“Joe Irwin/Staff Photo Kellie Morgan gives thanks for being chosen as Coach of the Year. Local teams and scholarship winners praisedfor work on andoff the field. POULSBO – They may forget the individual wins, losses and ties as the years pass but the memories of teammates and the feel of their feet on the ball will certain live on in their minds. They are soccer players and they know the smell of turf in the morning, the tense silence before the opening kick off and the soft swishing sound of the ball striking the net just before the crowd erupts. The North Kitsap Soccer Club paid tribute to some of its best up and coming teams and individuals Tuesday night during its awards ceremony for the fall 2000 season. Applause, screaming and cheers – reminiscent of a good match – filled the air at the North Kitsap Community Center Auditorium as players, coaches and even referees took the stage for their deserved accolades. Kellie Morgan, coach of the GU-14 and GU-17 teams for the NKSC, garnered the coveted title of the 2000 Coach of the Year. Morgan was the hands down decision choice for the award, receiving votes from both the North Kitsap Soccer Club and the North Sound Youth Soccer Association. North Kitsap players work the hardest of any club I’ve ever been at and I thank you, Morgan told the crowd. Four local players walked away with scholarships for their positive influence both and and off the field. ^R Sarah Mitchusson, who will go on to play at Olympic College, earned the Mary Ann Davis Memorial Scholarship. Tom Tillotson was honored with the John Smith Memorial Scholarship. Tillotson, also a referee for some of the younger teams’ games, told the crowd just how difficult it is being the most unpopular person on the soccer field. You really have to pay attention, he said with a smile. A lot of coaches out there think coaching is hard – reffing is harder. Hardworking referees weren’t overlooked at the ceremony either and received a rare standing ovation for all their efforts. Mercedi Smalley won the Les Kiehle Scholarship and David Parrott took home the Joyce Sheflo Scholarship, noting that soccer had helped improve him as a person. I just hope everyone here enjoys soccer as much as I do, Parrott remarked. A tremendous cheer was the response. Some of Tony Smith’s Cougars almost missed their awards due to an untimely bathroom break, but the team, as they did all season, rallied when it mattered. All were present to hear the auditorium go crazy as their awards for select champions of the NSYSA BU-11 Gold-Emerald Division were handed out. Six recreational squads were also honored for their outstanding play in the North Sound Youth Soccer Association. The Titans NK-2, coached by Daniel Seth, were the overall champions of the BU-11 White Division. The Strikers NK-2, a BU-12 Emerald Division team coached by Fred Delacruz, were the champs in their division. The Miss-Fits NK-2, coached by James Johnson, were the champion squad in the GU-14 Ruby Division. The Force NK-4, coached by Michiel Hoogstede, took second place in the GU-11 Purple Division. Mirage NK-2, coached by Darren Miller, earned a second place finish in the GU-15 Emerald Division and Westside United, a BU-15 Emerald Division squad, also took second place under the helm of coach Christopher Dorman. “