The 2023 soccer team has a total of 22 players, with 6 seniors. These include Gage Betts, Jackson Smith, Miguel Millan, Bradley Lord, Conor Rouse, and Marcos Navarrete. In recent years, senior night has been held at the last home game, coming together with the community to celebrate the team’s hard work. All other players form a tunnel by lining up in two rows for the seniors to walk down. Each senior then walks down the field, one by one, with his parents.
Up first was Gage Betts. This was Gage’s first year playing soccer, and he wanted to make the most of his time left with his friends. Talking about his favorite part of joining, Gage states, “Getting out there. Trying something new and hanging out with friends.” Coming into a sport you’ve never played as a senior can be difficult, but it was different for Gage. He hit some luck and said, “I don’t have a very big workload, so I never had much homework to do.” We also received some lovely advice from him as well: “I’d say if you have any interest, then you should get out there.”
Bradley Lord walked next, reminiscing about his 4th and final year in soccer. In recent years, there have been some major changes in the sport. For Bradley, the most difficult change was the change of coaches during his junior year season. There have been a few matches against St. Paul this year, and his favorite was their home game. Unlike some of the teammates in other sports, these senior boys have been friends for years, sharing a bond we do not see elsewhere. For Bradley, working side by side with some of his best friends in his sport has made it more enjoyable.
Miguel Millan and Marcos Navarrete walked next, followed by Conor Rouse. This year Conor’s girlfriend, Maddy Saffell, was by his side every game, taking the role of manager for the team. For Conor, it was amazing to have her there. He is grateful for her support, even when they did not have a good game. Conor is going to miss sharing the memories the team has made these last 4 years but is excited for the new ones they will make. When he looks back on his work in the sport, he will know that he did his best and always tried to see the good that came out of the bad situations and games.
Jackson Smith was the last to walk. Like Conor, he also had someone special by his side this year, his little brother, Walker Smith (10). It was nice for Jackson to have his little brother join him on the field. The funniest moment this year for him was when the team was rolling up the nets, and they rolled up freshman Zeke Pruett into it. While some students do enjoy away games more, Jackson favors home games. He enjoyed having his parents as well as the student section there to support him.
All of these boys have done exceptionally well this season, even if it was not always visible on the scoreboard. We are going to miss seeing these boys on the field, but we can not wait to see what else they have in store for us this year.
