Shea siblings taking over Wilde Lake soccer

I grew up playing soccer ever since I was able to walk and my mom says the same thing: 'Don't let anyone try and tell you that you don't know what you're doing or make you think or believe that.' Because it's basically what I've done for my entire life, and now I really get to do it to the best of my ability."

Trevor Shea will be trying to turn around a Wildecats' program that won just three games last season. Since claiming their last county championship in 2010, the Wildecats have a combined overall record of 22-47-7.

"My biggest job so far over the last two or three weeks with them is just really turning up the whole expectations and raising the bar of what they think they can achieve and what they have accomplished and what there really is out there and how we can challenge ourselves to rise to that next level," Trevor Shea said. "I told them have you checked five years ago? That's not that long, they were county champs. So knowing that they have the ability to do that with a couple of kids, and we do have some good freshmen that just came in now and that are also coming in the next two or three years. There seems to be a lot of good players there. I think having some of those type of kids stick around and not go to other schools will make a big difference when we start getting two or three years in here. I think putting those kids together we can accomplish something."

It was Megan who suggested Trevor for the head coaching job at Wilde Lake. Trevor, who also played collegiately at James Madison University, has been at the helm of the Scorpions junior varsity program for the past seven years. He felt as though the Wildecats opening was a great opportunity to begin his own coaching legacy through his own program.

"It's definitely a new experience," Trevor Shea said. "A lot of responsibilities to take over, but it is definitely worth it to be able to do the things that we want to do. I went for it and even then I was thinking in the back of my head like, 'Do I really want to do this? Is this really the place or sort of the thing I want?' And I went for the interview and it just seemed right."

"Actually, how it happened was way back in the fall they knew the boys coach was leaving and Mr. (Brian) Rau our athletic director came to me and said, 'Hey, how would you feel about coaching boys?' And I said I would love coaching boys if it means I would be doing varsity, but I think I have someone even better than me for the boys," Megan Shea recalled. "So I suggested that they interview Trevor and then like a month later Davia [Williams] said she would not be returning, so that's when he came to me [about the girls job opening].

"He's really excited to be taking over his own program. At Oakland Mills he's always kind of been in my dad's shadow because my dad's been there for over 30-something years. So to have an opportunity for his own program and put his own touch on things, I think he is really excited for that."

Megan Shea headed the Wildecats junior varsity team last season and takes over the varsity program from Davia Williams, formerly known as Davia Procida, who led the Wildecats to a state finals berth a year ago and finished the season 16-2-1. The team claimed a county championship and a 2A North region title along the way.

"I am very excited to be taking over the varsity program. They had a lot of success last year, so it's an exciting program to be a part of," Megan Shea said. "We have a lot of girls coming up from my JV team last year, plus during the playoff run last year, the Procida's were nice enough to have me stay on board so I got to know a lot of the returning girls as well from the playoffs last year."

Despite losing six key seniors from last year's team, the bar is set high for Wilde Lake to once again contend for a county, region and possibly a state title this year.

"I put a lot of expectations on myself, but I think Megan really has the pressure and expectations from pretty much everybody," Trevor Shea said. "From the school and the parents and the players, she has a lot of different things to kind of manage. I do think she does have a lot tougher job coming off a state finals year. I think some of the girls — and I've seen this too with some of my dad's teams at Oakland Mills and I've even been on teams like this — that you kind of assume like, 'Oh we are just as good.' But we've lost all the seniors and there are still parts of the car that work, but we're still missing the engine and the steering wheel and things like that. I think some of the girls are just starting to realize that. So that's kind of on my sister to find those parts, but also for the girls to step up and become the players that they're either missing or need to have."

Megan, Trevor and younger sister Molly all played at Oakland Mills, each having success as players there. Trevor won three consecutive state titles before graduating in 2001, while Megan (2004 graduate) and Molly (2007 graduate) each claimed region titles while playing for the girls program. As the head coach for the Scorpions, Don elevated that program to one of the most successful in the state, while Nancy — who also coached Atholton for a time — won a state title with Oakland Mills in 1992. Combined, the Shea family has won double-digit state championships and more than 30 regional championships. With Megan and Trevor now taking over the Wilde Lake soccer program they hope they can add to that number soon.

"I don't think we have any sort of competition. I think we're both hoping that each other does well," Megan Shea said. "Our dad has been around for a while, even our mom won a state championship as well. There is a little bit of pressure to come out and do well, especially our first year. I think we're both just hoping we do well."

It will be an anticipated matchup for the Shea's on Oct. 4, when Don Shea and the Scorpions host Trevor Shea and the Wildecats. There's a possibility of a varsity double-header in the works with the girls teams as well. Nancy and Molly Shea will have a tough decision to make regarding which sideline they'll be sitting on.

"It is going to be my dad's birthday so it might sway them to the [Oakland Mills] side, but having both me and Megan over on the other side it might help us," Trevor Shea said. "I've talked to my sister and I've talked to the [Athletics and Activities Manager] and I kind of convinced my sister to be able to go to Oakland Mills for her game as well and try to have a varsity double-header that day that way my mom and sister can actually come to both of those games and it would be pretty cool to see my sister's team playing. She had some hesitations of course giving away a home game, but just for the impact of that whole day, you know, it's pretty awesome to have that as a memory. I told Megan it will kind of be like our homecoming that we both get to go and play at [Oakland Mills], and with our dad still being there — you don't get to do that all the time.

"I am definitely looking forward to that day, no matter the result. Just for the overall feeling and atmosphere, it will be awesome."