls. Six Lady Irish call Columbia County home, including seniors Devin Newman and Rori Rios, junior Katie Ramp, sophomores Caitlin Smith and Georgia Brown and freshman Kelsey Davis.

Newman recently signed a scholarship to play soccer at the University of Alabama-Huntsville. She has combined with Smith and Davis to score 32 goals in four games this year.

Aquinas, ranked No. 8 in GHSA Class A/AA, has won its four region games this year by a combined score of 47-2. One of those games was a 1-0 forfeit win. The Lady Irish also defeated Lakeside 2-0 earlier this month.

This week, Aquinas will play host to Evans on Thursday (5:30 p.m.), play at Lakeside on Friday (7:30 p.m.), then play host to Greenbrier next Tuesday (5:30 p.m.).

So iron your shirt and get out the place-mats. Cousin Aquinas is on the way.