If you read my story from Bedford's 5-1 boys soccer victory over Richland on Thursday night, you read a lot about Bedford senior Sam Felix, who scored three goals and added an assist as the Bisons stayed undefeated in the early part of this 2012 season.
Felix possesses some of the best footwork any soccer fan might see at the high school level. Honestly, I found myself at times watching him with or without the ball, both on Thursday and in Tuesday's win over Chestnut Ridge. And his movement is so fluid that my lede of the story about him doing the tango may not have given Sam enough justice.
Former Bedford head coach Tom Otis, who coached a collection of great players in his day, told me two years ago that Sam Felix had as good of footwork and first touch on the ball as anyone he had ever coached. Can't remember the time exactly, but I believe it was a night where Sam came off the bench to score and/or assist on a goal or two. Either way, that was high praise for someone who was a sophomore at the time.
Sam has been playing for seven or eight years, he wasn't sure exactly. He says he was probably born with the talent.
"I think it's just natural," Felix said after Thursday's win. "I've worked a lot at home and in the offseason too."
Last year as a junior, Felix scored nine goals from his wing/striker position. Through five contests this fall, he has already matched that number and leads the Gazette coverage area so far.
Felix is just one piece of a very strong Bedford team that returned so much from last year's District 5/6-AA championship squad. The Bisons were 18-2-2 a season ago. Can they or any other of the local teams get an elusive state playoff win?
Bedford has come close a couple of times recently, including a heartbreaker two years ago after leading District 3's Palmyra late in the second half only to give up two goals in what became Otis' final head coaching effort with the Bisons.
And back in 2008, an upstart Northern Bedford side played very well in a first round PIAA loss in the Class A playoffs.
Felix believes the time can be now.
"We have a great team," he said. "I definitely think we can win multiple state playoff games and get all the way to Hershey (for the championship)."
