This is always the most difficult email of the year to write, as we never want the season to come to an end. As a coach, I always want blame myself, second-guess my decisions, ask what could I have done in preparing these you men better to succeed. And it is that reflection takes me through the off-season, reinvigorating me to be better in helping prepare these young men for the next season. It is ever-changing and ever-evolving, both the game and the environment in which it operates.
I will paraphrase my post-game message to the boys last night: This is hard. This game is hard, this region is hard. Accepting defeat is hard. But the end is inevitable. We had wished it would end with us lifting a trophy, but the reality is that is a really, really hard thing to do. So hard that in almost 50 years of Henry Clay soccer it has only happened 3 times. I told you all during our varsity camping trip that if you only go on the hike to see the view from the summit then you have missed out on the real reason for the hike in the first place, which is all the little things obstacles, surprises, slips, laughs, mini views, details along the way. Lifting a trophy is the same, and if all we cared about was the trophy then we missed out on the joy and memories of the journey itself. And while I am as sad (devastated) as they are, as we all are, I don't regret one second of this year. The game is life: it is rarely easy, fair, or just, but if you pour everything into the process and the journey you will reap the rewards of it. And many times we don't realize what those rewards are for days, weeks, or even years. I stick by the way that we, as a coaching staff, ask the team to play, behave, and carry themselves, and while I will spend an off-season second-guessing every minute decision of in game decisions, I sleep well knowing that we do our best to make the journey positive, enjoyable, and productive for everyone involved. We will be delivering cookie dough in the upcoming week hopefully, still waiting on our delivery date. We will send out some info on JV A and Varsity uniform turn-in, end of season award voting, and scheduling of meetings for underclassmen players. And we still have our banquet to look forward to. In the meantime, please enjoy a little break from soccer and reflect on the journey. - Coach Behler All,
This is always the most fun/most stressful/most challenging part of the season: Regional Tournament Week. We are at the point where people's seasons are ending, and our run will be determined by our output. Trainings have been great the last two days, and today is a rest day for players. As the load of a season burdens the bodies of these players, Coach Chad and I do our utmost to build in rest and recovery. Often our teenage version of ourselves feels invincible, but lack of sleep and too much play can cause mental and physical exhaustion. Today's rest kicks off what we hope will be the beginning of a State Championship run. Our 2018 team, lost by a goal in the District finals before beating Woodford County, Lafayette, and Dunbar, en route to a Regional Championship. This year has a similar feel of a highly talented team, struggling for consistency and maturity, but buying in at the right time. The mantra for this week is simple. Togetherness. Ego is the enemy of excellence. And the boys are as together and as bought in as we have been all year. Here is the schedule for the week: 10/8 (Su) OFF - Rest Day 10/9 (M) Varsity ONLY Training 3:45-5:15pm (Turf) 10/10 (Tu) Region 11 Quarter-Final Match v. Madison Central 7:00pm (at 300 Bellevue Dr, Richmond, KY 40475) 10/11 (W) Varsity ONLY Training** 3:45-5:15pm (Turf) 10/12 (Th) Region 11 Semi-Final Match** v. Lafayette/Frankfort winner at 6:30pm (@ Great Crossing) 10/13 (F) Varsity ONLY Training 3:45-5:15pm (Turf)** 10/14 (Sa) Region 11 Final Match** v. TBD at 2:00pm (at Great Crossing) **Contingent on winning the match prior. Finally, we need all the support we can get during this week, so if you are going to the game, bring a friend, a loved one, a neighbor, and get behind us, as we make a run at something special. We are refocused and rejuvenated, and I (for one) haven't been this excited all season. Coach Behler All,
Both of our JV teams wrapped up their seasons this week. The JV B finished Friday night with a scintillating 5-5 inter squad scrimmage under the lights at HC. It was a great way to showcase and celebrate the growth and togetherness of this squad. JV A wrapped their season late last night, coming up just short of a heroic comeback after being down 3-0 at half to Bryan Station in the finals of the JV Regional Tournament. This marks the second year where the JV team has finished runners-up in the JV Tournament. Great job to the boys and coaches, and again this is a testament to the growth of this group, as well as the health and future of this program!! Finally, Varsity wrapped the season with a hotly contested affair in Louisville against St. Xavier. They went toe-to-toe with one of the favorites to win the State Championship, and showed very well, coming out on the losing side of a 2-1 fixture. Our brutal schedule seemed to catch us a bit at the end of the regular season, but 3 days off and a renewed sense of purpose bode well heading into the post season. Everyone is 0-0 right now. Let the fun begin!!! The week kicks off with a Varsity training meal tonight at 5:30 at the Polo Club. SCHEDULE THIS WEEK 10/1 (Su) 5:30pm Varsity Training Meal @ Polo Club 10/2 (Mo) Morning Game Prep 9:00am-10:15am (Turf) 10/2 (Mo) District 42 Semifinals vs. Scott Co. @ Bryan Station 8:00pm 10/3 (T) Varsity ONLY Training** 2:00-4:00pm (Turf) 10/4 (W) Game Prep** 4:00pm (Location TBD) UPDATED 10/4 10/4 (W) District 42 Finals** vs. Bryan Station/Frederick Douglass @ Station 8:00pm 10/5 (Th) OFF 10/6 (F) Varsity ONLY Training** 8:30am-10am (Turf) 10/7 (Sa) Varsity ONLY Training** 2:00-4:00pm (Turf) 10/8 (Su) OFF **Contingent on winning prior District games. |
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