Bainbridge High School bearcats and Lady Cats soccer coaches Jamie Ard and Chip Ariail hosted a soccer camp for 6-to-12-year olds Monday through Wednesday at Centennial Field with some very definite goals in mind.

Ard and Ariail say the major goal of the camp was to help local youngsters learn new soccer skills, become better players and have fun.

With the women’s soccer World Cup now in progress in Canada, the excitement about soccer around the country is high, and with the two strong seasons the Bearcats and Lady Cats had in 2015, soccer interest is strong among local youth.

The Bearcats, who went 11-7 overall and 7-3 in Region 1-AAAA play, and the Lady Cats, who went 10-8 overall and 7-3 in Region 1-AAAA play, both advanced to the first round of the State Class AAAA playoffs.

It was the fifth year in a row that the Bearcats recorded 11 wins and the fourth year in a row that they advanced to the state playoffs. The Lady Cats seven Region wins was the most ever by a Lady Cats soccer team and their 10 overall wins tied the 2010 Lady Cats for the most in school history. Each soccer camp participant received a T-shirt.

Assisting with instruction at Monday’s camp was Jennifer Becerra, a senior midfielder for coach Ariail’s Bainbridge High School Lady Cats soccer team and a 2015 Bainbridge High School graduate.

The more than 30 youngsters that attended the camp were schooled in the basic soccer skills of passing, dribbling, juggling and shooting. They also worked on basic defensive skills. Before turning their attention to skills, the instructors sent the campers through some basic warm-up drills.