Ending last year’s conference play 3-0-1, Head Coach Bryan Wilkinson has high hopes for a breakout season.
He and eight other coaches began their soccer schedule, August 1 with an intra-squad scrimmage. Now, a full summer of work is about to pay off.
Creating a positive soccer culture
With the recent World Cup tournament co-hosted in the U.S., nationwide interest in soccer increased substantially around the country. Locally, Franklin High School’s (FHS) men’s team held volunteer workouts the entire summer, twice daily from 6-8 in the morning and again in the evening for two hours. Wilkinson pointed out that many players trying out for the team have summer jobs and are not available most of the work day.
Actual practices began in July and the regular season begins Tuesday, Aug. 11 with a game at T.C. Roberson in Asheville. It is the first of 23 regular season matches on the schedule.
Wilkinson, the former Macon Middle School coach, is in his second year as the FHS head coach. The change of venue doesn’t change his approach. He expects to learn and compete.
As he and Salvador Vasquez, junior varsity head coach, lead their aspiring soccer players through the scrimmage, they coach and evaluate.
Wilkinson explained the process used to determine who will be varsity and JV and who will start on the varsity squad based on performance and coachability.
“After a couple days of tryouts, we had our first cuts and that takes it down to about 36 players. After two preseason games, and some non-conference games, we will make additional cuts,” he said.
Players get numbers based on a fitness test, and it’s “brutal” – four days long and each day is a different event; first day is a three-mile race and the next day are two 800-meter and four 400-meter races that are timed.
The last two days can be made up of additional evaluative processes, and Wilkinson emphasized the lineup is not based on a prior season’s performance. Each year players need to earn their number, or position on the team; there is no seniority or favoritism based on the past. Wilkinson admitted that cuts and positioning can continue right up until conference games begin.
Youth movement brings high aspirations
Prior to what turned out to be a spirited and competitive scrimmage, the coach revealed why his anticipation for improvement upon last year’s record is so high.
“The average age of varsity players is going to be much younger than last year. We had a tremendous ninth grade class, so we knew we were going to be stronger, even though we’re younger,” he said.
Having labored through a 9-13-3 (5-7-2) season last year in the newly formed Mountain Eight (4A/5A) conference, Wilkinson is looking forward to building on the experience his team gained during a challenging schedule. While his troops did have a winning record at home, they struggled on the road.
“We had to change some things culturally. When you take over a program, there are sometimes things that you don’t align with,” Wilkinson explained. “But now, we are running the program the way we want it. I’ve got the people in place to do what we need to get done. We should be much better than last year.”
Emphasizing the ongoing evaluation process, Wilkinson pointed out that in early August, there is no varsity/junior varsity separation. All the players surviving subsequent cuts are vying for the varsity team but may end up playing for the JV instead. The only limitation is seniors cannot play on JV teams.
“We got rid of some seniors this year. We don’t keep people in the program just because they made it last year. Every year is a competition,” he said.
New FHS field an exciting venue for team
Another new development is the pristine field the team will play on this year. In the past, soccer was played on an older, rougher MMS field. How the new venue plays out this season remains a mystery at this point, but there is no doubt players are pumped for the opportunity to be in front of more fans and on a new surface.
“We are built on skill and the middle school field made a lot of what we want to do challenging,” revealed the coach. “We could not train on a big field, and we couldn’t train on a good surface, so this new field changes the way the game is played. The players are excited because now we can play on a field where we can show what we can do.”
Teaching while coaching
Wilkinson, just as he did coaching middle school players, emphasizes teaching and learning over winning. While he wants to win, players must grow in both their knowledge of the sport and in their gamesmanship maturity. If not, he feels he failed them.
“I think some of the problems we have at the high school level are trying to win games without developing the skills and character you need,” he said. “You can get to the playoffs but if you haven’t developed the bench players, you’ve not developed the character. And then, if something goes wrong, they can’t handle adversity.”
Wilkinson recalled that last year’s team was peaking at the right time – in the playoffs. They played their best at the end and even challenged the best team, at their level, in the state. They eventually fell to the South Point team 5-3 in the second overtime.
“At the end of the season, everything was where we need it to be. We lost some seniors and that’s the hard part. But all these coaches helping me are on the same page as to what the goal of the program is, and that is critical to success,” Wilkinson explained.
He added that mentoring with Head Football Coach Josh Brooks and the new Athletic Director Ryan Raby has been “phenomenal.”
In the end, this season is one of promise. For Wilkinson and his team, the sky is the limit; and, there are clear blue skies ahead.
