Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week - Paige Janes: Zero tolerance

Barry Faulkner

When Paige Janes receives her defensive assignment before every

Corona del Mar High girls soccer game, it’s as if she is given a new goal

in life.

And, as those unfortunate enough to have been marked by the sophomore

fullback can attest, the mere hint of any other goal, especially the kind

that pass under the crossbar and between the posts, will simply not be

tolerated.

“I can’t remember the last time a girl I’ve gone against scored,” said

Janes, who, realizing the temerity of such a statement, almost wishes she

could.

“I usually put her on the other team’s strongest player and she has

shut them all down,” said CdM Coach Ron Evans, who is, himself, a

frequent victim of similar treatment at Sea Kings practices.

“She’s tenacious and works very hard,” Evans continued. “She is great

in the air and can be physical, yet she can be technically superior, as

well.”

So thorough is Janes’ level of domination, even against the most

gifted scorers her peer group can produce, her criteria for success does

not begin and end with a shutout.

Zero tolerance is an insufficient phrase to describe her objectives.

She aspires, in fact, to allow her rival less than zero.

“I’m really self-motivated and I’m very hard on myself,” the Daily

Pilot Athlete of the Week explained. “Even if my girl does not score, I

can usually find something to make me wish I had a better game.”

A relentless competitor, Janes doesn’t let a big lead, which the Sea

Kings (26-2-3) had plenty of this season, distract her from her task.

“I totally feed off competition,” she said. “It doesn’t matter how

good the other team is, I’m focusing on my assignment and I’m competing

with myself. I want to look my best and rise to the occasion. That

challenge really brings out the spark in me. I have to be smarter and

quicker than the girl I’m playing against. I always want to outshine

her.”

In the process of eclipsing the talents of her foes, Janes said she is

not afraid to incur a little punishment.

“I definitely take an elbow here and there and I usually get a few new

bruises every game,” she said. “The girls I play against are used to

having the advantage. When that doesn’t happen, they can get a little

frustrated.

“But if they start bumping on me, I bump on them, too. I try to give

them the message I’m not going to put up with that stuff.”

Intimidation has become another of Janes’ skills.

“If you can be physical with them early in the game, sometimes they

back off a little,” Janes said. “I might even push a girl around a little

when the referee isn’t looking.”

With Janes on the back line -- along with senior sweeper Molly O’Meara

and seniors Margit Vogele and Natalia Dorfman -- and senior Britta Vogele

manning the goal, CdM posted 15 shutouts this season. CdM’s first three

playoff opponents failed to score, including a 7-0 win over Martin Luther

King (Feb. 20) and a 3-0 quarterfinal triumph over Valley Christian (Feb.

22).

And while the season ended in a 2-1 sudden-death overtime defeat

against Harvard-Westlake in the CIF Southern Section Division IV

semifinals Tuesday, Janes has already begun looking forward to next

season.

She is, in fact, in line for a promotion.

“There’s a good chance she’ll end up sweeping for us next year,” Evans

said.

Janes said she will be happy to play wherever her team needs her most,

but she will miss the constant challenge of marking one player, should

she move to sweeper.

“I prefer fullback, because there’s more action,” said Janes, a

veteran club player who helped the Newport Beach-based Slammers win the

under-15 State Cup last year.

Janes said Tuesday’s loss was a devastating end to a joyful season, in

which she made lasting friendships, particularly with the seniors.

“What hurts most is that I won’t be able to play any more with the

people on my team I love so much,” she said. “This year’s seniors have

been awesome.”