The Rainier Valley Slammers U17 ‘93 boys team won the National Premiere League championship on Aug. 1 in Boise, Idaho.

Playing against the Idaho Thunder, the Slammers were able to defeat them in the final game 5-1.

For a team which was just formed last March, it is an accomplishment which has exceeded expectations, including those of Team Manager Dave Young.

“We’re kind of ahead of schedule,” he said. “Each tournament we play we keep getting better and better.”

Players from the Slammers come from all over South King County — Covington, Maple Valley, Auburn, Federal Way, Puyallup and Kent.

The Slammers are a part of the Auburn Youth Soccer Association (AYSA), a non-profit organization which provides recreational soccer programs for South King County. The team is coached by Nic Klamke.

Klamke and Young, both who have sons on the team, attempted to start a team last year, but things didn’t come together. When 2011 came around, they began looking for the right club to start a team with.

“Nic was looking for where we could get this team together,” said Young. “We tried to find a club that would fit. We looked for a club that would let us do our own thing.”

Young and Klamke finally chose the Slammers, a soccer club based in California, which had started several sister clubs in the area. Young stated he liked them because their sons, who were 17, would have an age group to play in.

“They opened the doors for us,” Young said. “That was a draw for us.”

Young explained how many tournaments, such as the Surf Cup in San Diego, are extremely difficult to get a team into. Through the Slammers club, the Rainier Valley team was able to compete in it.

“With that connection it’s really helped us get into these tournaments,” he said.

Though the team was new and suffered a few losses early on, it quickly improved and racked up subsequent wins as the Slammers continued playing in tournaments. One of the squad’s biggest victories was in the Nike Crossfire Challenge in early July, where they defeated Greater Renton FC ‘93 Blue.

Despite its infancy, the team has benefited from various strengths which have helped it achieve early success. Most of the players had played soccer since they were 7 years old and knew each other prior to the team’s formation. They also played soccer for their high school teams.

Another aspect Young attributed to their success were coaches such as Klemke.

“The coaches are really good,” Young said. “They’re really good with the boys. They don’t have the resumes, but they’re super good coaches.”

At the National Premiere League championship, a four day tournament in Boise, Idaho, the Slammers went up against several tough opponents, including Darlington School Soccer Academy, a private school based in Georgia. Unranked, the Slammers surprised Darlington by winning 1-0.

“They were pretty amazed,” Young said. “We came in under the radar.”

After beating a team from the LOBOS soccer club of Northern California 3-0, and Eastern Magic from New York 1-0, they went up against the Idaho Thunder in the title match.

“We took it to them pretty good,” said Young.

They will continue playing in tournaments until their season starts in the fall. Currently they practice twice a week.

“Everybody is really excited,” Young said. “We’re starting to play pretty good soccer here.”