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Prep soccer: Horizon striving to maintain progress
Comments 0 | Recommend 0The Horizon Honors soccer team is hoping to use this season as a springboard for the future.
After enjoying what senior Austin Clark categorized as "one of our best years" last season - including a three-game winning streak in early December - the coed team was all set to split into separate boys and girls squads.
With increased numbers and coaches in place for both teams, a split appeared feasible before this season. But the girls coach didn't work out, and the previous head of the coed program, Patrick Andrew, left to pursue personal opportunities. As a result, and with the turnout not as high as originally anticipated, the team will remain coed.
Michael Wolfe has replaced Andrew at the helm of the program, which will feature varsity and JV teams.
"This year is really a year of struggling to maintain the progress they've made, unfortunately, because of kind of the hiccups, so to speak and what's happened with the coaching staff," Wolfe said. "A lot of parents have stepped up to help support the program."
The Eagles had been aiming for their first playoff berth before last season. They fell just short of that goal, and may have to wait until next season, it appears, for it to become a reality.
"It's extremely difficult to go to the playoffs while trying to keep it together," senior Aaron Gonzalez said. "This year is us mostly helping get everybody ready for next year instead of going to the playoffs this year. It's pretty much just a prep year for everybody else to get ready to go to playoffs next year."
"We're just kind of trying to keep the team from going too far back in our progress," added Clark, who has been with the program since he was a freshman. "We've made a lot of progress over the years."
In addition to Clark and Gonzalez, Courtney Nelson and Brie Richardson are also expected to have an impact on the program.
"We're dealing with less than ideal conditions for this year, unfortunately," Wolfe said.
Still, he added, "These kids are the diehards."
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