This week has been one full of soccer and fun for Heritage Academy’s boys soccer team, which just spent three days practicing and playing against other teams at a camp at Ittawamaba Community College.

It was the first time the Patriots have played in the camp under head coach Will Pearson, who coached the squad to a spectacular 13-6 campaign last season that ended with the team falling just short in the MAIS 4A Division II state championship game, and it offered an opportunity for some of the incoming younger Patriots to learn what the program is all about – and also just have some fun.

“(We went) just for some team bonding and to see some teams we’ve haven’t played, there were a bunch of public schools there, and just for the boys to see the camp,” Pearson said. “Each team had a coach or an assistant coach that was from different colleges, so they got to work with kind of a different coach and go through some drills that they do. They had a Q&A one night, had an all-star game one night, so just kind of a fun thing for the boys.”

Monday was the first day of the camp, and it started with a heap of drills for the team then it ended with a pair of short games against some of the other teams.

“We just kind of got out and worked on releasing the ball early and playing quick out of the back,” Pearson said. … “They were 35 minute games. … We played Lafayette and then we turned around and played Mooreville right after (which is) good training that way because it gives you different looks real quick.”

On the second day after more training and drills, Heritage played Tupelo’s second team and then took on Hamilton (Ala.) The final day was all geared toward playing games with the opportunity to win the camp championship up for grabs. The Patriots played three 20-minute games against Pontotoc, Tupelo’s first team and then Madison Central. Tupelo, Madison Central and Heritage all tied at 0-0 in their final-day games, which sent them to penalty kicks to decide the camp champion. The Patriots finished in second place, just behind Madison Central. Alex Luccasen and Arthur Dawson also managed to land spots in the all-star game just before camp ended.

Pearson said that the camp was just what the squad needed as it prepares for the upcoming season. They are working and trying to get ready to attack the next campaign for another shot at playing for that elusive state championship.

“For one it brought the boys closer,” he said. “We’re going to have some younger guys stepping in (this season), and two, it showed that even though we didn’t finish the season where we wanted to, the boys can compete at a very high level. A lot of the teams at that camp were either runners-up at state or won state, or had lost to one of them. They were bigger schools than us, had a lot more numbers, but our boys can very much compete at the highest level still. So (it) put them in a good headspace going into the summer.”

Next week the Patriots will be back on the turf at Holmes Community College playing in a 7v7 camp, and then it’s time for the World Cup. Pearson said he plans on hosting a few parties for the team to get together and cheer on Team USA along with just watching the festivities that only come around every four years.

“The boys did good and handled themselves very well,” Pearson said. “Couldn’t be prouder of them.”