By Phillip Brents
Posted Oct. 20, 2003

Valhalla High School graduate Jacob Ward never imagined himself to be a sports celebrity but for the hundreds of young fans who parade onto the field following indoor soccer games at the San Diego Sports Arena, the former Norseman standout is the subject of bona fide hero worship.

The first-year member of the San Diego Sockers professional soccer team is clearly enjoying the moment.

At right: Valhalla High grad Jacob Ward signs an autograph for a young Sockers fans. Photo by Chris Wymer

"When I was a little kid, I looked up to the Sockers quite a bit. I even went to one of their camps. As a kid, you want to put them up on a pedestal. Now being a soccer player, I don’t see myself as being that high but it’s an awesome experience to be looked up at. I know how big a deal it is for kids. It’s a great experience for me to give something back," Ward said.

Ward graduated from Valhalla in 1999 after leading the Norsemen to back-to-back San Diego Section Division I boys soccer championships. He was named the San Diego Section Division I Player of the Year his junior season in 1998 and earned further recognition as the San Diego Hall of Champions Player of the Year in both 1998 and 1999.

He proceeded to embark on a standout collegiate career at Azusa Pacific University before missing what amounted to his entire senior season because of a knee injury.

But months of hard work and determination paid off as Ward earned several shifts on the Sports Arena playing surface during the Sockers’ Major Indoor Soccer League season opener Sept. 27 against the Philadelphia Kixx.

Cheering him on were friends and former teammates from both Valhalla and his former youth club soccer team, the Crusaders.

"It was awesome. It was really cool to have everyone out there and to play in front of my hometown," he said.

Ward was one of those proverbial impact multi-sport athletes. He excelled in both soccer and football while attending Valhalla from 1996-99. He played varsity soccer his junior and senior years. He was also an accomplished football player, earning All-East County recognition as a cornerback. He also played quarterback on offense as well as performed place-kicking duties.

"I basically never came off the field," he said with a smile.

He was the Most Valuable Player of both the Norsemen’s football and soccer teams his senior year.

"I didn’t play varsity sports my sophomore year. I was bummed out but I kept faith that God had me a place for me," he said.

Ward started as a defender at Valhalla but the necessity to fill a lineup spot landed him in center midfield. It was a stroke of fortune that led both him and the Norsemen to greatness.

The CIF Player of the Year award made up for the disappointment of his sophomore year, he said.

"I never even thought a CIF Player of the Year award existed," he said. "I was totally blown away. It was a dream come true from where I had came through my sophomore year."

Ward called the individual recognition a "team award."

"We won the CIF championship my junior and senior year. We had a really great group of guys. I was in the center — the leader of the team," he said.

That team effort was none more apparent than Ward’s senior year. "It was hard to repeat. That was a tribute to our team that we won it," he said.

From Valhalla, Ward took his soccer career to Azusa Pacific University in Los Angeles County where he played defender four years for the NAIA school. He earned the team’s Rookie of the Year award his freshman season and received All-Golden State Athletic Conference honors his junior year.

However, a knee injury (torn cartilage) suffered in the third game of his senior year sidelined him for five months.

If he had any professional aspirations at this point, his resolve must have been firmly tested. But again, faith helped lead him through his rehabilitation.

Ward began his comeback by first playing in the amateur status Premier Development League for the Southern California Seahorses and then for the Charlotte Eagles in the A-League, a step below the ranks of Major League Soccer.

The good thing about playing for the Seahorses, Ward said, was that he could maintain his collegiate eligibility. "It’s a great way for college students to keep their amateur status and get professional experience. Just to keep playing is the best way to get experience. I wanted to prove myself in the PDL, to come back from my injury and to help provide me with some professional-level experience."

Ward was drafted by the Sockers despite the injury. Sockers head coach Brian Quinn obviously had to have faith in Ward.

"I would still love to play both outdoor and indoor soccer. I’m still young in the indoor game. There are walls, there’s less players, the strategy and tactics are different. Those things I’m still getting used to. The first couple weeks with the Sockers, it was difficult. I was still playing outdoor soccer. But then after two to three weeks, everything clicked," he said.

Ward said his personal goals his rookie season with the Sockers are to become more comfortable with the indoor game and to help the team wherever needed -- whether it be at forward, midfield or at defender.

"I would like to get to the point where indoor soccer is a second nature for me," he said. "In the meantime, I’ll play whatever position the team needs me at and do whatever the coach wants me to do. I know it’s going to be a great experience."

To follow the Sockers during the 2003-04 MISL season, please visit the team’s official Web site at www.sockers.com.