In the game with ... Norfolk Christian soccer's Viktor Guemues

NORFOLK

Delroy Allen's eyes lit up the first time he saw Viktor Guemues take the field.

"I knew right away he was a different caliber," said Allen, Norfolk Christian's boys soccer coach. "He's got a high soccer IQ, just very knowledgeable about the sport."

That knowledge comes from years of competition. Guemues, a foreign exchange student who turned 16 earlier this month, started playing soccer in Germany when he was 5.

Because schools in Germany don't offer sports, Guemues played on the club level, where the competition is better than at most U.S. high schools.

"As soon as he stepped out there you could tell that he knew the game well," Allen said. "He could read situations and create things that you don't see the average player doing."

That ability has helped Guemues adapt on the fly this season. He started out on a scoring spree, posting 21 goals in the Ambassadors' first nine games.

But then defenses started double- and triple-teaming Guemues, forcing him to become more of a play-maker than a scorer. Guemues didn't record a goal in two games last week, but Norfolk Christian won both.

Guemues has 21 goals and six assists this season.

"He's really versatile in the way he plays," Norfolk Christian defender James Scott said. "It opens up the whole team."

Guemues has needed to make other adjustments as well this season. He played primarily on defense in Germany, and admits it took time to adopt the mentality of an offensive threat.

"It's still kind of abnormal for me," Guemues said. "Because if I have the ball near the goal, I look for someone I can pass the ball to."

Guemues also serves as the kicker for an Ambassadors football team that is 6-1. On Friday, he made all seven extra point tries and hit a 30-yard field goal in a win over Trinity Episcopal.

Norfolk Christian football coach Heath Gibbs said when Guemues came out for the team, he missed his first try, then made 20 in a row.

"For him to have never kicked (in football) in his whole life, that was pretty amazing," Gibbs said.

Still, Guemues' future is in soccer. He plans to rejoin a club team when he returns to Germany after the school year.

Allen insists Guemues could play Division I soccer if he chooses that route, and potentially at a higher level.

"Although he says professionally he wouldn't be able to play back home, I have a different opinion," Allen said. "I think if he develops more and continues to work, the potential is there."