Anderson Has Made JHS Girls More Than Competitive

Randy Anderson is driven to attain success – and of course have a little fun along the way.

When he took over the reins of Jamestown High School’s first girls soccer program in the fall of 1992, his goal was to get his girls to eventually become competitive.

Ironically, Jamestown lost that very first game to Division I power Olean in a very close 2-1 game. It was the Lady Huskies, in 1995 though, that were defeated by Anderson’s club for the league crown.

This season – Anderson’s and the program’s fourth together – was their most successful yet.

Anderson guided the Lady Red Raiders to a 16-4-0 record overall and a CCIAC Division I championship (12-1-0).

Jamestown also earned its first ever Class A playoff victory in early November with a 1-0 triumph over Orchard Park.

For his team’s achievements, Anderson is The Post-Journal Coach of the Year.

“I thought it was a big challenge to get a program going. It’s a good test for me,” he said back in 1992, “I’m basically pretty raw when it comes to this, so I’ve got a big job ahead of me.”

The Jamestown coach has certainly proven his worth.

In just four short years, he has not only pumped player interest into the program, but he has also created a tremendous following of the program from area soccer fans.

Anderson has taken his team from a 1-9-1 record in that first season to the second round of the playoffs this year and assisted in the development of some solid talent at Jamestown, including P-J Player of the Year Suzie Plano.

“We represented ourselves and Jamestown High School very well. I think we proved that we can compete with the teams in the Buffalo area,” he said following the Lady Red Raiders’ Class A semifinal loss to Williamsville North.

As it turns out, Anderson never even knew if he would keep his job this long when he initially accepted the position.

Things have turned out pretty well, and next season is just around the corner.