How Philipsburg-Osceola soccer’s Carson Long has already been making a name for himself
While the high school soccer season is still young, Philipsburg-Osceola’s Carson Long has already been making a name for himself.
The freshman has been dominant to say the least. In six matches, Long has 33 points, 11 goals (1.8 goals per game) on 28 shots and 11 assists. He takes just 4.67 shots per match. Long broke the school’s assist record of 25 years, which coincidentally was held by his father, Ryan Long, with eight assists in a game.
His success has led him to be voted the Centre Daily Times Athlete of the Week for Sept. 6-10, and to be nominated for the MaxPreps Pennsylvania High School Athlete of the Week for Sept. 13-18. But according to those who have watched him play, the budding star has shown only a glimpse of what he can accomplish.
Against Saint Joseph’s last Thursday, Carson Long bobbed and weaved through defenders. His ability to keep them on their toes resulted in a three-goal performance — his third of the season — with an assist. The young forward scored two goals on normal shots, but also knocked in a penalty kick with ease after giving his defenders fits inside the box.
“It’s not very often that you have a soccer player like this that comes through,” Philipsburg-Osceola boys soccer coach Shawn Inlow said. “The nice thing for us soccer coaches — I’ve been coaching since the ‘70s since Pele came to America — in ‘93, they started the P-O program, when this guy [Ryan Long] was around and I was coaching these guys. Then, it’s kind of nice with the difference that you get when you start out and then the progeny of the guys that you coach.”
The Philipsburg-Osceola star has been preparing for greatness his entire life. His whole childhood was filled with memories of dribbling a soccer ball around the house with his parents watching intently. Now, he’s parlayed those skills from his youth into monster numbers.
But soccer isn’t the only sport Carson Long plays for the Mounties. He doubles as a placekicker for Philipsburg-Osceola’s football program. His extra point on Sept. 9 was key to the Mounties’ 7-6 win over Huntingdon, and he nailed two more against Penns Valley on Friday.
He has sharpened his soccer skills playing for State College-based Celtic SC for the past six years, and credits a large portion of his development to that club. He cited coaches Gary DePalma, Dan Meehan, Randy Hulek and Owen Griffith as those who have helped prepare him for his moment in the sun.
“It’s nice. I try my best, I try to be helpful with everybody else and try to do my best,” Long said of his hot start. “When I was a kid, I just played for the local teams. Playing travel ball was a lot different than playing local because local is a lot slower and travel is harder.”
Ryan Long has anticipated for years the time that his son could enter the ranks of high school soccer. Carson Long hasn’t been able to play teams in the central Pennsylvania region very often, with club soccer taking up much of his time during the offseason. It’s been an enjoyable time in the life of the Longs to enjoy the talent of their son.
As 14-year-old Carson Long sits at his desk, he plays with a soccer ball at his feet while finishing homework, studying or playing his PlayStation console. He juggles the ball over 1,000 times a day, according to his father, putting in the time and effort to become a more skilled player with a better touch for the ball.
“He’s light-years ahead of things I’ve seen from people his age,” Ryan Long said. “His soccer mind — his brain — it works like nobody else, I’m telling you. He’s on-par to do great things and we’re just waiting and hoping. Our hopes — he and I have conversations with my wife and we all talk about it and I say, ‘Shoot high’. Not to be arrogant or anything like that, but the goal in the near future is to be playing professionally. That’s his goal and if he continues to work and strive [for it], there’s opportunities everywhere and he’ll get it.”
This story was originally published September 22, 2021 at 3:06 PM.
