September is not only the month children go back into the classroom to learn academics, it is also a time when Johnston's youth soccer league kicks off its season, learning many new skills, as the players did this past Monday night at Johnston Recreation Department's Babe Ruth Field. Shannon Pero serves as head coach of Team 8, which is made up of about a dozen 5- and 6-year-olds interested in learning to play soccer. All her players are Johnston residents. Pero has been coaching soccer for the past three years and she also instructs 4-year-olds in the basics of the game. The children learn the fundamentals of soccer by passing, shooting and dribbling. Pero uses the game of red light, green light with a soccer twist to develop the kids’ skills. It is a game where the children learn to listen, follow directions and put the brakes on the soccer ball after keeping the ball flowing. "It is a good learning experience and it is also good exercise," said assistant coach Nicole Carroll. Carroll has also been coaching youth soccer for the past three years. Another challenge for the children is to play tail tag. The game pits three players against three other players; each side dribbles the soccer ball around their teammates, trying to catch their “tails.” Even though the kids are young, many show promise and some are even planning to become multi-sport athletes. "I love Johnston sports and I play T-ball at Johnston Rec,” said 5-year-old Domenic Petrarca. “I [also] want to play on a dodge ball team." The youth league practices run 50 minutes and go until the end of October. For more information, log on to Johnstonrec.com.