Bobcats Growling and Growing for Different Glory

Don’t try to convince Bobcats players their fans and mascot (Jade Ryan undercover) aren’t the best in the galaxy.

A couple of Windham kids, Reese Rusin and Albert Chase (white jerseys, left to right), hone in on the soccer ball as an opponent does the same in the spirit of competition and fellowship.

The Bobcats homeschool soccer team recently concluded its second season, including mountaintop and valley boys and girls, organized and coached by Andrew and Grace Houle.

By Michael Ryan

MAPLECREST - When the local homeschool soccer team suits up, they are playing for a different glory than mere victory gives.

Make no mistake. The co-ed C4 Bobcats, recently concluding their second season, would rejoice, putting one in the “W” column, going 0-4 last year while earning a duo of ties in six tries in 2025.

But it isn’t mollycoddling to say their reason for playing goes deeper than the final score, a story told by Pastor Charmaine Rusin from Living Faith Community Church in Maplecrest, a hamlet in the town of Windham.

“While the soccer season had come to an end for the local school league, one mountaintop team remained on the green, hopefully “heading” for their first win of the season,” Pastor Rusin states (pun intended).

“The C4 Bobcats, a lesser-known squad, has adopted C.D. Lane Park as their home practice field, though they regularly travel over an hour to face opponents such as the Upton Lake Eagles and the Thrive Thunder” in neighboring or more distant counties.

“Who are these fantastically named organizations and when did they get here, you ask?” the Pastor states.

“C4 may sound like an explosive team, but their name is actually derived from the local homeschool co-op to which all of the players belong.

“Meeting in two different churches (Mitchell Hollow Mission in Windham and Discover Life in Prattsville), C4 is named for its core values: Christ-centered, community, commitment and cooperation,” the Pastor states

“Starting a team from scratch and finding opponents who are willing to play outside of any official league umbrella has been a passion project for Catskill residents and coaching couple Andrew and Grace Houle, homeschool parents of four highly gifted athletes.

“Why would a homeschool group go through all the trouble to start their own team rather than just join the local school team?” the Pastor asks.

“If you hail from any other state than New York or Oklahoma, you may be especially curious about this, but most New Yorkers are unaware of the laws excluding homeschoolers from public school activities.

“Homeschooling in New York calls for the kind of “forward” momentum exemplified in the Houles and their dedicated dribblers,” the Pastor states.

“New York State is one of only two that prohibit homeschool students from participating in or benefiting from public school activities and resources, legally termed “public school access.”

“New York State also boasts the most demanding homeschool regulations in the country, alongside California,” the Pastor states.

“While rural school coaches throughout New York are experiencing the varsity blues, facing increasingly sparse rosters and tense district mergers, we can only wonder - who are these laws helping or protecting?

“We may wish to go back in time and deliver a “red card” to the politicians who drove these regs to the end line,” Pastor Rusin states, referring to a player expulsion penalty card used by soccer referees.

“But it is more profitable for us to find solutions, as the Houles have done with the burgeoning Bobcats (age 10-17) whose up-and-coming 6-10 year-old “Bobkittens” are training to strike for the goal in the coming years.”

The Houles have put legalities in their rearview mirror, not waiting for State government officials to enact legislation, allowing the crossover.

“We have looked into it a little bit but unless the rules are changed, there’s nothing we can do about it so we’re moving forward,” Andrew Houle says.

“And quite honestly, and I’m not saying this because we have no wins, we put this team together as an opportunity for personal growth. There is an important Faith side to it.

“We’re a Christian co-op going by Colossians 3:23 which says, ’whatever you do, do it to the best of your ability and unto the Lord,’” Houle says.

The Bobcats field youngsters from throughout Greene County including Claire & Sadie Corbett, Kallen Moser, Jayden, Izzy & Tim Houle, William Sam & Albert Chase, Sarai Olmstead, Faye Centeno, Reese & Bryson Rusin, Blaise Rogers, Maksim Clark and Nathan Miles.

“We run the gamut, as far as the kids,” Houle says. “There are some with no soccer background but some of these kids are returning from last year so you can see the difference. We have a great time.”

Above and beyond what happens on the pitch, “home school has its advantages,” Pastor Rusin says. “Each family reports to the State.

“New York is one of the most highly regulated in the country. Certain subjects are required but a faith-based curriculum can be chosen.

“The hope and goal is the kids will become self-driven,” the Pastor says, being able to earn college credits as soon as 14 years old.

“These kids don’t require a lot of steering. There is a lot of time for creative outlet, deep dives into specific interests. And mainly,” Pastor Rusin says, smiling, “I love being with my kids.”