Team comes first for Niagara-Wheatfield’s Todino

by Eric Keppeler
Niagara Wheatfield Tribune, October 5, 2006

George Todino is a team guy.

Just ask any of his teammates on the Niagara-Wheatfield boys soccer squad.

The senior forward is a four-year varsity veteran and is the team’s leading goal scorer with seven in 2006. But Todino is a firm believer in a chain being only as strong as its weakest link.

“One person doesn’t make the team, every single player helps,” Todino said. “Even the bench players. If you don’t play together, you’re not going to win. If you play together and you’re able to click, that kind of teamwork is what wins games for you.”

His strong play on the field has not gone unnoticed by his teammates, and it has a way of inspiring them to do the same.

“George is one who leads by example,” said first-year N-W varsity head coach John Coulter, who spent the past six years running the Falcons’ modified program. “He’s the one who works harder than anybody else on the field. When the other guys see how fired up he is for a game, or even in practice, it just gets contagious.”

All of the current players on the Falcons’ varsity roster are familiar with Coulter, since they all played modified soccer for him. In fact, this crop of seniors represents the school’s original modified team from six years ago.

According to the players, Coulter’s easy-going manner has had a positive effect on the team.

“When we started out, we just kicked the ball around and hoped to get a goal,” Todino said. “Now we play more as a team, with more passing and dribbling. We’re getting smarter play from everyone.”

The team also is getting better results this season on the field. The Falcons already have equaled last season’s win total from a 4-14 campaign. Niagara-Wheatfield is 3-5 in the Niagara Frontier League and 4-6 overall.

But even when they lose, the Falcons for the most part have been able to hang tough in games - like Tuesday’s 3-2 loss at league-leading Kenmore East.

Todino says that losing can become as much a habit as winning, and it’s a lot tougher to break.

“In every game, we try to focus,” he said. “We hope to win that game, and forget about what’s happened in the past. We look to play hard in every game.”

Todino would love to see the fruits of his labor continue to manifest on the field. The Falcons were bounced from the sectional playoffs last season in the opening round, and in Todino’s four years with the squad, N-W has never made it past the second round of the playoffs.

He surely hopes for that to change this season, but even if it doesn’t, he’s happy for having had the opportunity to play on this team with these players.

“Being close with this team is great,” Todino said. “We do everything together. If one person needs help, everyone helps him. We’ve had great teamwork for this whole year.”