By Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information
Toledo, OH---Ahmad Jarrar, a three-year soccer standout at Hendersonville High School in North Carolina, signed a letter of intent in the SHAC yesterday and will join the Express next year.
Jarrar, a 6'3 forward/midfielder, came to the United States from Amman, Jordan midway through his freshman year of high school and joined the team as a practice player. He then starred the next three years while helping lead the team to three consecutive North Carolina Division 1-A state championship game appearances - the first two resulted in state championships.
"I've been doing this for over 30 years coaching and, right away, after about five minutes (watching him), you really notice him," said Express men's soccer head coach Art Johnson. "He's a very highly skilled player, but he's very unselfish. He's a good mix of a goal scorer, but also a good set up man. So, he brings a lot of balance to the game, lot of balance to the field when he's out there. You notice him right away, not just because of his size, but his talent level. Players like that you might see once every five years or so. He's very impressive."
As a sophomore, Jarrar was the team's second leading scorer with 29 goals and 10 assists as the Hendersonville won their first state title.
As a junior, he was second in scoring once again with 16 goals and 21 assists. He helped the team to their second consecutive state championship with a 26-2-1 record and led the team in assists. Hendersonville won their final 22 matches of the year.
In the state championship game that year, he had a goal and two assists. Following the season, he played in the Powerade State Games, where he scored a goal.
Jarrar had, perhaps, his best season as a senior as he was the leader of a team that had lost 16 seniors from his junior year. He led his team back to the state championship with an 18-6-1 overall record. He had 20 goals and 21 assists. Six of those goals came in the postseason.
In the state semifinal game, he scored his team's only two goals in a 2-1 win over Bishop McGuiness.
Jarrar was named the Blue Ridge Times-News Player of the Year as a senior and went on to play in the East-West All-Star Game after the season. He was also a two-time selection as the Edward Jones/Times-News Player of the Week award that year.
"Ahmad can contribute many things to (the Express men's soccer program)," said Freddy Oviedo, Jarrar's high school head coach. "(He has a) left footed free kick, speed, agressiveness and the list goes on and on. He is a very respectful and coachable player and will always try his hardest."
In his three-year career, Jarrar had 65 goals and 52 assists for Hendersonville.
Jarrar was coached by Freddy Oviedo at Hendersonville.
He joins Adane Spence, of Coconut Creek High School in Florida, Samuel Miller, of Sylvania Northview in Ohio, and Benjamin Rubin, of Sylvania Northview in Ohio as one of the first four members of the 2013-14 recruiting class.
Note
Thanks to the Blue Ridge Times-News for contributing photos for this story and video