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SHP Soccer, DBP Football Very Similar
Last fall, fans of high school sports in the Garden State were delightfully exposed to the hype and hoopla that always seem to permeate throughout the area in which a nationally ranked team is stationed.
Don Bosco Prep’s football team was crowned national champions upon defeating St. Peter’s Prep in the Non-Public Group 4 final back in December. That 35-15 victory came just days before St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) suffered a loss and was thrown from the throne, allowing the Ironmen to finish as top dogs.
Though Don Bosco – or any other football team in New Jersey – is far from legitimate striking distance of earning a national crown this season, we still could be treated to a journey down the road of greatness among teams in the United States thanks to Seton Hall Prep’s boys soccer team.
Yes, the Pirates enter the 2010 campaign as the second-ranked program in the nation. In addition, their current situation appears to be strikingly similar to that of Don Bosco’s last year.
For one, Lincoln (Gahanna, Ohio) – the top team in the nation - will have to lose a game in order for Seton Hall to reach its ultimate goal. Lincoln is gunning for its second straight undefeated season and boasts five players from the Columbus Crew team that reached the US Soccer Development Academy playoffs.
Though it may be impossible to fathom Lincoln faltering in a single contest, just remember: Aquinas wasn’t supposed to lose either.
“Rankings are rankings,” Pirates senior forward Hayden Harr said. “It’s someone who goes out there and just says something. You’ve got to actually go out there and do it for people to respect you. So, we know that we’ve got a big target on our back.”
Another parallel is the expectancy of the defensive unit's prowess. Don Bosco won by swallowing the opposition’s offense and ended up surrendering just 131 points in 12 games. Seton Hall, meanwhile, will follow the same trend thanks to all-state rising senior Brandon Adler, who anchored a defense that posted 11 shutouts in 2009.
“Everyone knows we won states last year,” Adler said. “Obviously, they’re biggest game is going to be against us, so we can’t take anyone lightly. We have a target on our back, but I think we can do some good things.”
The third glaring similarity between the two is a simple, yet crucial, one: confidence.
The Ironmen entered the year knowing they were returning multiple starters and would plow through their regular-season schedule – just like the Pirates of this year.
“Our team last year worked hard to get up to this point,” senior midfielder Devin Perlee said. “But now we have to work that much harder to stay at No. 2 in the nation, and maybe even take over the No. 1 spot.”
Seton Hall Prep’s defense of a Non-Public A state championship begins on September 2 against Colts Neck. Expectations are high, so coach Marty Berman is hoping last year’s success breeds even more this campaign.
“Last year the chemistry was just incredible; they really came together unexpectedly,” said Berman, who is entering his 25th year as the Prep’s head coach with a 303-162-42 record. “We thought we were going to be a year away, with talent so young. But this year, with so many kids returning, the chemistry is still there.”
For all of the fans of high school sports in the area, the potential for a No. 1 finish in national polls remains, too.
WATCH OUT FOR MORE BOYS SOCCER PREVIEWS IN THE COMING DAYS ON MSGVARSITY.COM!
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