SPORTS
By Maya Barr and Ciara Waterman
Heading into the playoffs, the team’s biggest competitor just may be themselves.
Coach Finneyfrock is an institution. His teams have won more than 400 times and secured four state championships. Hopefully this year’s team continues to thrive under his instruction. But, after a couple of disappointing losses early in the season, it looks like Coach Frock and the boys will have to dig in deep to pull out a big win.
In case you haven’t been keeping up, the team’s record is 8-9-1 so far this year. Frock agrees that the record isn’t so hot. “We’re having trouble finding ways to win games,” he admits. It’s true. Of their nine losses, they’ve lost four in the last few minutes. Frock explains that the boys just “weren’t fit enough, so, therefore, when we got down to those final 10-15 minutes of the game our legs were getting tired. And when you get tired, you make mental mistakes. When you make mental mistakes the ball ends up in your net.”
The solution seems simple, just train harder. But putting in the extra time in the weight room isn’t possible during mid-season. The boys have at least two games per week, so Frock’s decided to just “let the game take care of [their fitness].” Besides, there’s another problem. The beatings have taken a toll on the players. Frock explains that “when [losing in the last few minutes] happens to you more than a few times, then it’s not only a physical issue. It becomes a mental issue -- a mental block. You’re afraid to go out and play because you’re afraid to go out and lose again.”
But these challenges aren’t new to Frock. He’s been coaching soccer for 32 years and holds faith that the boys can get “mentally sharp” by the end of the season. A lot will depend on the boy’s performance in their next few games; can they win back their confidence?
If they do, they’ll be on fire. The team’s super competitive when they’re doing well. In a tournament earlier this year, they beat North Raleigh Christian -- the school that knocked them out of the state tournament last year. They’ve also tied the undefeated Christ School and beaten Cannon School and Georgia’s Rabun Gap.
Frock credits the team’s commitment to soccer for their great wins -- and notes that the Senior captains B.J. Hahn and Jordan Sienkowski are doing an excellent job leading the rest of the team through this rough patch. But the captain’s skills aren’t hugely different from that of the rest of the team. Frock doesn’t think there’s “a whole lot of difference between the number one [player] and number eleven in terms of skill this year.”
Some of these top guys include Senior Foster Kinlin, Juniors Sam Coover and Jack Giardino, and Sophomore Millan Henegar.
Don’t let their inconsistency scare you; this team is fully capable of excellence in the playoffs. Though they’ve got some mental blocks to push through, their coach has confidence that they can push it to the end.
Soccer earned 6th seed in the state tournament.
Boys Soccer:
Heading into play-offs at full speed
“When [losing in the last few minutes] happens to you more than a few times, then it’s not only a physical issue. It becomes a mental issue -- a mental block. You’re afraid to go out and play because you’re afraid to go out and lose again.” –Bill Finneyfrock
Senior Jordan Sienkowski runs past an opponent.
Photo courtesty of Mike McCarn Photography
Michael Mulvey makes a save.
Photo courtesy of Mike McCarn Photography