With a few new faces and experienced returning players, high school boys soccer Coach Ryan Regrutto is optimistic that his team will get the wins it deserves this season.
There was a point, the soccer program was only going to have one team, Regrutto said, but by Friday, it had 27 boys out and enough for a junior varsity team.
“On the JV team, we had a lot of kids show up that hadn’t shown up before,” Regrutto said. Only a few freshmen joined the team. Others played middle school level soccer before but hadn’t played high school ball.
“We have a lot of kids that are really committed,” Regrutto said, but the team is getting a bit of a late start and is a little behind on conditioning.
“We’re a little bit behind, but we’re getting there, and I can see a lot of positive aspects to what’s going on,” Regrutto said.
The Huskies were scheduled to open their season at East Linn Christian Academy on Tuesday, Regrutto said, and he thought it would be a good start, a good chance to see where the players are.
“I expect good things,” he said. “The kids are buying into what I’ve asked them to do. They want to be successful. The thing that’s been great about them – every kid is a good kid, they’re excited, they’re going to do the right thing.”
Now it’s just a process of getting them up to speed with skills and conditioning, he said.
“All of my returners I’m expecting a whole lot from,” Regrutto said. “It’s hard to single any one of them out. They’re all quality. It won’t be one kid being a superstar. It’s going to have to be a team effort.”
Everyone on the team has the potential to do something, he said. “I’m looking forward to the boys stepping up and having the drive.”
Among those, forward Chris Carpenter scored goals last year, but he had problems with injuries, Regrutto said. He looks healthy this season. He’s fast and can score, so Regrutto expects to see some goals from him.
Midfielder Tony Ramirez was second-team all-league last year, Regrutto said, and he can move into the forward position.
Kyle Winslow is a solid player and will be in a leadership role on defense.
Winslow and Ramirez have asserted themselves into leadership roles on the team, mentoring the younger athletes Regrutto said.
Bryce Roberts, honorable mention last year, will handle goalkeeper duties.
The team will field a whole new defensive format this year, Regrutto said. “That’s the thing we’re going to work on – Our main priority is defense.”
The Huskies will build their offense out of a strong defense.
The Huskies didn’t win a game last year, but they had many close games and games that went down to the wire.
The boys believe in the program, Regrutto said, and they keep working hard, even when injuries had the team shorthanded.
When the chips were down last year, they kept at it, Regrutto said. “We had some good opportunities.”
He thinks that he could have pushed the team harder in conditioning last year and won some of those games, but that’s part of the balance when training the team, he said, something he plans to rectify this year.
“I do have high hopes for us,” Regrutto said. Last year, the Huskies were beating Cottage Grove at halftime but lost in the second half. Cottage Grove went on to tie Sisters for the league championship.
“I don’t want to be over-optimistic, but I believe in these kids,” Regrutto said. “We could squeeze out positive results.”
He wants the team to be competitive and in the middle of the pack, he said. “The boys do deserve that. They’ve worked hard enough they do deserve some decent results.”
The varsity squad includes returning juniors Drayson Scott and Tony Ramirez and first year varsity player Justin Webb. Returning seniors include Bret Adams, Dakota Snow, Erik Garcia, Kyle Winslow, Chris Carpenter, Bryce Roberts, and Raul Hernandez.
Swinging between varsity and junior varsity are sophomores Kyle Rose and Michael Tolle and juniors Nene Mauer, Kyle Moore-McKay, Parke Young, and returning varsity player Wyatt Hayes.
JV players include freshmen Gabriel Redick, Ty Schilling, Tristan Stockman, Brenner Roberts and and Kyle Frederick; returning sophomores Jarid Adams and Austin Yoder; sophomores Steven Ulmer and Brenton Clark; and junior David St. Onge.
Regrutto is assisted by Eric Stutzer.