Kourounis Thrown Into Mix for Crespi

Drew Kourounis relishes his role on the Crespi High soccer team, where the fling is his thing.

Kourounis, a reserve forward who doubles as a human catapult on Celt throw-ins, has become widely known around the Encino campus and the Mission League for his lengthy and powerful tosses.

“My chemistry teacher calls me ‘throw-in,’ but I hear about it from everybody,” said Kourounis, 6 feet 2 and 155 pounds, with a laugh. “All my friends are into it. It’s gotten kind of funny.”

The joke is on opponents who don’t ready their defense for Kourounis, who limbers up with a medicine ball during field play, is sent into the game for throws and then pulled off the field at the next available opportunity.

Such situational substitution is fairly rare in soccer’s flowing play, but Kourounis, a native of Simi Valley, has assisted on four goals and gives the Celts (9-8-1, 6-6 in league play) the equivalent of a corner kick with each throw in their offensive third of the field.

Virtually all the Mission League’s teams play on fields designed for American football, meaning they are narrow and steeply crowned to promote drainage. Such conditions lead to numerous throw-in opportunities.

“Throw-ins and other set pieces are most often the difference in the game,” said Rob Kodama, Crespi’s coach. “And most players can probably throw the ball more accurately than [they] can kick it.”

Kourounis’ lanky frame and long wingspan, combined with his strength and flexibility, allow him to launch throws more than 50 yards. The junior’s talent, which surfaced during November in his first varsity practices, led to a Celt goal on his first throw-in.

“It’s been really surprising because I didn’t take many [throw-ins] during my freshman and sophomore years,” said Kourounis, who has grown five inches in three years at Crespi. “But we all have certain roles and I’m perfectly happy with mine. It makes me happy and proud that when [Kodama] needs a big play he comes straight to me.”

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The Camarillo girls’ team has posted one of the region’s best records, 15-3, and captured the inaugural Pacific View League title, entering the week with a 10-0 mark in league play.

Nonetheless, Coach Chris Lawler is a bit nervous about the Southern Section Division I playoffs, where her team will face strong competition for the first time in nearly two months.

With two of its losses coming to Buena and the other to Westlake, Camarillo has shown it can compete with the region’s powers. But the Scorpions have trailed for only 15 minutes in league play and the prospect of facing teams such as Capistrano Valley and Arcadia in the postseason is an eye-opener.

“We’ve tried to get the players to play each game like it’s a title game because we haven’t even come close to our toughest games yet and we’ll need that intensity,” Lawler said.

Lawler, who helped guide the Buena girls to a 1988 section title and was girls’ coach at Rio Mesa from 1992-95, coached the Camarillo junior varsity to an undefeated record in Marmonte League play last season and brought 10 of those players to the varsity when she was promoted.

Senior strikers Bonnie Bornhauser and Alix Rucinski have combined for 21 goals and the Scorpion defense has posted 10 shutouts.