Youth is the theme for both Kosciusko’s boys and girls soccer squads this season, but head coach Greg Cooper is confident enough in the abilities of his small number of returning players that he does not expect that youth to negatively impact both programs.
“We have two senior girls, four senior boys this year,” Cooper said. “A lot of young, junior high kids for the boys team. We’re going to be growing, but at the same time, we expect big things.”
One way Cooper and the Whippets hope to supplement that depth is through a new junior high program.
While the new venture will allow Kosciusko’s younger players to play in contests more suited to their skill set, it will also allow Cooper to identify the ones he believes who have translatable skills to the varsity level.
“This year, we’re doing a JV program, too, so having JV games and varsity games,” Cooper said. “The program is growing, and we just hope that we get them going in the right direction.”
Cooper will rely on four of his girls' players to infuse leadership to a youthful roster: senior Ainsley Gordon (defender), senior Anna Caroline Pickle (forward), sophomore Mary Patton Henderson (midfielder and defender) and sophomore Anna Catherine Cheek (midfielder).
“Those four girls have really come in, and they’re taking in what I’m putting out,” Cooper said. “They’re really trying to mold and do things the way that we want it to be done. Those girls, I look for some great things to come out of them.”
For the Kosciusko boys, Cooper said he is expecting a stellar season from eighth-grade goalkeeper Gabe Cain. Additionally, the Whippets will be well-served by the talent and leadership from senior Alfredo Marin (defender and forward, senior Billy Paul Russell (midfielder and forward) and junior Jordan Ables (midfielder).
“They all should be doing some really good things,” Cooper said.
Cooper begins his third year as both the boys and girls coach and his sixth year overall at Kosciusko. Before taking the helm of both programs, he coached just the girls. This year, he will debut a new formation he hopes will lead to positive results on the pitch.
Both squads have begun the season at 0-2. The boys have dropped contests to Caledonia (5-1) and New Hope (8-3), and the girls fell by scores of 3-0 and 4-0.
“We’re running a new formation, so we’re trying to get that all under wraps,” Cooper said.
