Dillan Lewis to play at Notre Dame College

[Sports_Tracker]

Wheelersburg’s Dillan Lewis to continue career at Notre Dame College
Pirate’s forward to join National Championship Finalist’s
 
March 18, 2011
by: Rudy Roediger
Notre Dame College
Athletic Communications
 
 
SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- The Notre Dame College Men’s Soccer program announced the signing of Wheelersburg High School’s, Dillan Lewis. Lewis, a quick dynamic forward, comes to College Road after earning three consecutive All-Ohio Second Team selections under Coach Paul Boll. Boll who ranks fifth all-time in Ohio High School Boys Soccer Records in wins (353-75-39) good for a 79.8 winning percentage has seen the best players in the area over his 24 year coaching career. “He is a team leader”, noted Boll. “Dillan has taken this team to a higher level and brought the entire team along.”
 
Lewis a 5-foot-8 striker scored 120 career goals and added 44 assists while leading the Pirates to the 2009 District Finals and the 2010 District Championship. His 120 goals etch his name as the 13th best in Ohio High School Boys Soccer history and as the all-time leader in Wheelersburg history. In his final season he netted a Wheelersburg record 51 goals good for 8th all-time in Ohio High School Boys Soccer records.
 
A lifelong soccer player, Lewis’ soccer career began as a seven year old dominating the local Bloom-Vernon Youth Soccer league scoring almost at will. Tony Skowronek, Sr. spotted Dillan’s ability and recommended the budding star come to a tryout with a club team in Cincinnati. That tryout would begin one of his many long drives in what has been a successful prep career. “I have to thank my parents,” Lewis remarked. “They sacrificed so much to give me the opportunities to continue to improve my game. It makes me appreciate everything even more.” Many of those trips provided their son with private training sessions with the former Illinois Institute of Technology head women’s soccer coach Kevin Peacock when he was at the University of Rio Grande as an assistant coach.
 
Lewis travels have taken the family all over the country while playing for several clubs in Cincinnati and Columbus. In 2008 Dillan helped the Blast FC win the Ohio South Youth Soccer State Cup Championship. Now a member of CUP-U18 Gold II club team out of Cincinnati, Lewis will look to help yet another team compete for the OSYSA State Cup Championship this spring while making the four hour round trip for games and practices.
Last summer Lewis took his game to an even higher level, earning a spot on the West Virginia Chaos of the Premier Development League of the United Soccer Leagues. Lewis made five appearances for the Chaos in the PDL last summer. The top U23 men's league in North America, the PDL provides elite players the opportunity to taste a higher level of competition while maintaining their college eligibility and for high school players like Lewis to be noticed by college scouts. The PDL has also proven to be an important stepping-stone for top professionals now playing throughout the world. In 2011 the PDL continued to prove they are one of the best proving grounds for players as eight of the first picks in the MLS SuperDraft played in the PDL, and over seventy percent of the 2011 MLS draft picks had some PDL experience.
 
“Southern Ohio is an under recruited area where plenty of talent gets overlooked.” Noted Falcons coach Michael “Mac” McBride. “We hope that signing a player with Dillan’s high school reputation will enhance our appeal to other good players who aspire to play at the college level.  We’re pleased Dillan has chosen NDC.”
 
A three sport athlete at Wheelersburg Lewis also kicked for the football team and is a current member of the track and field team. An accurate placekicker Lewis drew attention by college football teams for his gridiron exploits making 90.0 percent (39-of-43) extra points while converting 60.0 percent (3-for-5) of his field goal attempts while helping the Pirates to a 9-3 record, winning the Southern Ohio Conference II Championship and a place in the Regional Championship game. But it was always soccer that brought the 5-foot-8 Wheelersburg native the most recognition. “I had communication with well over 20 schools for soccer,” stated Lewis. “When I stepped foot on campus I knew right away that NDC was the place for me. “When I met with Coach Mac (Michael ‘Mac’ McBride) it just reassured my first thoughts.”
 
Lewis, the son of Greg and Lisa Lewis are members of Saint Peter's Church in Wheelersburg will study education. He marks the second southeastern Ohio players to dawn the NDC crest, following Tyler Wickham a 2006 graduate of Piketon High School who played under McBride in 2006-09.
 
“I am so delighted to have the chance to compete for time at such a great program.” Lewis exclaimed.  “The level is going to be higher than anything I’ve ever played but it’s my job to score goals. So I just have to work harder than ever before.”
 
Michael “Mac” McBride took charge of Notre Dame Men’s Soccer in 2001 when the program was instituted. Under McBride, the Falcon squad was successful right out of the gate, going 8-10 in their inaugural season and earning an outright division championship in their second season (2002). Since then, NDC has tacked on four more division championships (2004-07), three conference titles (2008, 2009, and 2010) and has earned four National Championship appearances (2005, 2008, 2009, and 2010). In 2010 he led his squad to a 23-1-0 record and to their first ever National Championship Final.
 
McBride's Falcon teams have earned five AMC-North Division Championships (three outright, two shared) and two AMC Regular Season Championships (2008, 2010). The England native has led his teams to four National Tournaments including the 2010 National Championship Final. All-time, McBride holds a 9-3-1 record in the national tournament. The Blue & White’s Skipper has been honored by the league six times - as AMC-North Coach of the Year in 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2007 and as AMC Coach of the Year in 2008 and 2010. Named the Ohio Collegiate Soccer Association's 2010 NCAA Division II/ NAIA Coach of the Year. Under McBride, NDC Men's Soccer has a 141-52-15 record through the 2010 season; their .713 winning percentage is the highest among Notre Dame's 23 athletic programs.
 
In recent years, the Blue & White have earned many successes. In 2010, the Falcon Wrestling team won the NAIA National Championship, delivering NDC its first National Championship in a team sport, also in 2010 the Men’s Soccer team finished in the National Championship Final with a 23-1-0 record. In 2011 the Wrestling team defended their NAIA National Championship, delivering the schools second National Championship.
 
The Falcons have produced seven individual National Champions in Wrestling (Victer Crenshaw-2007, Adam Koballa-2009, Thomas Straughn, Jeff Pelton, Derek Foore-2010, Dante Rini and Orlando Scales-2011), and one in Track & Field (Michael Mannozzi-2010).  NDC has also produced one National Player of the year in Men’s Soccer (Luke Holmes-2010).
 
Notre Dame College is in the second of what is typically a three year process of transitioning to NCAA Division II membership.
 

[BIG POPPA]

Congrats to Dillan great kid well deserved accomplishment!!

[soccerstory]

Congratulations Dillan!! It's great to see an southern ohio player at the next level. Glad all your hard work paid off.

[Jolly P(irate)]

Congrats Dillan! Best of luck at the next level. Show those Europeans how we do it in the States!!! (All in good fun, No offense to Europeans or the ND Soccer Program)

[rxburgfan]

good to see hard work pay off. wish it would have been a warmer climate. would have given me even more incentive to visit. just kidding. do us southern ohio futbolers proud. congrats.....

[ndc soccer]

Its def a cold climate. Snow from early November till maybe May! lol