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Graduation takes toll on State champs

By: Corey Bright <[email protected]>

Senior Daniel Moore was one of two juniors that started on the State Championship soccer team last year. The team, which won the first ever men’s soccer State title for the Hounds, graduated 13 seniors in the Class of ’07.

Moore said it was a great opportunity to play with such a strong group of athletes last year. “They were just so talented that everyone wanted to follow their lead,” he said. “It was great because I got the chance to be on a team where I just provided a role; our seniors were so great, that they did all the work really.”

It is the plight of high school athletic teams that they experience unpredictable and sometimes dramatic changes every year. One class graduates, and at the same time a whole slew of new freshmen look forward to its first chance at high school sports.

Former Head Coach Dan Kapsalis said last year was one of the largest senior classes ever in the soccer program. “Strong senior leadership is a must,” he said. “(Last) year’s team was one of the best ever in that category and a major reason why we did so well. The leadership helps develop the team chemistry and without it, the team would have struggled.”

Senior Charlie Painchaud said last season was surprisingly “not all that challenging” because a senior had taken his spot as center back on varsity and he didn’t get as much playing time as he expected. Josh Schlake ’07 had been a goalkeeper until last year, when he switched to playing defense and eventually took Painchaud’s spot. “I was like, ‘Wow I’m watching from the side.’ It was sort of a shock, but it made me work harder in the season. It’s good motivation to kick butt this year,” Painchaud said.

He added, “It’s going to be fun to see how we develop with a younger team. A lot of sophomores from last year will be movin’ up.”

The men’s soccer team will surely look dramatically different from last year’s team. Concerning this year’s season, Moore said, “We had six seniors that are going on to play college soccer. The talent at those six positions will be hard to fill.” Moore and others will have to learn how to recover and rebuild the team.

Kapsalis said the team had worked to develop underclassmen while still pulling off the State title last year because “underclassmen are the future.” He said the team tried to get them involved in the process by blending them with the seniors.

Kapasalis said, “The underclassmen must look up to the senior leaders for guidance and support since they are the most experienced in the program.” He said that even junior varsity and freshmen players are a very important part of this process.

Moore said he felt that the State Championship experience would motivate players this year to be as good as last year and end up in a successful season. Kapsalis said, “The incoming players understand the history and success of the program and we simply try to keep building the tradition with new players.”

He added that as a coach it is always fun for him to start out the season with such a different line-up. “You never know how it will shape up before you start, but once we do it starts to take form…there will be many changes, but we have great kids returning and we are excited to see them perform.”

As far as specifically rebuilding the team, Kapsalis said that it is important for the team not to compare itself to teams in the past. He said this will be a team with it’s own new identity. “(We will train) the same way we always have. By working hard, focusing on performance in training, playing the toughest schedule and executing during games.”

As for the new senior leaders, the coach said he would look for kids who want to take charge and give those players responsibilities early in the season. He said, “We always look for players who lead by example both on the field and in the classroom. Those are the players we count on the most.”

“I’m excited for leadership possibilities (this) year,” Painchaud said. He said he planned to help the younger players adjust to the fast pace of playing on varsity. “I’ll be hard on them, but always positive,” he said. “It’ll be fun to see how far we can make it (in the state tournament).”

Painchaud said that the players’ attitudes would be the most important contributor to success. He said, “You’ve got to have fun, play well, and most of all enjoy it.”

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