Boys soccer coach Wheeler reflects on a positive but short season

By John Smithson

Obviously, we were having a great start to the season going 6-0 and being  first in the Region. All that is attributed to the hard work and sacrifice these young men gave to the program. Since we took over the program last June, these young men have been together roughly twice a week every week we were allowed leading up to this season. Whether that be in the weight room or on the field. They fully committed to the goals they set out and it was really difficult to see them cut short of those goals. There is a silver lining for them as the seniors can leave knowing they never lost a game, but they won’t be able to have the rivalry game against Myrtle Beach since that was the only team left in the area to beat and they were looking forward to that test.

With this being a completely unprecedented event there was no way to really break the news easy to them about the season being canceled. So we just spoke on the impact they had of turning this program around and the standard they set for the younger guys on the team. Things like setting that culture are so important in having a successful program and the selflessness and accountability  of our senior class, as well as every player in the program showed and will set the tone for many seasons to come. It has been a privilege to get to know these young men and help them a tiny bit on their journey through life and sports.

Many of them have big aspirations and plans and I look forward to seeing everything they can accomplish and how they can influence their peers going forward.