This fall is about defending the spot at the top. Varsity soccer returns to the pitch as the defending WCAC champions following their 3-0 victory over Gonzaga last November; cross country returns to the course as the defending Maryland State Champions. In both sports, these strong performances were led by last year’s strong senior class. The name of the game is for the younger squads to keep that bar high. Here is a look ahead at the season:
Soccer
The Washington Post has once again ranked The Heights as #1 in their preseason rankings, describing the squad: “a small private school competing against opponents twice its size, The Heights soccer team has learned to make the most of what it has.” This year’s squad, after losing 13 seniors to graduation, will look to defend their title with fresh talent in the backline while retaining their strong attacking weapons. Senior Edward Iriarte and Junior Enzo Sosa, both First Team All-WCAC, return as key offensive assets. Senior Nic Diaz-Bonilla, a strong leader in the off-season workouts, hopes to recover quickly from an injury to aid the attacking front. Assistant coach Kyle Blackmer also notes that the midfield is looking promising, “with seniors Edward Iriarte and Luis Garma alongside junior Luke Canady, and have added a number of very talented sophomores, we have a lot of cohesion in the middle of the park. The technical ability of those guys to keep the ball and get out of pressure is impressive, and they might pass better, with greater precision, pace, and vision, than any team we’ve ever had.” As to the defensive unit, it is much younger than last year but the players are hungry to develop into a stalwart group themselves.
The team is facing a strong non-conference and in-conference schedule including two away games at Landon (9/10, 4:30pm) and Georgetown Prep (9/12, 4:30pm). Following their 3-0 home opening victory against the German School, these next two matches will set the stage for a string of key WCAC matches in late September and early October: some highlights include home against DeMatha (9/19, 3:45pm) and away at Good Counsel (10/8, 6:15pm). Midway through the season, the alumni program will honor the players of the first WCAC championship team (fall 2018) at halftime during a home game against WIS (10/11, 4:15pm). Shortly after, the season comes to an end with highly anticipated home games, including a rematch of last year’s championship game against Gonzaga (10/15, 3:30pm) and against St. John’s (10/17, 3:30pm). The WCAC playoffs are scheduled to begin on Monday, 10/28.
Coach Blackmer notes that the guys “are taking nothing for granted and they’re not resting on past team’s successes. They know they have to earn whatever successes and victories that they can and so they bring a workman-like attitude to training each day. As a coach, you love to see that mentality. With a group that is talented and humble, the potential for growth is tremendous.” Returning to his 14th season as head coach and earning his third WCAC coach of the year last fall, Colin Gleason ‘99 summarizes the team as “a super-technical bunch that has taken quickly to our style of play and they’re energized about carrying on the success of last year’s senior-heavy team. They’re tough nosed, hard workers and I think they’re going to be real fun to watch.”
You can see the full match schedule here.
Cross Country
The cross country team is facing a similar challenge in graduating talent following their strong season: specifically losing three of their top four runners. On the bright side, the team is very young and includes the core of strong runners that have been dominant in middle school. For instance, the freshman class was undefeated in their races last year.
Some of the highlights for this year’s squad include senior Jack Garvey, who broke the school record for the 5k with 15:54 time in this year’s first meet at Trial of Miles (8/30). He broke his own record that he set last fall 16:12, the previous school record of 16:14 was set by Patrick Jacxsens ‘00 in 1998. Sophomore Tommy Flynn is also promised to have a strong season and help score points for the team. Edmund Nolan, Joseph McNiff, and Joseph Cremers bring experience to the top seven as well. The WCAC championship race is scheduled for Saturday, 10/26, time and location tbd. The Maryland State Championship is scheduled for Thursday, 11/7, 1:30pm at Bittersweet Field in Poolesville.
The WCAC is always a very strong conference for cross country; the team expects tough competition from Gonzaga, Bishop O’Connell, and St. John’s. Nevertheless, having finished in the top three in the past three seasons, coach Justin Myers is optimistic about a good performance this year and certainly a strong program continuing to develop with talent and numbers committing to Heights cross country.
You can see the full schedule of meets here.
