The boombox is blasting Kendrick Lamar in the bus as the soccer team gets hyped up for their game at Bayfield. With a team of 12 seniors, the want to make this season great is high.

“It’s super loud, and they all started playing it, and we’re just all like vibing into this,” Coach Ben Mack said. “We pulled up into the Bayfield parking lot, and everyone was just so hyped.  All the windows were down. The Bayfield people were just looking at us, and the whole bus was just rocking, and everyone was just saying like, ‘hey, hey, hey’. We were just so amped up, and we’re kind of like a single mind at that point. Then we got off the bus and played one of our best games ever.”

The varsity soccer team this year has 12 senior players, making this year an interesting year to coach the team, but also easier. “Most of them have been with the program for all four years, and so they kind of have an idea of what we want to try to accomplish and kind of what the daily routines are, how we want to attack practices. You know, the intensity with which we want to do it,” Mack said.

Having a team with older teens allows for there to be more emotional maturity when it comes to the game. “The maturity level of dealing with young adults is different than 14 and 15 year old kids, so they’re able to handle a little bit more emotionally,” Mack said. “They’ve seen a lot in terms of game experience and stuff, and so they don’t tend to get as high or low during wins or losses. And they can kind of see the big picture and tend to not be quite as volatile or emotional.”

Leaving the team behind will be hard for many of the seniors. “I played soccer all my life, so it’s gonna be sad walking away from this; but I’m also happy. It was a good four years and we’ve done a lot,” right back defender Ethan Beckum said.

Most of  the team has played together since middle school and have built strong connections with each other. “I’ve played with a lot of them since sixth grade, C team in middle school; so we built up connections all through high school and through middle school. And now to be finished all together, it’s just, you know,” front right forward Bowman Hall (12) said. “We all know each other so well, and it helps with chemistry and playing well.”

With the end of the soccer season and graduation approaching, Hall hopes to keep the friendships he has made over the past four years. “We’re all gonna obviously split our ways to go to college; but you know, maybe one time during the summer, we go kick the ball around at the soccer field and just bring back the memories,” Hall said.

The team has formed connections that will not be forgotten.“It’s more than just soccer at this point. It’s got important friendships,” Hall said. “It’s like a brotherhood. You know we all show up, we all play our hardest, but in the end, win, lose, or tie we’re all still brothers. We all love each other.”