Columbus East’s Alexis Spurgeon, right, shields the ball from Bloomington North’s Talya Chaveas during a soccer match at the BCSC Soccer Complex in Columbus, Ind., Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022.
Mike Wolanin | The Republic
Gabby Spurgeon enrolled at Columbus North with the intention of running for the Bull Dogs’ defending state champion cross-country team, but this summer, she had a change of heart.
The youngest of four Spurgeon siblings decided to play soccer for North. That meant going against one of her older sisters, Alexis, who is in her fourth year as a starter at Columbus East.
“Whenever I found out that she was playing soccer — because she was originally going to do cross-country — I was really trying to push for (Gabby to go to East),” Alexis said. “But I think she was just happier at North, and she had a lot of friends there.”
Wednesday night, the two will be on opposite sides when the Bull Dogs and Olympians meet at the BCSC Soccer Complex.
Columbus North defender Gabby Spurgeon, right, looks to stop Center Grove’s Madi Kramer Monday’s Aug. 15, 2022 at Center Grove.
Sam Findley | For The Republic
“I’m pretty nervous, considering me and my sister are so competitive against each other,” Gabby said. “But I think it’s going to be really fun. I think she’s going to try and destroy me, but I don’t think she’ll be able to.”
Both players are defenders, so it is unlikely they will cross paths on the field. Alexis is a center back for East, while Gabby plays right back for North.
Columbus East’s Alexis Spurgeon controls the ball during a soccer match against Bloomington North at the BCSC Soccer Complex in Columbus, Ind., Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022.
Mike Wolanin | The Republic
“It will be fun,” Alexis said. “I’ve never really played soccer against her just because she joined soccer kind of late, just a couple of years ago. But I’m excited. I think it will be a good match.”
Gabby earned the starting job at right back in the preseason.
“It’s pretty surprising because I’ve only played soccer for two years,” Gabby said. “Originally, I was joining cross-country, but I decided to join soccer instead. Most of my friends were playing soccer, so I decided to join. I’ve been practicing a lot, and I feel like my speed on the field has helped.”
The oldest of Dan and Shelley Spurgeon’s four children, daughter Jordan, ran cross-country and track at East and now is a freshman at Indiana University. Son Luke is a sophomore football player and wrestler at North.
“We love the rivalry,” Dan said. “For us, I think it’s kind of been great experiencing it from both sides, both North and East. It’s just been fun.”
Dan said he and Shelley usually split up when Alexis and Gabby have games in different places on the same night. Monday night, Shelley went to Bloomington to watch Alexis and the Olympians play Bloomington South, while Dan saw Gabby and the Bull Dogs host Franklin.
While Dan and Shelley usually wear Columbus East shirts when Alexis is playing and Columbus North shirts when Gabby is playing, Dan joked that they may need cut the shirts in half and stitch them together when they face each other on Wednesday.
“We just let the girls choose which schools they wanted to go to, and we were indifferent either way,” Dan said. “We’re just excited they’re both playing. It will be a great game, and we’re certainly excited to see the girls compete.”
The Bull Dogs are 2-1-1 record, having tied Terre Haute South, fallen to Center Grove and beaten Seymour and Franklin. North is trying to replace 10 graduated seniors, eight of which were starters.
“We have mostly younger people on our team, and we’re just getting used to playing with each other,” Gabby said. “I think it’s going to be a good season.”
The Olympians, meanwhile, are 1-1-1 with a win against Bloomington North, a tie with Roncalli and a loss at Bloomington South.
Columbus East’s Alexis Spurgeon, center, heads the ball away from shields the ball from Bloomington North’s Talya Chaveas, left, and Erica Urheim during a soccer match at the BCSC Soccer Complex in Columbus, Ind., Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022.
Mike Wolanin | The Republic
“I think that we’ve had two really solid games,” Alexis said. “Obviously, this (Roncalli) game didn’t end the way we wanted. But I think we’re a really good team, and I think we’ve improved a lot from last year and I think we definitely have a chance at winning sectional.”
While Alexis is planning to attend IU or Purdue next year and major in economics, Gabby will have three more years with the Bull Dogs. She is eagerly anticipating her first North-East battle.
“It’s really scary because of how many people are probably going to show up,” Gabby said. “It’s going to be packed. I’m excited, though.”
