Senior striker Douglas Turner expected the Heritage Academy boys soccer team to be “all over the place” in its first game of the season.
When the Patriots — with a new head coach and a roster missing eight seniors from positions all over the field — hosted Magnolia Heights on Nov. 17, Heritage Academy scored the first two goals right off the bat and promptly got complacent, allowing the Chiefs to tie the match. Turner’s suspicions appeared to be confirmed.
Then the Patriots ran off five straight goals to win their season opener 7-2.
“We definitely showed up,” Turner said.
Heritage Academy has yet to play another regular-season match — their next one is Thursday against Pillow Academy — but if those to follow are anything like the first one, the Patriots might just be ahead of schedule in a season in which little success will be predicted from others.
“I think with losing that many seniors, people didn’t really expect a lot this year, but I think we’re really going to come out and win a lot of games,” senior left wing Blake Ward said.
First-year head coach Tom Velek, who already coaches the Patriots’ girls team, noted that the graduations of multiple key players — including goalkeeper Parker Maner, striker Jonathan Swartz, midfielder Noel Fisher and defenders Coen Velek, Reuben Proffitt and Sterling Bailey — made an impact on the boys squad from, essentially, “front to back.”
“You lost something just about everywhere,” he said.
The same was true with the Patriots’ coaching staff, as Velek took over for longtime coach Joe Asadi in the offseason — a change that took some buy-in from players as well as Velek and new assistant Dave Albertson.
“I was very apprehensive and a little bit nervous about coming in because I know the way I train and the way Dave trains is very different from the way Joe trains,” Velek said.
Senior center back Graham Buxton said Velek’s style focused on fundamentals and achieving mastery through practice.
“I think we’re a lot more precise with what we do and how we move,” Buxton said.
After their season opener against Mag Heights, the Patriots feel confident in that, despite a few errors in communication and passing.
“We were feeling good at first, but then after they scored and we kind of realized that we’ve got to get back into it, we got our minds straight, and we got back up on them and won,” senior Liam Sanders said.
Senior attacking midfielder Owen Riley had two goals in the win, and junior striker Todd Sharp had a whopping five. Sharp, a capable goalkeeper as well, has been put in the field as juniors Andre Sotomeneses and Jared Gruseck share time in frame.
“I’m more used to stopping shots, but I like to score goals more than stop them,” Sharp said.
With three more contests before winter break, the Patriots will have plenty of opportunities to get even better. Velek said he made an effort to front-load the schedule, which is typically difficult with a winter sport like boys soccer.
Riley said the games — including two district matches — will help the Patriots see where they stand early on.
“I think we’ll definitely see some of our weaknesses and some of our strong points, and we’ll definitely build on those,” he said.
Improvement over the course of the season is what Velek said he hopes to see with the Patriots after taking over the job. While Heritage Academy reached the MAIS Class 4A, Division II semifinals last year and lost a tough game to St. Aloysius, Velek said he has to manage expectations to keep his team working toward its goals.
“If you come in here and say, ‘We’re going to win a state championship every year,’ they can call bull quicker than anything,” Velek said. “If you say, ‘Listen, we have a lot of talent here that we can build on. Where do you guys want to be at the end of the year? Are we getting better every game? Are we ending this practice a better team than we started this practice?’ Those are the kinds of things that you can instill in them. If you say, ‘We were one goal away from a north half state championship last year,’ I just don’t find that inspiring.”
Buxton said he and his five fellow seniors are trying to follow that plan. They’re stepping into the shoes of the players who came before them, and early on, it’s been working.
“As far as we’re looking right now, I think we’re building toward something that could potentially be really good,” he said.
Monday’s scores
Prep Boys Basketball
Tuscaloosa Home Educators (Ala.) 59, Pickens Academy (Ala.) 46
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The Pickens Academy (Alabama) boys basketball team lost Monday’s season opener at Tuscaloosa Home Educators, 59-46.
Rafe Brown had 16 points to lead the Pirates (0-1). Hayden Dyer and William Parker each had 11.
Pickens will host Coosa Valley Academy (Alabama) on Tuesday in Carrollton, Alabama.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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