'97 U-12 Rowdies honored today

Only W.Va. team in history to win region to light torch

HUNTINGTON -- Walking through the tunnel and taking the field in front of thousands of people at Joan C. Edwards Stadium is nothing new for Todd Perdue.

Perdue actually spends much of his time at the stadium where he serves as a graduate assistant for Marshall University's football program. Being on the sideline for Marshall games in large crowds is the norm for Perdue, but today's walk into the stadium will be completely different.

When he walks down the tunnel today, he will be honored along with former teammates from the 1997 West Virginia Rowdies U-12 boys' soccer team that is the only team from West Virginia to win a regional title.

The team will be honored and run the torch to light the cauldron during the Opening Ceremony for the 2009 US Youth Soccer Region I Championships. Festivities begin at 2 p.m.

"Usually I'm on the sidelines and everyone is cheering for football, but this time is for a soccer extravaganza and we are a big part of it," Perdue said. "It's going to be special."

It has been 12 years since that team took the title by remaining undefeated on the strength of steady offense and a defense that allowed just three goals.

Now, some of them will reunite for the first time in more than five years since they were all in high school together. Perdue said 16 of 17 players are returning for the event.

A dozen years later, the players have continued their success, albeit in different backgrounds ranging from being self-employed in California to being a Global Markets Analyst for Deutsche Bank on Wall Street.

Perdue said it was amazing how quickly the time has gone since the magical run in 1997.

"Half our life ago, we were winning the soccer tournament, but now we've all moved into the second half of that life," Perdue said. "Everyone has gone their own direction. I told my brother (Jason) that some people aren't even going to be able to recognize him. He was so small then and now he's like 6-foot-6."

Bill Perdue, Todd's father and an assistant coach for the U-12 Rowdies in 1997, said he knew even then that the group would turn out to be special on the field and off.

"They not only were talented on the field, but look where they are today," Bill Perdue said. "They are model citizens. They have done for society quite admirably."

Another 1997 player will get to enjoy several different vantage points from this year's tournament.

Shane Irwin of Barboursville works for WOWK-TV as a photographer/reporter. After taking part in the torch run to officially open the ceremonies, Irwin will be one of several media members covering the tournament and its many impacts on the area, which aside from sports include tourism and economics.

Irwin remembers traveling to Erie, Pa., for the 1997 tournament and how elaborate everything was that went into the Region I tournament.

Neither he, nor Perdue, ever thought they would see the day when soccer got to the level in the Tri-State that the state -- let alone their hometown -- would host the Region I championships.

"All these times we went to the tournaments and I never thought we'd host a smaller region tournament, let alone one this big," Perdue said. "Now, everyone is coming to see how we did it."

Irwin said from a player's perspective, he wouldn't mind to continue to be part of the only team in West Virginia history to win the Region I championship.

However, he also said he wouldn't mind if someone else from the state duplicated the feat of the 1997 U-12 Rowdies while the tournament was in town.

"Having that experience of going against the best in the world -- some powerhouse teams -- to be able to accomplish it is a great honor," Irwin said. "It would be neat to hear from these people about starting this thing by walking at Marshall and taking it all the way to a gold medal."

Starting today, more than 20,000 people will invade the Tri-State for the six-day event, bringing an estimated $12.5 million to the greater Huntington area.