Indian River High School senior Peter Mais has always shown impressive poise on the soccer field, ever since he donned a River Soccer Club jersey at a considerably young age, and now he has the opportunity to better his skills, committing to West Chester University this fall.

Coastal Point • Jesse Pryor
Peter Mais, signs his letter of intent with West Chester University alongside parents Robert and Rebecca and brother Brent.

The defensive midfielder has been a staple of the Indian River program, and like older brother Brant – an IR alum who turned his soccer passion into a career as assistant coach of the IR varsity squad – Peter Mais will be able to take the next step at the collegiate level.

“I always wanted to play in college,” Mais said on Tuesday. “It was a sport I knew I liked enough to play at the next level. I just never knew at what level it would be. I wanted to follow along with my brother. I watched it happen before me and always pushed myself to do better.” His brother enrolled at Flagler College in St. Augustine, Fla., but Mais settled on the Division II Pennsylvania college, which he hopes will bring a promising career.

“I looked at a few other programs,” he said, “like Virginia Wesleyan and UNCW, but I had a really good chemistry with coach [at WCU]. I think it will be a better fit. If I was at a Division I school, there’s a good chance that I might not play as much as I would at a school like West Chester.”

Idolizing his brother, five year his elder, Mais recalls watching him play in tournaments and traveling with the family, even when he was too young to lace up his own cleats. Now, he’s taking the next step, in hopes of fulfilling his dream of starting in a college game.

“Both of our sons have really broken ground,” said their mother, Rebecca Mais. “We’re very proud of them. They both love the game and play because they want to. It’s great to have them grow up and take their playing to the next level and have soccer be so instrumental in their lives.

“It’s very exciting to see it come as far as it has,” she added. “Soccer keeps them busy, and they’ve both excelled with academics, too. Brant had a great experience with soccer in college, and I’m sure Peter will, too.”

Only one man has watched Mais and his brother develop almost as long as their parents have: coach Steve Kilby, who helped instruct Peter Mais on a youth team for the River Soccer Club and at the varsity level at Indian River.

“It’s rewarding to see someone like Peter start out as a young guy and get where he is today,” Kilby said. “It’s great to see him go off to college with a really good program. Club soccer is the foundation for anyone to be successful in the sport. It gives high-school kids an outlet during the off-season to play. It gives young kids the right competition and preparation for when they do get to college, and it feeds onto the next level.”
Coastal Point • Jesse Pryor
Sarah Purdum recently signed a letter of intent with the University of Maryland Baltimore College.
Last week, another Indian River senior, Sarah Purdum, declared her next step with soccer in college, when she announced her commitment to the University of Maryland Baltimore College (UMBC). It was the first time in recent years that a female athlete from IR had earned a scholarship do a Division I school. Kilby also coached Purdum in high school and prior.

Indian River athletic director Todd Fuhrmann said he is proud to have such talent step off the field in recent years.

“It’s a huge boost for our program,” he said. “We don’t have many kids who go to that level, and we’re getting more athletes to get that opportunity. It gives our younger kids a goal and something to strive for. It just goes to show you how making that extra effort and putting the time in can be rewarding.”

Although he’s fighting off the last of a case of nerves, stepping onto the field as Indian River’s softball coach this year, Chris Megee is anything but discouraged. Despite it being his first time coaching the sport, he said this week that he trusts that his experience with baseball and prior knowledge of coaching and teaching will ensure a successful continuation of the Indian River program. After all, he’s learning from the man who’s helped established the organization for the past 12 years: former head softball head coach Mark Browne.

“There couldn’t be a better situation to walk into,” said Megee, “knowing that Browne has left me with everything I need. He’s shared everything with me that he’s used, from his books to his coaching styles. That’s the only way I’d be able to do it.”

Megee, an Indian River graduate himself, played under Ray Steele, another legend in the school’s athletic program. Megee then went onto Fork Union Military Academy, where he played baseball, before finishing at Delaware State.

“I had some good years up there,” he said, referencing his team’s capture of the 1989 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship, the only one in school history. “I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of great teams,” he added, “but if there was one thing I wanted it was to come back and be part of my alma mater.”

Before becoming a staple of IR’s baseball coaching staff, Megee got his foot in the door working at Ocean City Recreations and Parks, instructing and coaching a variety of activities. By 2004, he was living his dream, coaching and teaching at Indian River.

Now, as head coach of the softball team, Megee is getting everything in order, and he won’t be going at it alone. Mark Sewell, who has also helped coach the varsity baseball team, will be assisting Megee this year on the softball diamond.

“We might be stepping a little out of our comfort zone,” said Megee, “but having somebody that I’m used to has really helped me a lot. [Sewell’s] organized, like Browne, and a high-character guy. A lot of people respect him here, and you can’t surround yourself with enough people like that.”

Megee has already been working to adjust to the quick pace of the game and the condensed field size.

“In baseball,” he said, “you have 300 feet to work with. It’s smaller in softball, and I’ve been growing more aware and adjusting to the space. The tempo is quicker, too. There are minor adjustments, but I’m making these my main focuses for the team.”

He said he expects the returning athletes to assist him on the diamond.

“We have a super group of girls coming back, and they’ll help me out in this process,” he predicted. “When we win, they’re getting all the credit, and if we lose, I’ll take the blame. These girls are my extra eyes on the field, and they’re going to help take ownership until we get our feet under us.”

One of Megee’s goals is to pick up where the team’s last coach left off.

“I watched Mark from a distance,” Megee said of Browne, “and always admired his organization and the way he kept things together in his drills. I knew, getting into this, that softball is very popular in this region, and I will keep it that way.”

Understanding that there is obviously a transition to deal with, Megee has prepared himself for the quickly approaching season.

“Mark made a clean break from the field. I don’t want to sway from what he and his staff did here,” he emphasized. “I want to use the foundation he established and take it from there.”

The spring season is barreling down, with tryouts starting up in a week. The team’s first scrimmage will kick off the season on March 17, at 4 p.m., when they host Stephen Decatur, although it’s hard for Megee not to fix his eyes upon the matchup against rival Sussex Central, scheduled for late April.

“This is just another hat that I’m wearing,” he said. “The girls’ softball program here is not only one of the best sports programs at the school, but, I believe, one of the best in the state. The only thing I want to make sure I do is not let it go backwards. We’re going to go forward. I’m putting in extra time to understand everything. I’m burning candle at both ends and preparing for the season.




Coastal Point • Ryan Saxton
Indian River’s new softball coaching staff will take to the diamond this spring, hoping to pick up where Mark Browne left off. Assistant coach Mark Sewell (left) and head coach, Chris Megee have both been instrumental for years as members of the varsity baseball’s staff, and look to continue their success.


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