Danville¿s Christian Gateskill-Fuqua, right, battles for a ball with a Hopkinsville player during the Admirals¿ match Tuesday at the Senior School soccer camp at Centre College. (Hal Morris) |
The high school soccer preseason doesn’t officially get underway until Monday, but players at the Centre College Senior School Camp are already getting a jump on the season.
With 14 teams and roughly 300 players on hand for the four-day camp that ends today, area players say this is a great way to hit the ground running once preseason practice begins next week.
“We’re just learning to work as a team and getting back into shape, and working on our touch and foot skills,”¿Danville junior Dylan Mullins said. “It’s helping us get the team back together and working hard to prepare for the upcoming season.
“We’re kind of out of shape, so were working really, really hard to get back there. We’re really having to push ourselves a little bit.”
Boyle County senior Lucas Edelen said having a good camp can help get the season off to a positive start, and he praised Centre coach Jeb Burch for helping make it that way.
“Jeb’s a really good coach and he sets the tone for our season and gets us pumped up for it,” Edelen said. “It’s a week for us to get in shape. It is a really hard camp and it is really hot. It gets us prepared to play different types of teams and facing different types of setups.
“We need to get the intensity up from last year. We had kind of a slow season, so we want to use this camp to pick it up and get ready for the season.”
Aside from the skills instruction, teams get two 11-on-11 matches per day. Those games, Boyle senior Garrett Bredar said, can give a team an early indication on what it needs to work on and lets it experience different types of teams.
“It gets us needed experience and helps us come together as a team and gets us in shape and helps us hone our skills so we can have the best season possible,”¿he said. “We can judge how we do against other teams in our district and other opponents, and we can tell what we need to work on as a team.”
Mercer County’s Ethan Campbell echoed Bredar’s thoughts.
“It gets us in shape. It gets us prepared for what we’re going to face between teams and it just helps us get to know everybody,” the junior defender said.
And of course, playing in the extreme heat this week — the heat index was well above 100 degrees Sunday, Monday and Tuesday — only added to the physical toll for the players.
“We only have like 14 people here, I’ve been having two play full games (a day), so it gets a little tiring,”¿Mullins said. “We’ve been having to drink lot water and stay on our toes with the heat and put lots of sunscreen on.”
While physically and mentally taxing, Bredar said facing the adversity will pay off later in the year.
“This heat and humidity has been hard to play in, but we just stick it out and do the best we can,” he said. “If we can push through it, we will be better in the season, and we can learn to fight through the pain.”
With 14 teams and roughly 300 players on hand for the four-day camp that ends today, area players say this is a great way to hit the ground running once preseason practice begins next week.
“We’re just learning to work as a team and getting back into shape, and working on our touch and foot skills,”¿Danville junior Dylan Mullins said. “It’s helping us get the team back together and working hard to prepare for the upcoming season.
“We’re kind of out of shape, so were working really, really hard to get back there. We’re really having to push ourselves a little bit.”
Boyle County senior Lucas Edelen said having a good camp can help get the season off to a positive start, and he praised Centre coach Jeb Burch for helping make it that way.
“Jeb’s a really good coach and he sets the tone for our season and gets us pumped up for it,” Edelen said. “It’s a week for us to get in shape. It is a really hard camp and it is really hot. It gets us prepared to play different types of teams and facing different types of setups.
“We need to get the intensity up from last year. We had kind of a slow season, so we want to use this camp to pick it up and get ready for the season.”
Aside from the skills instruction, teams get two 11-on-11 matches per day. Those games, Boyle senior Garrett Bredar said, can give a team an early indication on what it needs to work on and lets it experience different types of teams.
“It gets us needed experience and helps us come together as a team and gets us in shape and helps us hone our skills so we can have the best season possible,”¿he said. “We can judge how we do against other teams in our district and other opponents, and we can tell what we need to work on as a team.”
Mercer County’s Ethan Campbell echoed Bredar’s thoughts.
“It gets us in shape. It gets us prepared for what we’re going to face between teams and it just helps us get to know everybody,” the junior defender said.
And of course, playing in the extreme heat this week — the heat index was well above 100 degrees Sunday, Monday and Tuesday — only added to the physical toll for the players.
“We only have like 14 people here, I’ve been having two play full games (a day), so it gets a little tiring,”¿Mullins said. “We’ve been having to drink lot water and stay on our toes with the heat and put lots of sunscreen on.”
While physically and mentally taxing, Bredar said facing the adversity will pay off later in the year.
“This heat and humidity has been hard to play in, but we just stick it out and do the best we can,” he said. “If we can push through it, we will be better in the season, and we can learn to fight through the pain.”
