John Simpson is used to things flying at him at fast speeds.
Simpson, a recent graduate of Franklin Towne Charter High School, has been the starting goalkeeper for the Warriors since his junior season. And he’s been one of the top goalies in the Public League during that time, thanks to his lightning-fast reflexes.
They don’t work when he’s not paying attention, however, and it cost him during his senior week in Wildwood, New Jersey.
Simpson suffered a broken jaw when he was down the shore when a friend of his tossed a speaker at him.
“It wasn’t her fault, I wasn’t paying attention and it hit me just wrong,” said Simpson, who underwent surgery for the injury, but is now nearly fully recovered. “I thought it was just dislocated or something, but it did hurt a lot. I didn’t see it, so I didn’t unclinch my jaw, so that’s probably why it happened.
“The surgery wasn’t that bad. The thing that was the worst part was I had to be on a liquid diet for 10 days. That was hard. It wasn’t wired shut, but I had rubber bands keeping it together. I couldn’t eat, so that was the worst part.”
It wasn’t the start to summer that Simpson wanted, but now he’s back to enjoying himself. But not too much. He’s now getting ready for the next step.
Simpson will attend Penn State Brandywine, where he will continue his soccer career.
“It’s a great fit for me, I love the school and I’ll be living there, but it’s not that far so if I need to or want to, I can come home,” said Simpson, who lives in Morrell Park. “It’s a great school and the soccer team makes the (United States Collegiate Athletic Association) tournament. I would love to win a national championship there.”
Simpson works into a very good situation.
Last year, the Lions used freshman Juan Guerrero at keeper, but he’s hoping to move to centerback, the position he feels more comfortable. So he’ll get an opportunity to step right in and play.
“That’s another reason I’m going, I’m going to have a chance to play as a freshman,” Simpson said. “That’s not one of the main reasons, but it’s good that I’ll have a chance. It would be great to come in and start right away.”
Simpson didn’t start his high school career that way.
He was a backup during his first two years, but he used that time to get better and learn about the game.
But once Simpson took control of the position, the Warriors started rolling.
As a junior, Simpson took Franklin Towne to the championship. In his final year, the Warriors got to the championship game again, but fell to Northeast.
It was hard to fall in his final Public League game, but Simpson looks back on both seasons fondly.
“My junior year was great, we were the first (boys) soccer team to win a championship for Franklin Towne,” Simpson said. “This year was good, too. We played well. Before last year, we would get to the semifinals, but never made the championship, so it was nice to make it two years in a row.
“We had a lot of great young players when I got here and we all got better and played together. It means a lot to be the first championship team, and I’m happy we made it both years. They could be good for a while.”
Simpson credits a lot of his success to the Warriors program, and believes they’ll continue to churn out top players.
“I had a great goalie trainer, Josh Gilborges,” Simpson said. “He helped me a lot, he showed me a lot of things to get better. The whole program was good. We got a lot better playing there. We had a great year two years in a row. The two years I started, we made the championship, and we won one, so we did great.
“Josh has helped me with everything, but he’s really been good at helping me at one on ones. He’s been a great influence on me, and I think it will help me a lot next year.”
Simpson knows it will be a challenge to compete at the college level, and he knows he will have a few new teammates every year, but he’s optimistic the Lions can put together a strong season and beyond.
“A lot of people are on the 2 + 2 program, so a lot will go there for two years and then go to Penn State (main campus), so you get some turnover,” Simpson said. “I plan on going there for four years. You never know what will happen, but that’s the plan, I love everything about the school.
“They’re a good program and they have some good young players. I think we could have a great year. I’m looking forward to getting there.”
