(EDITOR'S NOTE: First in a two-part series looking at local college soccer programs. Next: Mount Mercy)

Although he recently resigned after three years as the Kennedy girls coach, Homer Screws has no intention of leaving behind the high school soccer scene.

Indeed, he's taking it to the next level.

As a pioneer in local youth club soccer and the veteran men's and women's coach at Coe College, Screws is determined to build a collegiate dynasty by keeping the best local talent close to home.

"There are so many top high school players right here in this area," he says. "And they're the core of our program."

Since he returned to the campus in 2007, following a 10-year hiatus in a Coe coaching career that began in 1992, he's focused on local recruiting. Coe provides no athletic scholarships, but each year Screws has attracted players who have turned down offers from bigger schools, including those on the Division I level.

The men's team this fall has eight former Cedar Rapids high school players, including three who were first-team all-state selections in their senior year. On the women's side, the starting lineup is stocked with six athletes who were standouts at Marion and Cedar Rapids schools.

"A lot of us have played soccer together for years and years, since we were little kids," says Reid Galbraith, a Coe junior and an all-stater from Kennedy. "So it really helps us as a team that we all know each so well. We're all friends."

His teammates include Jacob Johnson (an all-stater at Washington), Joe Frerichs (all-state at Kennedy) and former Cougars Dave Schmitz, Chris Yossi, Pat Montag, Colton Benhart and Matt Peak.

All of them grew up in club soccer, many of them on teams coached by Screws. "Having Homer here at Coe was a big influence," according to Galbraith and the others.

Originally from the Seattle area, he played professional soccer for five years following college until a knee injury ended his playing career. Smitten by the Midwest lifestyle after a visit to Iowa City for a tournament, he moved with his family here 20 years ago and became a pioneer in developing young soccer talent.

He was hired at Coe soon after. And, over the years of coaching at all local levels, he's sent hundreds of his charges onto college teams and into coaching.

His own 21-year-old twin daughters, Lindsay and Sydney, are starters for their father after stellar prep careers at Jefferson. Joining them on the college team are Kaitlyn Dalecky and Jenny Snook from Kennedy, as well as Marion grads Courtney Rogers and Ashley Kupka.

Screws points out that, like his Dean's List daughters, almost everyone on the 60-member rosters of the men's and women's teams is an outstanding student. Many are planning on graduate school.

"Every year I've been here, the team grade point average has been above 3.0," says Screws. "They're all serious students.

"The soccer is just a bonus. They come here for the academics, for the educational opportunities and for the culture at Coe. That's what we're trying to build on."

This year, the veteran coach admits, has been somewhat of a disappointing one on Coe's Clark Field. High expectations for both teams have been dashed by a rash of injuries and a series of close losses.

The women were eliminated from postseason competition with a 1-0 overtime loss to Cornell last Saturday. The men, who beat the archrival Rams 3-1, also lost their hope for a spot in the Iowa Conference tournament playoffs by falling 2-1 at Buena Vista on Tuesday.

Despite the setbacks, both the coach and his players are confident that the future for Coe soccer is bright. "These kids," says Screws, "are the best of the best."