Glory be gone.

One star player gone can make a big difference, but then take two stars from the same team and it makes a big difference.

Stand-out SPSL North All-Leaguers Kelyn Rowe, a freshman, and Murphy Campbell, a junior, are not playing high school soccer for the Federal Way Eagles.

And the loss of them showed, as the Thomas Jefferson Raiders, a team they beat soundly twice last season, just now soundly beat them, 18-1, in shots fired on goal and the final score was 2-0 at Federal Way Memorial Friday night.

Last year's league MVP Omar Cruz, the Eagles' captain and star player, besides Rowe and Campbell, from this team that took second place in the 4A state tournament last year, had this to say: "It's a completely different team. Two seniors and three starters that were key players, so half the team's gone from last year."

The Crossfire Academy won't let the athletes play high school soccer, that's a Premier One select program.

And it's the good half gone for Federal Way, not just any half. In fact, with Rowe and Campbell and Cruz. stopping this team this season would have been next to impossible.

Not anymore. Sure, losing seniors Lalo Moralles and Derek Paulino hurts, but that was replaceable, Rowe and Campbell are not.

Not taking too much away from the Raiders, they certainly are a good boys soccer team themselves, who at one point back in 1986 owned the nation's longest winning streak, having won four 4A state soccer titles in a row off it's program, and, won their last state title in just 2005, under now assistant Seattle Sounders coach Darren Sawatzy.

So maybe they will take the Eagles' place as the best team in the state about (Federal Way lost 4-3 to Pasco in the state final last year).

"Yeah," said Raiders captain D.J. DeWaele, a first-team all league selection like Rowe, Campbell, and Cruz, for the Eagles last year.

Notice DeWaele didn't say "maybe."

What's the goal for this team?

"Win state," said DeWaele, then adding, almost as a good coach, like theirs, Dave Hanson, would want him to say, "Win league, get to state, win state."

"As usual," added co-captain Nick McNew.

Makes sense really, it's a storied power in 4A soccer for a long time now. And this year's TJ team is pretty talented, granted, and, well coached by Hanson, who took 3A Mount Rainier to the final four a couple times before he assisted Sawatzky a year or two and then took over.

It's just a shame that James (or the Academy), whoever put the real pressure on Rowe and Campbell not to play, won't let the soccer faithful of Federal Way come out and sell out Federal Way Memorial to this season see maybe some of the best dueling action of this decade between rivals Federal Way and TJ.

Federal Way's losses hurt, much more than just record-wise, but economically, to our city and No. 210 school district. The best players are not playing high school soccer, and it's too bad. And it is not just Federal Way, there is Snohomish that has stars not playing too because they play on Crossfire. Monroe, Jackson, all over the state, this precedent has just been set by the Crossfire. But, as former sports announcer for KSTW, Chuck Bolin, used to say: "That's the way the ball bounces."

But Bernie James, who coaches Rowe and Campbell, should really take a hard, hard look at keeping these kids from a social and athletic norm that's been with them all their life along with club soccer.

And, at the high school level, it's just a normal level higher in aggressive competition and fan support (from peers) than the more "finesse" laden club soccer. Two different sports really, even though it's the same sport -- soccer. And kids miss out on that necessary "rough" interraction of high school soccer that will not be there to prepare them for that coming college level game by restriction rules in place by a P-1 soccer program. Crossfire Academy is who James works for, so go tell him what you think.

"Their coach (James) doesn't let them play," said Cruz. "I don't know why that is...Washington Premier (another select program, based in Tacoma, with Crossfire based in Lake Washington) lets them play (high school)."

The game was pretty close, thanks in part to TJ missing some close-in shots, a header off a cross near-post missed, 20 minutes in, by junior, Chris Miller. And a shot from 2nd team All League last year, Miguel Toscano, shooting a shot from the right side of the 18-yard box wide 10 minutes into the game.

"I think they had one shot, in the first half," said TJ coach Dave Hanson, whose team just dominated the game. The score would have been probably at least 5-0 in the first half, if Miller and Toscano's shots found net. But they didn't, and, better add in, that 1st team all-league Federal Way keeper, senior Vinton Lane, made no less than three good saves, one spectacular of a point-blank, Toscano header, reflex hand save.

So, in the second half, 7-1, the Raiders continued their domination of the ball and their almost 100 percent keeping of the ball on the FW side of the field.

TJ finally scored 16 minutes into the 2nd half, as DJ DeWaele fielded a nice ball halfway between the cornerkick area and the near-post and sent a bullet back into the goal mouth some 20 feet away. Zip, bang, score, Miller, footing it in, 1-0.

"He's a hard worker," said Hanson, who came over to Cruz after the game and hugged him, giving consolation and saying words like "You hang in there. You are a great player. I am behind you."

Of Miller, Hanson continued, "I don't expect him (Miller) to score so much, but he is someone I look to for assists."

But he got one there, for Hanson, and then an expected goal, of what was unexpected at first to start the season came from junior Ernan Roman. Roman scored the second TJ goal, another cross from the cornerkick area on the baseline that was passed straight back into the goal 6-yard box by Alfredo Garcia, 2-0.

Coach Hanson could not have been happier with his team's play. For good reason.

"I'm happy," said Hanson. "I didn't have my kid here. He's in Dallas playing for his select team."

He must play Washington Premier P-1, because he doesn't play for Crossfire.

Tyler, who was like Rowe, and, Campbell, and, DeWaele, and, Lane, a 1st team all-league player. Hanson is good. Hey, with him having been out there, it probably would have been 36-1 in shots on goal favoring TJ. He's maybe a notch below the Cruz and Rowe levels, but not much.

Tyler Hanson is a captain, too, along with McNew and DeWaele.

"My captains are true leaders," said Hanson. "Good seniors."

Hanson has a formidable group. Twenty three players on the roster and there is a good mix of freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and, seniors.

TJ has a lot of firepower.

"We do," said McNew.

And a coach that sets it off.

"Yeah, our coach plays everyone and he understands the game," said DeWaele.