Marietta senior Silas Billy, son of Keenan and Silvia Billy, has signed a letter of intent to
play soccer for the Whatcom Community College Orcas. Whatcom, with an enrollment
of approximately 9,000, is in Bellingham, Washington, about 90 miles north of Seattle
and 50 miles south of Vancouver, B.C.
Billy has played soccer since kindergarten and became a member of Marietta High
School’s first ever soccer team during his sophomore year.
“By the time Silas was nine or ten, it was obvious that he had potential,” said dad
Keenan, “but in the last couple of years when school soccer started, he’s really been
into it.”
Silas’s dad isn’t the only one who recognized his son’s potential and love for the sport.
“Since I first met Silas, I could tell that soccer was very important to him,” said MHS
Athletic Director Tanica Anderson. “Silas has the determination and leadership that will
carry him throughout his career. His dedication to the game and relentless work ethic
have earned him the opportunity to take his skills to the next level, and we are proud of
him.”
For Silas, choosing Whatcom – a 31-hour car ride from home – was really easier than
you might think.
“I knew I wanted to start at a junior college to see if would even enjoy college soccer,”
he said. “We looked for ju-cos in states where I wanted to go. We found Whatcom and it
had a really good soccer team and a cybersecurity program that I was interested in.”
And the rest, as they say, was history. The distance from home did not dissuade Silas.
“I’m ready to go,” he insisted. “It’s a little nerve racking, but I’m ready to go.”
Despite the distance, Silas’s parents are proud.
“We have mixed feelings,” Keenan said. “It’s 31 hours away, so if something happens,
he can’t just drive home. But he loves the area and I’m glad he’s going to get to go and
see the world a little. I think it’s going to be a great experience for him.”
The Billy family is grateful for all the people who have been on Silas’s journey with him,
but particularly the kids he’s played soccer with at Marietta.
“A lot of the kids at Marietta have played with him on different teams since he was
young,” Keenan said. “Overall, there is a lot of talent there in Marietta and maybe
somebody seeing him leave and go to play soccer in college may recognize that the
potential is there for them to do the same thing.”