Boy’s Soccer Starts Out With Their First Winning Season

Benito+Risch+and+Brycen+Williams+fight+for+the+ball+against+Gervias.+Photo+by+Lajla+Raske

Benito Risch and Brycen Williams fight for the ball against Gervias. Photo by Lajla Raske

Claudia McAbee, Staff Reporter

Yamhill Carlton High school boys soccer is starting off strong this year with 2-1 record as of the middle of September. Their coach John Briggs returned to the program after not coaching at YC for 7 years. 

Briggs said, “Love being back at YC, it is a great soccer community. We have so many people that care about the program and are willing to put time and effort into it.” Briggs also said,  “We have engaged alumni who stay part of our program and an administration that supports athletics, ideal situation for any coach.” 

The players are excited about this year and how much they have improved. Luke Brewer, who plays wing stated, “I think we are going to have a great season, we have a lot of great guys out there. We have a good connection.”

Boys soccer had returned 21 players and added 7 freshmen. Briggs stated “Most of our players put offseason time into their craft and skill level is high. We are fast, athletic, and skilled, attributes that make a good team.” 

Senior Gavin Tuning says, “This year we might actually be a threat, someone that they actually have to compete against, not just an easy win.” Brewer agrees and says that Taft is their biggest competition.  

Briggs said that the boys put in the effort to improve over the offseason. Brewer stated, “We have a lot of good juniors. Our seniors help a lot, watching them from last year to this year we can see that improvement.” 

Tuning understands how much the team has improved but knows that there is still room for improvement. “You can’t just win every game in one year. You can’t just go from losing everything to state champs,” he said. 

Coach Briggs is not focusing on winning but having a strong team. “ Our goals have nothing to do with wins or losses but focus on the things that good teams do; we want to have at least 10 shots on goal per game; We want to have 5 clean sheets, 7 clean halves; We want to win 80% of the 50/50 balls; Score 5 goals off of corners; Our minimum expectation for everyone is 100% effort at all times.”