PHS’ Ashton Farnsworth headed to West Lib
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PARKERSBURG -- Like a true point guard on the basketball court, Parkersburg High School soccer player Ashton Farnsworth enjoys making a good pass for a finish more than scoring a goal himself.
Although that might be the case, the Big Red found the back of the net 15 times last year and added 10 assists en route to earning first team Class AAA all-state honors from both the state sports writers and the coaches' association.
Now, the four-year letterman and three-year starter is set to continue his career for West Liberty University head soccer coach Sean Regan.
"I made an official visit to West Liberty, Marietta, (W.Va.) Wesleyan and UC (Charleston)," said Farnsworth, who is leaning toward a major in health and physical education, but isn't 100% locked in.
"I really like the facility they had, almost brand new facilities in just about everything. They have, I think, the only FIFA approved soccer field in the state. I really liked the soccer guys I was talking to and the coaches."
Along with attending West Virginia University's soccer camp and Wright State's camp the past two years, Farnsworth has been playing travel soccer since the second half of his junior year with FC Alliance.
"We have three different teams. The one I played for was in Morgantown," added Farnsworth, who previously played for Club Ohio since he was in the sixth grade.
Even though the COVID-19 pandemic didn't cost Farnsworth his prep season like it did for spring sports, he's still had to deal with it.
"I'm very thankful for that," admitted the Big Red. "We got a few practices in and played some league games and maybe went to a tournament or two.
"Most of it was cut short due to COVID. We are still trying to see if we can get the state cup in at the end of this month. That's the only tournament we would have left."
During his career with PHS head coach Don Fosselman, the 5-foot-7 Farnsworth tallied 32 goals and added 16 assists.
"The guy I'm rooming with is FCA, Josh Ferguson. He went to Brooke High School and I knew one other guy on the team," Farnsworth noted. "Noah Underwood, he's the goalie and he went to Riverside. He's extremely good."
Thanks to finishing with a 3.75 GPA at PHS along with his soccer prowess, Farnsworth is going to college for free.
"I think PHS really taught me how to balance my school work and my sport," he said. "Don't get me wrong. It's not like I'm going to go in there and take it easy. I'm a little bit worried, but I'm not the kind who usually is going to over think it.
"The two things I'm probably looking forward to the most is getting to continue the sport I love so much. That's the main thing. The other is building those bonds on and off the field with my teammates. The last couple of years of my life the families I've been playing with have played a major role in my life."
While the Big Red admitted "I'll play wherever he needs me, whatever they need to do, even goalie," he's likely to be an attacking midfielder for the Hilltoppers, who scored one or zero goals in 14 of their 18 matches last year.
From the time he was in middle school, Farnsworth "always had that dream of wanting to go to college and play and possibly make it to one of the pro leagues.
"That's probably my main focus right now. At the next level it's leaps and bounds above what high school is. You have to be so much bigger, faster and stronger. It's definitely not going to be easy."
When asked to describe his game and the importance of the mental approach to the sport he was quick to answer.
"I'm kind of like the facilitator, especially at PHS," he explained. "I kind of like ran up the middle of the field and getting the ball where it needed to go and positioning everyone where they should be. I like to pass a lot. That's the part of the game I love the most. Like 50% of it is mental.
"You got to keep your head because other teams are going to push me and tag you in the heels and do things when the ref isn't looking. You got to focus on the game so it doesn't throw you off and when you're getting down to the last 10 minutes of an 80-minute game and you're down 1-0 you got to keep pushing yourself to keep going."
As a Big Red, Farnsworth reached the state tournament once. That was during his freshman season, which ended with a 2-1 overtime setback in the semifinals. Two other times the Big Reds were sectional champs, but came up just short in the regional.
Farnsworth said he's been practicing as much as he can in his yard and he's also been running quite a bit to try and stay in shape.
"I wouldn't say I'm sad, but since I was in third grade I've been coming to the games on the sidelines being a ball boy," he said of leaving PHS behind. "I've put so much into it. It's something I'm really going to miss and I'll miss coach Fosselman, too.
"I definitely have a really good chance of playing. Preseason is going to be the most vital part. I just got to work hard like I always do. I feel like I will most likely start. If not, I'll definitely be in the rotations."
Although winning a state championship was the ultimate goal, Farnsworth more than enjoyed his time playing for the red and white.
"The thing I'll remember the most is definitely the bond I had with my teammates, especially off the field," he said. "The things we'd go and do together and the times we'd stay after practice and get extra work in."
Contact Jay Bennett at jbennett@newsandsentinel.com