Maximum effort expected from Easton boys
By Jon Gulliver
Special to the Star-Herald
With only 14 players on the roster the Easton boys soccer bench will be a lonely place, but even though the numbers are low coach Ryan Shaw is expecting maximum effort out of the 2011 Bears.
Last year Easton also had a numbers problem and four eighth-graders were recruited to play. Even so the group went 4-8-2, showing steady improvement as the season went on.
Only two players were lost to graduation, Zachary Clark and Jacob Bacon.
With only 14 players it’s not a stretch to think everyone will get some playing time at one point or another. Senior Cody Tompkins returns as the goalie. Three other seniors, Holden Turner, Reid Clark and Jonah Bacon, expect to see extensive minutes. Rounding out the roster are senior Codie Stewart, juniors Carl Mullen and Jared Hafford, sophomores Hunter Turner and Ian Sotomayor and freshmen Connor Burtt, Nick Clark, Cody Halvorson, Logan Dickinson and Riley Mazzerolle.
Shaw, who is in his second year as coach, says he hopes to play a possession game, with a 4-4-2 alignment. He also said that may change as the year progresses.
“I expect a lot more out of this group,” he said. “We have some key returnees coming back and some talented newcomers. The amount of success we achieve will come down to how hard we are willing to work, mental toughness and putting the team ahead of individual goals.”
