Teams around the state will hit the field, court and course Monday as the 2020 fall season gets underway.
This is our first story in a series previewing the upcoming fall sports. Over the next several days, cross country, volleyball, soccer and football will be highlighted. Boys’ soccer is the next story in the series.
The Daviess County Panthers made it all the way to the KHSAA Boys’ Soccer State Championship last season but fell to Henry Clay 2-0.
This season, the Panthers are ready to make a return as they bring back multiple starters but the rest of the 9th District may have something to say about that.
Four of the top five teams, according to the RPI, were from the 9th District as Owensboro finished at 17-6-2 a year ago. Apollo was right behind them with Owensboro Catholic coming in fifth in the RPI.
Apollo – Head coach Ryan Poirier
What’s your outlook for the season?
Cautiously optimistic. I am excited at the opportunity to play. I know the kids are as well. Yet we are trying to not get too high or too low, knowing things could change very quickly. We have a great makeup of young and veteran players. I think this team has a ton of potential and can go as far as they want to this season, provided they show up night in and night out ready to play their best.
Who are your key returners?
There are really too many to name them all. I tried to pick out a couple at each level of our team.
- Harrison Bowman- (SR) Forward: He was all-district the previous two seasons, and all-region last year with that award being brought back. He is poised to have another great season, impacting the team in all facets.
- Casey Rynkowski- (SR) Midfield- Casey gives us a little bit of everything on and off the field. I expect him to be an all-around rock for our team in the midfield.
- Keaton Penrod- (Sr) Defender- Keaton was a great defender on our backline last season, and I expect him to lead that group again. He is very vocal and really pushes the guys to give their best.
- Dah Hai- (SO) Midfield- Dah dealt with injuries last year and was only a 9th grader. He is in great shape and I think many teams could be surprised with how technical this kid is.
Any newcomers that could make an impact?
We have quite a few kids moving up from our JV team last season. Five or six kids that really didn’t play varsity, but will be playing varsity minutes this year. I expect they all will impact the team throughout the season.
What is something you’ve noticed your team needs to work on?
Knock off rust. The restrictions in what we can and can’t do have put every team behind where they would like to be. With games starting very soon, and no scrimmages to warm up with, I expect it may take some time to get everyone clicking together. We are focused on getting better every day, so by the time we get to the postseason, hopefully, we hit our stride.
What do you need to do to be successful?
I think we just need time, practice and game, to gel as a team. The kids always come with effort, so focus combined with the effort will be key to get the results we want, but we really just need competition to help us be our best.
How has COVID-19 changed the way you prepared for the season?
It has changed almost everything. Us coaches have tried to model the expectations, and the kids follow us. Wearing masks, keeping our distance, altering how practices run, it is all different. It has been challenging and stressful at times, but it will all be worth it if we get to play. The kids have worked hard, this summer and in previous years, and I really want them to get a season in.
Daviess County – Head coach Doug Sandifer
What’s your outlook for the season?
If we were in normal circumstances my outlook would be excitement with the group we have returning. We return 10 starters and several reserves who got some varsity experience last year. Last spring would’ve been a prime opportunity for those players to continue to improve their game and come back a stronger overall player. But, just like everyone else, they didn’t get the chance. I am still really looking forward to the team we can put out there, but I am approaching it with guarded optimism because of the reality we’re all living in and the chance that it could all be shut down at any point.
Who are your key returners?
Based on last fall, along with the amount of overall experience they have, I would say there are several key returners. Hunter Clark who had around 20 goals and 20 assists in 2019. Declan Armistead and Hayden Glover both return for their third year on varsity with plenty of experience under their belts. Bay La, Jackson Goddard, and Carter Hoagland are returning senior starters who all played on our backline together, and Kylen Clater rounds out the senior class as one of our goalkeepers competing for minutes. We have 4-5 juniors who return as well as 3-4 sophomores who gained valuable minutes last year.
Any newcomers that could make an impact?
With so many returning, it’s hard to say if any newcomers will breakout this year. I think there is a good chance a junior or sophomore out of the group could have a really impactful season for us, just hard to say which one.
What is something you’ve noticed your team needs to work on?
There are plenty of things we need to do better. Consistency in crosses and finishing probably stand out the most in practice as far as improvement needed. I also want to see us play faster than we have in the past. Moving the ball quicker.
What do you need to do to be successful?
Players have to buy into our system of play. They have to work on both sides of the ball and not care who gets the goals, assists, headlines, etc … It’s a team. They all have individual jobs to do within the game in order for the team to be successful at the end of the night.
How has COVID-19 changed the way you prepared for the season?
We certainly spent more time on just conditioning than we normally would, or at least how we could condition with the restrictions placed on us.
Owensboro – Head coach Ryan Haley
What is your outlook for the season?
My outlook or point of view on this season is that we are very grateful to be together. With Covid-19 turning communities upside-down, we are extremely happy to give these student-athletes a bit of normalcy, something to look forward to, and a place where they can have fun.
Who are your key returners?
We are returning two starters and four overall players with significant varsity experience. Defensively, we are returning 2019 starters in Noah Tucker (Sr.) and Jacob Obrien (So.) who thankfully are providing very solid leadership thus far. Offensively, Jake Hunt (Sr.) and Hser Thaw (Sr.) are returning after a lot of experience in 2019. Each had a handful of starts last season and will be expected to step up in big ways for us in 2020.
Any newcomers this year that could make an impact?
We have a really talented freshmen group coming in that have a chance to play some significant time this season. Among these guys, Sang Thang (Fr.) is penciled in to start this year and we expect his confidence and play to develop even more as the season progresses. We also have a keeper battle between newcomer Grant Kingsley (Sr.), Logan Lanham (Jr.) and Alex Gonzo (Jr.). It will be very interesting to see who rises to the top.
What is something you have noticed that your team needs to work on?
Something that I anticipated was the need to work on team chemistry. After losing 10 seniors, 9 starters, and 14 varsity players total between 2019 and 2020, we need to get these guys to learn one another on the pitch. Just knowing the types of runs your teammates like to make, what type of ball they can handle, who relentlessly tracks back and who struggles, who they can trust under pressure and just knowing where each teammate will be when they cannot get their head off the ball are huge factors in the game of soccer.
What do you need to do to be successful?
This season we need to avoid going out into large crowds, wear our facemasks when in public, wash our hands, not drink after one another and basically keep as safe as possible during a very unstable time. I think if we do these things we will be successful no matter our win/loss record at the end of the season.
How has Covid-19 changed the way you have prepared for the season?
Typically, we begin in mid-July with practice in the morning and conditioning at night. We would usually pick our JV and varsity rosters after a few days, then start building on our fundamentals, our positioning, and our chemistry. As things picked up we would have two preseason scrimmages and three additional matches at the Bluegrass Games to tinker with our rosters and provide experience for the under-experienced. This season we were basically stuck in a conditioning only phase for the first seven weeks. None of our usual routines could take place while unfortunately and collectively living under the umbrella and overall question of, “will we even be able to play?” As a coach, motivating, making things fun, and finding useful things to do within the restrictions were very difficult. With that said, I am very proud of the way these boys kept showing up and working towards an overall goal even though it could have been taken away at any point in time.
Owensboro Catholic – Head coach Andy Donohoe
What’s your outlook for the season?
We are excited for the season. The players have shown great tenacity in their approach to this unusual preseason and it will bode well for the season
Who are your key returners?
There are several returning seniors for the aces as Caleb Ranallo (GK), Joseph Fusco (F) Luke Payne (D), Max Kurtz (D) and Matthew Murphy will play a key role for us.
Any newcomers that could make an impact?
Freshmen Brody Martin and Luke Hagedorn have impressed in the preseason.
What is something you’ve noticed your team needs to work on?
Like everyone, match fitness will be key, the short preseason is a challenge to get match fitness but the boys have been working hard on it.
What do you need to do to be successful?
Our intensity will be our identity. If it is strong we will be a very difficult team to play against.
How has COVID-19 changed the way you prepared for the season?
It has added layers of protocols to ensure steps are taken to protect everyone best we can. I think our sport is fortunate in that when actively participating there is very little close contact between the same two people throughout the game. The challenge is in the drink beaks, pre and post sessions. However, the boys have done a good job with following protocols to protect everyone.
