By Julia Harris, Staff Reporter
On Oct. 19, the boys’ varsity soccer team played a monumental final game before the district playoffs, officially naming them the first boys’ soccer team in the history of Conestoga to go undefeated in the regular season.
This game marked coach David Zimmerman’s 301st career win at Conestoga after coaching the boys’ varsity soccer team for 20 years. Zimmerman has enjoyed the thrill of being involved with the team and being able to contribute to their success through coaching.
“A lot of people follow teams like the Eagles and the Sixers, but (with coaching) you’re actually part of the team as a coach. It’s a totally different experience to coach a game and it’s exciting and emotional. Ultimately it’s a lot of fun,” Zimmerman said.
Last year, the team had an incomplete season because they started late due the COVID-19 pandemic. However, they maintained an undefeated record for the 17 games they did play. Adding the 25 games won this year fortifies their 42nd consecutive win in two years.
For being ranked so well this season, the team had a bye on the first playoff game on Oct. 26. This means they were able to wait for some other teams who didn’t play as well this season to be eliminated first. They won the three playoff games since then and are heading into the States season.
Senior Simeon Dorsey, one of the three captains, believes that the team has been so successful this year because they go into every game treating it like their last. Dorsey mentioned the extensive summer training the players completed in preparation months before their games this season.
He also credited the coaches for the effort they put into helping the boys prosper. Dorsey explained that they are extremely thorough in their planning and will talk to the players for up to 30 minutes before a game to make sure they all have a solid grasp on the plan.
“They (the coaches) drive out and scout all the other teams well in advance,” Dorsey said. “They give us the scouting reports, so we’re prepared for when we go into the game. That’s a big thing that helps us in the game, and it’s honestly one of the main reasons we have been so successful.”
This year, there is a wide variety of talent on the team, with different players having different strong suits. The senior players are especially strong, and the underclassmen have also stepped up. Sophomore Diego Ramirez, a midfield player, notes how inclusive the team is when it comes to the players’ ages.
“Everyone on the team has the same responsibilities. Age doesn’t matter; we are all treated equally, and we all have a voice,” Ramirez said. “Everyone on the team can speak out and bring in new perspectives during training and during games.”
One especially talented player on the team is senior Lorenzo Vargas-Clarke, nicknamed the “Ultimate Weapon” for his incredibly long throw in, which can even go past the goal. Another key athlete is Colin Wurth, the center midfielder who, according to Zimmerman, is the team’s best ball winner and a great goal scorer with his head. Zimmerman acknowledged that his wide variety of talented players provide an advantage over other teams who might only have one or two exceptional athletes.
“We don’t just have one guy who is the main player who does all the scoring. A lot of teams just have one star, while we have five or six guys that are all very good,” Zimmerman said. “What that means is the other team can’t just focus on one player and try to shut them down, because they can’t even figure out who our best player is.”
Julia Harris can be reached at [email protected].
