Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week: Paige Janes

Steve Virgen

For the Corona del Mar High girls soccer team, and especially Paige

Janes, the road to the semifinals of the CIF Southern Section Division IV

playoffs seemed all too familiar. Though it was a quarterfinal game, the

Sea Kings were traveling to the Valley again for the playoffs. And to

make matters more challenging, Janes, the team’s starting sweeper, the

anchor of the defense’s backfield, was battling a nagging cold. Her eyes

drooped with signs of nausea and her voice sounded as if someone was

choking her.

Yet, each time the Sea Kings needed someone to make a play against Oak

Park, Janes stepped up. In the final minute of the first half, she tapped

the ball for an assist that led to Kristin Hanson’s goal and a 1-0 lead.

Oak Park came back in the second half to tie the score, and again, CdM

needed a big play. And again Janes answered the call.

The Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week headed in a corner kick by Lauren

Shepherdson with six minutes left, and then provided strong defense down

the stretch to pace a victory that put the Sea Kings in their third

straight semifinal.

“She’s an amazing young lady,” CdM Coach Ron Evans said. “You can see

it in her play when she gets in there. She really wants it. It’s

incredible to come across people who have the passion that she has in

trying to achieve something.”

Janes’ passion was challenged at the beginning of the season. Evans

moved her from her normal fullback position to sweeper, where she had to

fill the shoes of standout Molly O’Meara.

Last year, Janes earned Daily Pilot of the Week honors for her

performance as a marking back during the Sea Kings’ playoff run. It was

obvious, she was comfortable at the position, which she also plays at on

her club team, the Newport Beach Slammers.

But, true to her character, Janes switched over to sweeper for the

overall benefit of the team.

“In the beginning, I wanted to play fullback,” Janes said. “I always

supported my coach. So I started playing sweeper. I actually liked it. I

was starting to get in the system. People around me started to enjoy it

and it was as adjustable for me.”

Janes completed a smooth transition over the course of the season,

providing consistent defense throughout each game. She also came up for

corner kicks to try to head in a goal, or she made long throw-ins near

the corner on the opponent’s side of the field.

Against Harvard-Westlake Tuesday, when CdM’s season concluded, Janes

scored the Sea Kings’ only goal, again on a corner kick by Shepherdson.

“She is the anchor of our backfield and the strength of our team is

our defense. We just dont’ give up too many goals,” Evans said. “She has

come through time and time again. She’s played marking back her whole

life and she has adjusted and she has done a superb job. She has done a

good job of making us the type of team we are. When we needed someone to

step up and into the role of Molly O’Meara, Paige has done more than fill

those shoes.”

Even though the season ended Tuesday, Janes is already excited for

next season. She starts to play club soccer again next week and she will

continue to sharpen her skills.

“I am really looking forward to next year,” Janes said. “I know we’ll

all have fun. Out of any season we’ve had, I’m really looking forward to

it. (The juniors, Jenny Long, Elisha Morgan, Jenny Long, Alivia Mazura

and Shepherdson), we’ve been together since our freshman year. We’re

going to have so much passion. I love those girls.”