As the boys soccer season starts, the team is motivating each other to be the best version they can be to win games.

“Sam Thompson is a really great player; he’s one of our center backs. He really holds the defensive line together that’s for sure. He’s probably going to be captain,” senior Quintin Cain, center field and outside back, said. 

Having challenges and motivations can make a big difference on how a team plays. 

“Our first game against Perry is going to be a really good game. We have lost every game against them for the past four years, so I think this year will be a lot different, especially with the seniors that graduated,” Cain said.

Adding newer teammates can help. 

“We have a whole new group of players so I think we will have a good chance. We lost all of our seniors that graduated so we have a new line up our entire mid-field left so that has kind of been our struggle this year is finding spots for that, but we do have good players out there. We have EJ and Za out there, which will be really good. I think our Sectionals will be different this year so that might be tough,” Cain said.

Having teammates build up players and motivate everyone to be better can be beneficial for playing time on the field. 

“I think Emmanuel Jackson is really good. Oscar Sahm, Jose Moreno, Quintin Cane. Starting off with Emmanuel, he is amazing on the ball. He has kind of like a Brazilian flare. He is very creative with what he does. Then moving on to one of my buddies Oscar. Some of the time he doesn’t have that much paste on the ball, but he is very creative with the ball; he can always find a passing lane. Then Jose Moreno, he is very good at dribbling the ball and finding crosses into the box. He also has some sort of flair that he carries around. Quintin Cane is very good at making decisions with the ball. He’s a very great defender and makes good tackles,” junior Zeigen Mahachanh, attacking center mid, said.

Having tough games to look forward to can help a team win.

“The top games this season are Center Grove. Center Grove is going to be tough, but that’s one of the key games we’ll be playing. We also have Perry Meridian and Franklin. They all have really good programs and will be looking forward to playing against them,” Mahachanh said.

Losing people can make the team appreciate and look up to someone more. 

“Some major changes. We are losing quite a lot of leadership. We’ve lost two captains our last year with our remaining captain being Sam Thompson. Sam is very good at leading into this season. We are just a little malnourished with the amount of leadership that we have. We have a lot of young stars that have a lot of potential, but they just need a little bit of direction,” Mahachanh said.

Knowing how teammates play can help the team learn how to work with their abilities and win games. 

“Stand out players to look for is Landon Holt. He has improved a lot over the off season and will be a key player in the squad this year. Kayden Wilking and Sam Tompson are very big in the upcoming season being defensive backs. They are, in my opinion, the strongest ones in the conference. One more player is Jose Moreno. He is a very quick player and is outstanding on the ball. Last year he had the most assists, and I’m looking forward to next season,” Mahachanh said.

A comeback can make a team come closer together. 

“Some really big games coming up to watch out for are Perry. We have never beat them and they are always one of the best teams. My freshman year it was 4-0 but the year before that was 9-1 and it is gonna be a really good game. For me the biggest game is going to be Center Grove. We have never played them but they are very very good. I know that they have the strongest team that we will play, but it will be interesting to see how we can play,” Mahachanh said.

Having a positive attitude and pushing teammates to be better is essential to every sport. 

“Some major changes are the attitude on the field. The attitude has to change to lock in during the games. That’s why we lost some games last year. Once we find that lock in mode during the game, we are set,” Mahachanh said.

Upperclassmen can make everyone better players. 

“Sam Thompson is a stand out player to me. He’s extremely consistent and he always gets the ball in his foot efficiently,” freshman Tyson Holt, center defensive mid, said.

Looking forward to games and motivation from the team helps each player. 

“Definitely Perry because it’s the first game of the season. We will see how we can do with a full roster and everyone mostly at full health,” Holt said.

The team faces Center Grove on Sept. 3 at 6 p.m.