HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 665 Offered January 10, 2007 Prefiled January 9, 2007 Commending the Thomas Dale High School boys' soccer team.  ---------- Patron-- Cox ----------

WHEREAS, on June 10, 2006, the Thomas Dale High School boys' soccer team (24-0) capped a perfect season by winning the Virginia High School League (VHSL) Group AAA state soccer championship; and

WHEREAS, the Thomas Dale Knights defeated Gar-Field High School, 2-1, to win the state title for the second straight year, increasing their winning streak to 48 straight matches, the 13th longest high school winning streak in the nation; and

WHEREAS, the Knights won the coveted state title in the fourth minute of the second overtime when senior midfielder Jordan Evans headed in a free kick by forward Daniel Heling; and

WHEREAS, finishing as the top-ranked team in several national polls, the Thomas Dale High School boys' soccer team set three overall state records: most goals scored (144), most assists by a team (106), and greatest goal differential (135), and tied the state record for most victories with 24; and

WHEREAS, allowing only nine goals all season long, the Thomas Dale Knights also set new Group AAA records with most assists in a season (28) by Daniel Heling, highest assist-per-game average (4.42), and highest average for goals per game (6.00); and

WHEREAS, the talented Knights players—Basil Aklahadra, Will Bates, Roger Bothe, Andrew Clarke, Daniel Corner, Matt Crusco, Matt Der, Nathan Dial, Travis Elder, Phil Ellers, Jordan Evans, Kolten Freeland, Dustin Heling, Daniel Heling, Patrick Innes, Alex Johnston, Ian McClure, Ryan McCoull, Patrick O’Connor, Gage Robertson, Scott Robertson, A.J. Schuetze, Britt Sebastian, Tyler Suttenfield, Shawn Van Decker, and Matt White—made valuable contributions in a tremendous team effort in the championship games and throughout the season; and

WHEREAS, the Knights' hard-working coaching staff is comprised of Mark Fowler, Chris Thompson, Ben Brockwell, Kerry Burke, and Brent Ballard with the assistance of managers Shaunice Hickman and Michael Kirkland; and

WHEREAS, the triumphant performance of the 2006 Knights is a tribute to the dedication and perseverance of the players, the leadership of the coaching staff, and the support of the students, parents, and faculty of Thomas Dale High School; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend and congratulate the Thomas Dale High School boys' soccer team on its VHSL Group AAA state soccer championship; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Head Coach Mark Fowler as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for the Thomas Dale Knights' outstanding 2006 season.