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Opoku-Duah talks life, soccer

Parkersburg’s Immanuel Opoku-Duah (10) battles for possession of the ball with Huntington’s Owen Stoll (16) while teammates of both competitors look to help during the Big Reds’ 5-0 win over the Highlanders earlier this season. Photo by Steve Hemmelgarn.

PARKERSBURG — For Parkersburg High striker Immanuel Opoku-Duah, the sport of soccer has been a huge part of his life from his upbringing in Guyana right up until now — his senior year as a member of the Big Reds’ soccer squad.

“I was about 2 when we moved to England,” said Opoku-Duah. “And the English have always been passionate about soccer. My dad also was a talented soccer player so I don’t think it was a mistake the sport took a hold of me the way it did.”

During the family’s six-year stay in the United Kingdom, Pokie (his nickname on the Big Reds soccer team) took up the sport and played in a local park. He also watched plenty of soccer every weekend with his father Stephen.

The elder Opoku-Duah worked hard to expose his son to everything he could about soccer during their time in England.

“I could see he had some talent in the game at about 5 years old,” said Opoku-Duah’s father. “It was at that time I gave him his first soccer ball.”

His son’s talent really started to blossom when the family moved to the United States during Pokie’s fourth grade year. The family left England because Stephen had completed his doctorate degree and took a position at then-Ohio Valley College as a science professor.

During his early years in the area, Pokie attended Blennerhassett Elementary School but quickly moved to Neale after the family took up residence in Vienna to be closer to OVU. Perhaps it was fate because at Neale he met a gym teacher by the name of Don Fosselman, who also happened to be the head coach of the Parkersburg High School boys soccer team.

Fosselman immediately recognized the talent in the young man and saw a future Big Red soccer player in the making.

The talent the PHS coach saw was on full display when Opoku-Duah got his first taste of competitive soccer. The young man joined a church team coming off a losing season and led them to a league win his first year on the team. He scored every goal for the team but soon needed a new challenge.

From the church league, the promising talent joined a REC league but quickly found his first travel team shortly thereafter.

“Matt Runyon’s dad coached the Belpre Fireballs and he saw me play and that is how I got started in the travel team,” said Opoku-Duah. “I played on that team until about seventh grade until the team disbanded.”

After the Belpre team disbanded, Opoku-Duah stepped away from playing the sport he loved because he couldn’t find a team he was comfortable on. He wanted a more advanced program and he found what he wanted around his freshman year when he started playing for the Pro Performance travel team in Morgantown. The club traveled all-around the world but the cost was very expensive and the freshman couldn’t travel very often.

However, he was able to play himself back into shape. An opportunity, which would prove useful for the player getting an itch to play again.

Back home, Pokie was starting his first year at PHS and there were plenty of high expectations for the incoming freshman. The newcomer didn’t disappoint one bit.

“I ‘split’ time between junior varsity and varsity my freshman year,” said Opoku-Duah. “I played three jayvee games before coach said I was too good and he promoted me to the varsity squad.”

Around this time, Pokie would lose his mother Evelyn — who had been fighting a three-year battle with cancer — and he would turn to the game he loved more than ever to help get through the grief of losing his parent.

“The game of soccer — I just love it,” said the graduating Big Red. “It has been very therapeutic for me. The game has been an escape whether I am watching or playing it. It was a really hard time with my mother dying but soccer was something I could run away to. I remember I had a game that day and I played really hard and had a good day. Her memory still inspires me to do the best I can every day. She helped get me to games and was a huge advocate of me keeping both soccer and academics in my life. She kept my head balanced between both sport and study.”

Last season Opoku-Duah was rewarded in a big way for his offensive contributions to the Big Reds when he was named the West Virginia Co-Offensive Player of the Year.

“Pokie is amazing,” said PHS head soccer coach Don Fosselman. “He has a soccer brain. He can see things before they develop and he is so creative with the ball. His creativity and sight make him different from a lot of American soccer players who see this move or that move but not the whole outcome — he can skip straight to the final outcome. Pokie is one of the most gifted players we have ever had here at Parkersburg High School.”

Opoku-Duah will leave the school among the top echelon of players in goals scored.

In addition to his offensive prowess, Opoku-Duah is looked up to as a leader by everyone on the pitch. This season he was voted onto the Big Reds leadership council by an overwhelming amount.

“I remember this because it stands out in my mind,” said Fosselman. “Pokie stood up in front of all 40 kids on the team and read a paragraph or two on why he wanted to be on the leadership team and what it meant for him to be a part of it. He needed 50 percent of the vote to get on and he got about 75 percent of it. We have a great culture here and he knew that coming in but he never backed away from it … he understood what we were about and went out and has been spectacular not just on the pitch but as a leader.”

“It took a little bit for me to get comfortable around everyone,” said Opoku-Duah. “Once everyone saw how I played … they wanted me to share different things with them … and I learned things from them as well because as a student of the game you are always learning.”

Speaking of learning, the senior captain hopes to gain the feeling of what it is like to win a state title this season. The Big Reds certainly have an excellent opportunity to get to Beckley with one game standing between them and a trip to states.

“I wanna do it all — Everything that can be done,” said Opoku-Duah. “And that includes winning a state title and we have a really good team this year and I think we can do it.”

When Opoku-Duah isn’t on the pitch, he enjoys spending time on his studies, playing FIFA or hanging out with his teammates and going to Buffalo Wild Wings after practice to get something to eat.

“I think the family atmosphere is something I am going to miss the most,” said Opoku-Duah. “You can feel it from day one. No one is ever left out in the cold — we bring everyone into the family. Daud Kahn was new to the team this year but he comes over and plays FIFA with the rest of the team. Hayden Moser also came in and was a lot of fun once he got comfortable around everyone. It really shows on the field how we work together well because we talk and get along off the pitch too.”

Academically, Opoku-Duah doesn’t find it hard to excel in school because he enjoys learning but especially learning about science. He plans on having a career other than soccer and is undecided if he will play in college or not. He wishes to be able to study with no distractions.

“He is such a well-rounded individual and I am very proud of him,” said Opoku-Duah’s father. “He carries himself well academically, spiritually and athletically and it makes for a healthy body and sound mind.”

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