The sounds of athletic competition filled the air for the first time in what felt like an eternity on Saturday as all four Grant County boys soccer teams saw their first action of the 2020 season in the annual Grant County Jamboree.
Each team played two 40-minute halves against two different opponents, looking to build on their strengths as well as identify weaknesses and areas to fix. Oak Hill went 2-0 on the day, Marion and Mississinewa each went 1-1, and Eastbrook finished 0-2.
Despite losing 10 seniors, the Oak Hill Golden Eagles still have a roster full of both talent and depth.
“We lost a lot of guys, but we were so deep last year that we had guys that weren’t able to play who really were varsity level talents,” Oak Hill Head Coach Joel Garverick said. “It’s really cool to see them have an opportunity, but most importantly, we are just excited to play soccer, above all else.”
Senior Dalian Leach impressed throughout the afternoon, creating several high-quality scoring chances, and scoring once against Mississinewa. After scoring 16 goals a season ago, Leach looks to build on that number in 2020. Furthermore, Weston Seybold, Oak Hill’s star midfielder, has taken his game to the next level, and Garverick believes he will be a key to the Golden Eagles’ success.
“Weston has grown a ton,” Garverick said. “He is someone who has put in more work than probably anyone else. Soccer is his one love, and he has dedicated himself to improving in every facet of his game.”
After two years of remolding and reshaping the Mississinewa soccer program, Jared Reel has the Indians playing their best soccer since the program’s inception.
With the influx of six immensely talented freshmen, including his son, Mason, who scored his first varsity goal against Marion, Mississinewa could be a team on the rise this fall.
“My freshmen are talented,” Reel said. “It’s probably one of the more talented kids as a collective that we will have at Mississinewa probably since the program started. It’s about filling spots right now and figuring out our defense a little bit.”
The Indians have a perfect blend of youth, experienced players like Colin Yoder, Holden Brown, and Hayden Ulerick, and their deepest bench in program history. For Reel, the sky is the limit for this group.
“We didn’t lose a whole lot, where everyone else in our sectional lost 11 to 14 kids. I gained about six quality players,” Reel said. “Our expectation is 12 wins, a sectional [title], and move on to regionals, at least. This is going to be our best opportunity.”
Marion, like Oak Hill, lost a key group of seniors. Luckily, the Giants still have a ton of firepower left at the top of their formation in JD Fagan and Kyle Coryea. Fagan provides unmatched speed on the wing along with his scoring ability, while Coryea is still one of the best shooters in the area, reminding everyone of that fact on a gorgeous goal from outside the box against Mississinewa.
The Giants still must figure out their back line, which lost four starters to graduation, but Berry is confident this his group will be competitive once again in 2020.
“We have three returning starters, and four players that have never played before on a varsity field,” Marion Head Coach Jorge Berry said. “I thought we did well. Other than the mental mistakes, I thought we did okay. Our fitness isn’t where we want it right now,” Berry said. “So, we must work on that, but this is why we play this. We’ve made a lot of good strides.”
After running a 4-3-3 formation over the last several seasons, Eastbrook Coach Adam Hallis, due to the heavy losses that the program has sustained over the last two years, decided to make a change, creating a more fluid structure.
Depending on personnel, and their skill sets, the Panthers plan to use a variety of formations, including a 3-6-1 or a 5-2-3, which gives Eastbrook the ability to keep their opponents on their heels. It has been a learning curve, but Hallis is pleased with quickly his players have progressed.
“I wasn’t sure how they would take to a new system,” Hallis admitted. “But they’ve done what I’ve asked them to do. I have been pleased with where we are at. That is something that we need to keep working on, but these are a good group of guys to teach. Things are working, and I’m happy with it.”
With players like Bryce Dmyszewicz, Bryan Popoca, Elijah Shutt, and Sam Spiegal still on the roster, the Panthers, despite some early growing pains, should remain a solid squad in 2020.
“I think we are going to be competitive in a lot of our games,” Hallis said. “We are still somewhat inexperienced. We are still a little bit young, and guys are still learning positions. There is going to be that learning process. We just have to go out there and play as hard as we can.”
