Jon Mark Thompson hones his skills for Cape Central

Head swiveling, eyes surveying. The fluid, easy stride, the impeccable ball control. A quick feint, a turn, then "pow", a perfectly timed pass or shot.

Jon Mark Thompson, Cape Central's all-state soccer player, has a style that is unmistakable.

"He didn't come up with those skills by accident," said Cape Central coach Tom Doyle of his senior midfielder. "He's worked extremely hard to get better."

While Doyle has worked with Thompson over the past four years, nobody may be more familiar with Thompson's talent and development than his former club coach Louay Mishu.

"He's just so natural with the ball and so field-smart," said Mishu, who met Thompson when he was a 9-year-old junior player.

Mishu was so impressed with the youngster's talent that he accepted a coaching position and later formed a junior league team, the Cobras, on which Thompson played until he was 14.

A strong bond developed between the two and, to this day, Thompson calls Mishu for advice and evaluation of his play.

Making an impact

Thompson's play has been nothing short of outstanding for Cape Central, which is 21-3-1 and ranked No. 7 in Class 4A.

His team-leading 23 goals this year rank second all-time for the Tigers, three off the single-season record of 26 set by Craig Scheer in the '94 season. Thompson's 57 career goals also rank second to Scheer's 59.

Although asked to be a scorer on the high school level, Thompson feels his greatest asset is his playmaking ability. His touch and ball-handling skills, coupled with his sense of field awareness, are tailor-made for setting up teammates. He is second on the team with eight assists.

"Overall, he's just a great player," said teammate Cody Hill. "He has a feel for the game. He knows where things are, knows when to make the play or hold it back."

Beyond the goals, assists

Aside from his obvious contributions on the field, Thompson may be even more valuable in his role as co-captain. His work ethic and attitude rubs off on teammates.

"He's a great leader, he doesn't get into fights or portray any negativity out on the field, whatsoever," said senior teammate Nathan Foley. "He's a great example to learn from and be led by."

For the past four years, Thompson has competed on a St. Louis area soccer club, Metro F. C. of Edwardsville, Ill., in the Metropolitan Premier League. The team allows him to sharpen his skills against some of the best high school talent in the country. Combined with his participation at Cape Central, he plays competitive soccer almost 10 months of the year.

His father Ed and mother Marsha have always been there to support his soccer endeavors.

"Without them, I wouldn't be able to play, just because of sheer finances," said Thompson. "We go to St. Louis two or three times a week from November to May. It starts to rack up."

District time arrives

Cape Central begins its push for the state playoffs on Tuesday when it plays the Hillsboro-Farmington winner in the Class 4A, District 1 semifinals. If the top-seeded Tigers, a team of savvy seniors and talented sophomores, go deep into the playoffs, this season could be very special for Thompson.

Thus far, he contends the 1999 season -- when he was a sophomore -- was the most gratifying.

Always placing team first, Thompson beams when talking about how the young squad finally came together after a roller-coaster season and won the district with a thrilling overtime win over archrival Jackson.

A well-rounded young man, Thompson is, in his words, "pretty good academically," as well.

"Pretty good" actually ranks him No. 1 in his class with a GPA slightly above a perfect 4.0, despite a curriculum jammed with higher level math and science courses.

He wants to play college soccer. His college choice is still up in the air, but he has taken a visit to Notre Dame and expects to visit Davidson College, Dartmouth and possibly SMU, the No. 1-ranked team in the nation.

Whenever he decides, Thompson expects to choose a pre-med major, with aspirations to become a doctor or dentist.

On a possible professional soccer career, Thompson said, "If I felt I could compete and help a team, then I would definitely consider it."