HANCOCK COUNTY — The 2020 high school boys soccer season in Hancock County could be summed up with five letters — COVID.
The COVID-19 pandemic created several issues for both New Palestine and Greenfield-Central a season ago as the two soccer programs had to contend with the ramifications of playing in the midst of the epidemic, as well as trying to mix in veteran players with youth within their respective rosters.
Mt. Vernon was the only program to come through the 2020 season unscathed from any COVID-19 issues, according to head coach Matt Mayhew.
“Last season, we were first thankful we were able to get the season in with all of COVID issues. We didn’t have any boys get sick or contact traced which was very rare,” Mayhew said.
What team will be “thankful” at the conclusion of the 2021 season remains to be seen as the Cougars, Dragons and Marauders all have high hopes for what promises to be an interesting campaign in the county.
Greenfield-Central looks to reload
An 0-4 start to the 2020 season was the last thing the Greenfield-Central Cougars or coach Matt McConnell expected last year.
However, the Cougars were able to right the ship a bit, en route to a 5-8-1 overall finish and a third place finish at 5-2 in the Hoosier Heritage Conference.
“What stands out to us concerning last season is on one hand feeling grateful we even got the chance to play and a bit of frustration with how injuries and illness impacted our squad. Obviously, we were happy to even have a season amidst a backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, and I don’t want to diminish our gratitude for the opportunity to complete a full season. But, we also were deeply impacted by non-COVID-19 related illness and injuries,” McConnell said.
McConnell said finishing third in the HHC and below .500 is something Greenfield-Central is not accustomed to seeing.
“However, even though they don’t look too good on paper, we know it could have been much worse if we did not have a team who is deeply committed to each other and committed to seeing our program succeed,” McConnell said.
The Cougars will have to replace talented players like Jackson Findley, Derek Owen, Jacob Blevens, Carson Jones and Abe Buescher this season. Those players leave a gap McConnell said the Cougars will not “fill easily.”
“Their work rate and dedication kept our standards high and always pushed guys to get better every single day,” McConnell said.
As he turns his attention to the ’21 season, McConnell said there are several things that excite him, including 18 new players who have joined the team this season.
“We will get to see some guys step into roles they’ve been working towards for the past few years. We are a fairly young squad, who returns some experience beyond what it looks like on paper,” he said.
One player back will be John Halvorsen, who endured a season-ending injury against Mt. Vernon in 2020, and is a two-time All-District and one-time All-State honoree. Also back are Jason Scrivner, Bryce Kinnaman, Jefferson Fraire, Hunter Stine and Slyvester Blevens.
“Besides playing a non-conference schedule that includes teams such as Noblesville, Westfield and Fishers, we know that conference games are a rivalry match each night. Then, we head into a sectional that in some ways is like a conference championship tournament. The road will not be easy, but we believe our boys are up for the task,” McConnell said.
New Palestine looks to step forward
The 2020 season was a difficult one for the New Palestine Dragons, and not just in terms of wins and losses.
While the Dragons went 2-13 overall and 1-7 in the HHC for a seventh-place finish, COVID-19, and a roster that featured only 25 players for varsity and junior varsity, didn’t help.
“We had several nights where we had only 22 players to play varsity and junior varsity due to contact tracing or injury. It was an incredibly challenging year. That being said, the boys never quit. They came out to play every game together and fought hard until the end in each game. As a coach, you cannot ask for more than that,” said New Palestine coach Brett Canova.
New Palestine will have several familiar faces back this year. Colby Sharp was the lone senior last year, and, numbers have increased. Canova said his program is up to 39 total players this fall.
“We are excited about being able to play all varsity and junior varsity games. Our goals are to compete in every game. We also want to compete for a conference title. It’s going to be tough every night. Every game will be a challenge, but if the boys come together and stay together, I believe they will have a chance. This senior class has been pure class since getting going. I really enjoy coaching them. They grow together a little more each day. They play a little harder each day. It’s going to be exciting,” Canova said.
The senior class includes: Sam Bacon, Juan Camacho, Garrett Canova, Eli Kleine, Josh Lambdin, Zach Smith and Ethan Windham. In addition, New Palestine brings back Shane Cinfel and Drew Potter, both of whom are expected to help with production.
Mt. Vernon hopeful strong summer pays off
The last time anyone saw the Mt. Vernon boys soccer team it suffered a 3-1 semifinal setback to eventual sectional champion East Central in the Mt. Vernon Sectional.
Gone from that team are five seniors, who all played important roles on the roster, which finished 8-9-1 overall and 3-4 in the HHC for fifth in the team standings.
Departed from the team are goalkeeper Noah Whitehouse, defender Taylor Lorsung and forward Aden Cappelletti.
“Noah, Taylor and Aden were universal players and would play wherever the team needed,” Mayhew said.
With an eye on the 2021 season, the Marauders have enjoyed a strong off-season, according to Mayhew, who noted the team has had a good summer full of open fields, camp and several scrimmages.
“Our returning core of guys will rely on seniors Brady Nichols and Jordan Small in the midfield and junior Brennan La Belle. Our goals, just like every other team, is to win conference and advance out of sectional. We know the work we have to do, but we are believing we have a team that can make a run at those goals,” Mayhew said.
