Warren Central soccer, which has seen its fair share of struggles with games, but also a lot of promise in young players over the last couple of years, is hoping to make this the best season that the Warrior nation has seen in a long time. They have been putting in tremendous amounts of work during the offseason and are hoping that it pays off.
“Our goals are to continue to grow our program and get some great wins while we do,” head coach Robbie Pels said.
To do this, the team has had a couple of players such as Julien Patton and Jason St. Thome step up into leadership roles and lead the team to success. They have been preparing themselves and others for what is to come this season.
I’m preparing by [showing] up to practice every day even when I’m tired, resting, and eating properly. I am also practicing individually and trying to be the best captain I can be for my brothers, to be an example, to be someone they can count on all the time,” St Thome said.
The team also has high expectations for how far they can go in the postseason this year. Last year, they lost in sectionals to a skillful Lawrence North team.
“We want to achieve winning sectionals since it is our last year with our seniors and we want to have fun and make sure they have a respectful, amazing sendoff,” junior Kenny Ramirez said.
One team, in particular, has become a big part of the schedule and that is Lawrence Central. With back and forth games over the last couple of years and interactions between players and fans, the matchup between these two teams is nothing short of irresistible.
“A big game is Lawrence Central at home. We will play them twice this year and need to set the tone,” Pels said.
This year’s team has more upperclassmen than there have been the last few years, but it still holds plenty of young talent.
“We have a lot of sophomores who are going to surprise people with their talent at a young age,” Pels said.
Overall, the team hopes to see big improvements from last season and show how much better they have gotten. They know that the year will be hard, but know that they can come out on top.
“We have to hold ourselves accountable for our mistakes and learn from them and improve. This year is going to be a great year, believe it,” senior Daniel Chiza said.