Transfer of power

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, Sept. 21, 2000 | 9:33 a.m.

As they worked their way through an up-and-down inaugural boys soccer season in 1999, the Centennial Bulldogs couldn't help but look over at their bench with a certain sense of longing.

There sat Jozef Dymek, the school's top goal scorer. And instead of doing what he did best -- putting the ball into the back of opposing nets -- he was learning a new skill: videotaping.

After starting as a freshman for Cheyenne in 1998, Dymek followed Desert Shields coach Rick Kazee to brand new Centennial High.

He obtained a zone variance by taking courses not offered at Cheyenne, but Nevada's transfer rules forced him to sit out his sophomore soccer campaign.

Permitted to practice with his new teammates but forbidden to play in games, Dymek watched through a camcorder -- filming home and road contests -- as the Bulldogs struggled to score goals and finished 6-10-2.

"We had some kids who could score, but we joked around that our best goal scorer was also our team manager," Kazee said. "We only scored 37 goals total, and at Cheyenne we were averaging in the 60s and 70s."

Though Dymek stayed active in the sport, playing for a local club team and in Southern Nevada's Olympic Development Program, he admits his first year at Centennial was frustrating at times.

"It was hard to go out there and practice knowing I wouldn't play a game," Dymek said. "And it was hard watching the games. I wanted to go out and do something myself."

But Dymek patiently waited for his chance to shine, still confident that the decision to attend Centennial had been the right one.

"I was dedicated to be with coach (Kazee)," Dymek said. "He didn't ask me to come, but I liked the way he coached, and I knew Cheyenne wasn't going to be the same after he left."

One year later, Dymek is wearing a Bulldogs jersey. Centennial is off to a red-hot start, with the squad bringing an unbeaten 6-0-2 record into today's league opener against Mojave.

And the Bulldogs leading scorer? Dymek, with eight goals.

"Over my 20 years of coaching high school soccer, I've learned some kids just have a natural ability to score," Kazee said. "It's hard to teach that calmness in front of the net, or how to fight off defenders. Some kids create goals, and Jozef if one of those kids."

Of course, the addition of Dymek is simply one reason for Centennial's emergence in the program's second year. Sophomore Tyler Canada is the mainstay of a solid midfield group, and senior Justin Oglesby and junior keeper Dusty Hayden anchor a defensive unit that has yet to surrender more than two goals in a game.

"Last year, it was all about trying to blend players together," said Kazee, whose squad started 0-6 in 1999. "We had good players, but from a bunch of different schools. I told them last year that we were starting a two-year season, and now we're in the second year of that. We're making progress in the right direction."

Recent victories over perennial area powers Durango and Bonanza have given the Bulldogs an added sense of confidence.

"Now people know we're a good team," said Oglesby, who serves as a team captain with Dymek and senior defender Jimmy Cross. "Now we're a team everybody's looking at on their schedule.