2012 Captain’s Party
This great tradition began in 1982, so this marks our 31st annual Captain’s Party. It is always pleasant to reconvene the group some four weeks after the season ends. It’s much easier to accurately reflect upon the hectic ten or twelve weeks that is the season and to place so many memories and feelings into perspective. I've never not enjoyed a season at Brooks, though some are better than others and all retain their own special place in the faulty disk drive that serves as this old coach’s memory. After playing and coaching at so many different levels, it always surprises me how special the team experience can be in a great school and league setting such as we have at Brooks. Club and college soccer certainly have their places and are equally worthwhile endeavors, but there is a palpable difference in atmosphere and emphasis that appeals to me as a coach and as an educator.
Watching a lot of college and club soccer these past few years has made me appreciate the Brooks and ISL soccer experience at their best all the more. There are things taught and learned here in this milieu which doesn't happen at those other levels. While the soccer may certainly be played at a higher level, the sense of team possible and the shared common experience is greater, when the main focus isn't simply player development, but team and personal development. This is the challenge of prep school soccer. In the midst of a chaotic life in these boarding schools these young men are asked to spend ten or twelve weeks together in search not only of success as defined by the scoreboard and league standings, but also to forge a sense of team, to uphold traditions fashioned by persons and teams unknown to them, and to carry themselves in a manner that speaks well of themselves, the group and the school. This is not an easy task we set before them and various teams have done all of this better and worse. The ISL itself is an amazing league in both its strength top to bottom and in the shared focus of its coaches. Every Wednesday and Saturday we will be in for a match. We only blew one team off the pitch this season, and yet we won a championship. Therein lies the strength of this league and the worth of our experience. We had to earn everything and it took enormous skill and will to achieve what we did.
What is most important is that the adults around this team, particularly the coaches, recognize what a truly difficult and complicated task this all is, and we do. We get frustrated, as do the boys, when things don’t go well, or as well as we have seen it before or predicted it could. But the perspective of four weeks clarifies things. The adults here can all be proud of this group’s accomplishments. We won a share of the Gummere Cup, the pre-eminent goal that we set for ourselves in August. Our kids showed character and grit throughout a long campaign. We were focused, determined and committed. And in the process we built a team that we can all be proud of. As you each look around you today, you see teammates, friends, kids that you've shared a wonderful experience with. This is, as it often is, an experience that might well not be duplicated elsewhere. Think about the afternoons spent together, from hot August days in Maine, through beautiful leafy hours in October to the frigid and dark days in November. It was a magical tour and we all enjoyed it thoroughly. Along the way, we became close and we did that because we cared so deeply about what we were doing together. The results, in the end, as tremendous as they were, are diminished in importance by the bonds that we formed. We are a team, in all the best senses of the word. Each year we start anew and struggle to come together. This year you all did brilliantly in the most important thing that we do. The older ones incorporated the younger and newer ones into this great tradition that we are so fortunate to inherit, to nourish, and to uphold. Led by Sam’s inspired captaincy, and a magnificent senior group’s leadership, you have all strived to be better teammates and it has not gone unnoticed by your coaches.
And now I’d like to say a few words about each player.
We’ll start with a IVth former for whom we have very high hopes. Sam Pruitt is a highly technical player who came to us this year with a wealth of experience in the game. He can be quite dazzling with the ball but he was used to a game that was played at a slower pace. It’s taken us three months but we may have drummed the “South” out of him and he certainly had moments throughout the season where the great potential is clearly evident. Though he struggled for time on the flank this season we might well see him in the middle of the pitch next year. His decision making and accurate combination play might well force our hand. Sam needs to get stronger and he is already embarking on a program that will accomplish just that. His winning penalty against KUA was a great moment for him and for us. There is no doubt that our fortunes going forward will be tied to his development..…Xander won his shirt decisively and also struggled to get on the pitch in close matches. He is hard to the ball and very composed with it. What he sometimes lacks in pace he makes up for in strong anticipation and heady service. Xander is versatile and we still don’t know where he will be most useful. He’ll need to work hard this winter and spring and should demand a first XI spot with his play in August and September. He’s a great teammate and his maturation as a player this season will begin to pay dividends next year….Surely the most frustrating season was had by Bryan. Though Matty was playing well, everybody on the team who saw him when he was both healthy and comfortable knew that he could challenge for playing time. When he came back from the wrist he was opening everyone’s eyes in training and was ready to start that next match. The concussion, a bad one, put an end to his season, but not to his steadfast and much appreciated support for his teammates. Bryan is a very strong goalkeeper and we will see that next season. But there’s no one in this room who wasn't impressed by the kind of teammate he was this season, despite all of his travails. We are lucky to have him with us and all of us want him to recover quickly and get back between the posts….Alex had somewhat of an up and down season, often giving us glimpses of the superb striker he can be. He is an accomplished player, but the pace and tactical sophistication of ISL play threw him at first. As he gradually adjusted, we saw the outstanding contributions that he could make. His BB&N match was superb and marked the beginning of the final stretch run wherein he began to score regularly. Alex has good technical ability and far better finishing than we saw in matches this season. If he can learn to combine this with the type of 90 minute effort that his strike partner demonstrated all season he will become a surefire ISL All League player. He has it in him and I’m betting that we’re going to see it very soon…Andrew was a bit of an enigma this season. Watching him in Maine he looked like a surefire All Leaguer. It’s remarkable how good he can be despite not playing from November to August. There were games when he got on the pitch and we simply couldn't afford to take him off. Then it was exactly the opposite the next match. I know that he’ll need to find a home and stop moving around, and I suspect that it’s right in the middle of the park replacing one of our seniors. He tackles hard and he attacks with pace and flair. Every once in a while he crushes the ball. Some club play this spring and summer would make all the difference with the inconsistency issue. He has All League in him and next season he’s going to have to be a stalwart and not just an add-in. I’d bet on him to do just that….In a season filled with surprises, surely the most surprising performance was from Matty Ice. At the season’s start Willie and I planned our tactics around having to outscore teams because we were so nervous about the inexperience of our two sophomore keepers. We just assumed that we’d give away goals we were used to Cam and Glenn saving us from. Well how wrong could we be? Anyone who watched Matty down the stretch recognized that it was he who was saving us, not the other way around. Remarkable saves in close situations seemed to happen nearly every match. His save in OT of the Semifinal was one I’m not sure either Glenn or Cam get to. The thing with Matt is that he’s actually so much better in matches than training. His distribution improved markedly throughout the season and his confidence grew. Yes, we had a super backline, but he was the second leading keeper in the league. I think it was about the fifth match, at home, when I congratulated him afterwards and whispered that he should never again doubt that he belonged in this league. He beamed and he never doubted himself again. Would I like him to grow three or four inches, sure! But he can return next year at the same size and we’re going to be sure that with Matt and Bryan, we've got our keeping covered for two more seasons. So, you can lay off the milk a bit….
Our small Vth form class made its presence felt on the team. Graham loves the game and always trains with high intensity. He didn't get a lot of extended chances in matches this season, but he will next year. He’ll need to develop his technical consistency to go with his very strong decision making. It’s hard to both relax and focus, and that is exactly what Graham struggles with most. But he is hard to the ball and a difficult defender to beat without paying a price, much like his father I might add. Graham knows what to do, he just sometimes doesn't do it quickly enough. There will be manifold opportunities for him to win his place in the side next year. He should expect himself to demand playing time with his play and not relinquish it to some new kid on the team. He is good enough and he just has to adapt his style to our pace. ….Brian was a revelation this season, his second with us. I want to quote what I said last year at this time: “But there was a bit of a logjam where he plays and he needs to play harder, stronger and faster to break the logjam. With strong training in these coming months Brian is going to be a different player next fall. He’s poised for real success.” Rather prophetic, if I do say so myself. Brian learned to play faster and, particularly, harder. He was amongst our most consistent performers and, in a couple of matches, our best player. This is a far cry from last season. Well, next year he is going to have to lead us. He will be the lynch-pin of our defense, much as Sam and Andres were before him. These are big shoes to fill, but anyone who has glanced at B’s feet knows surely that he will. He plays with much heart and enormous tactical awareness. I’m so happy for him and proud of him that he has developed into the player we all thought he could be…. The second armband will be worn by Seve and if you don’t think that is saying something, you didn't know him as a IIIrd former. Seve’s teammates believe in him because time and again he has proven a determined and tenacious performer and a great teammate. His flank play was mostly inspiring and he made it difficult for any opponent to play anywhere near him. He was nearly a 90 minute guy at an extraordinary pace. His service was accurate and dangerous and I didn't see a winger all season better at getting in behind a defense and causing havoc. Seve is going to be a strong college candidate and, with Brian, they will lead this group well. I’m proud of his development as a player and, more, as a person. He’s gone from being a young kid I always watched to a young man I can always count on. …
And now I come to the rather daunting chore of summarizing the contributions of what I consider one of the two or three greatest classes in the last three and a half decades of our program. This group has won more games, 49, in a four year period than any class in our school’s history. They have a fourth, two seconds and a championship in Gummere Cup play; a quarter, two semis, and a final in New Tournament play. This is a remarkable four year run. And they have done this while enhancing the legacy of great team chemistry that our program holds so dear….Johnny joined us just this year wanting to be a part of our group after a successful year with the second team. Johnny is a fine athlete who found soccer too late. While performing the managerial duties admirably, he trained hard daily, got on the pitch once or twice and had a shining moment at Govs when he blasted a ball that just missed late in a close match. He’s a great kid, but we all knew that before this season. He has navigated the difficult waters of being a senior leader in an experienced group while not being a full time player. He was always respectful of the team culture, all the while quietly adding to it. Nobody thinks we would have been nearly as complete without his contributions. He is a big time golfer, but we all could see how much he likes to compete in all situations. He has certainly made his mark with us and we are all appreciative of his season… Danny, too, has been a huge part of the group for two seasons while not getting on the pitch much. Bryan’s injuries kept him in uniform quite a bit and he always trained hard to be ready. He handled whatever managerial duties Johnny didn’t and his maturity and sense of responsibility added a great deal to the team chemistry. I doubt that he’ll be playing in college, for Dan’s love of team is far greater than his love of soccer. I think he enjoyed being a part of such a physically competitive group and I loved seeing this other side of him. Dan is a gifted student and very definitely intellectually competitive. When you spend as much time with him as I have over these past two years, it is hard not to come away incredibly impressed with this substantial young man. We’re going to miss his levity, his self-deprecating humor and Matt and Bryan will both miss a good training partner. …This was the season for Mike that he has wanted for three years now. He got on the pitch and, after a couple of misstarts, demanded that we keep him there with his play. He grew into a consistent performer with occasional spurts of real brilliance. He learned to fit his play within a tactical plan and he became instantly necessary to what we were doing defensively. He’s hard to the ball, positionally aware, and when he won the ball he always did good things with it. In Dylan, Brian and Mike we had the most proficient ball handling group we've ever had at that position. Mike would occasionally move forward and play in an attacking role and he was also effective there. In fact, this year he quickly became one of our most versatile players. This was a far cry from the kid who fought to get minutes last season. Mike is going to try and play in college and I certainly wouldn't bet against him, he loves the game, works tirelessly, and is extremely coachable. Every good side needs to have one or two like Mike and we've been fortunate to have him these past two seasons….I must admit that when I worked hard to convince Dylan to play soccer a couple of years ago, I had no idea that he would become so integral to our plans or so enthusiastic and committed to the side. Dylan is one of our most highly competitive players and his ability to mark anyone, that’s anyone, in New England made game-planning that much easier. He had matches when he was absolutely physically dominant and won balls on the floor and in the air. His technical level grew as he became more accustomed to the pace of play. He certainly played at an All League level for most of the matches this year. There were times when he looked out of his element, fouling often and engaged in vigorous and enthusiastic discussions with opponents. But mostly he tended to the business of lock down defending and his mates in the back wouldn't have him any other way. He’s a great teammate and has everybody’s back. He wears his heart on his sleeve and his passion for both the sport and the side made him an invaluable member of this group for two seasons. Dylan taught his teammates swagger, fire, determination and a few phrases I’d have liked them not to have known. Nobody has been better recently at walking that fine line between hard fair play and outright thuggery. That Dylan has played the way he has so effectively for two seasons and only garnered one yellow card is a stunning testament to his athletic savvy. As he moves on to what I am sure will be a college soccer experience, we will miss all that he has brought to our team and enjoy our new found chance to earn some Blood Trophy votes. … I believe that I’m safe in saying that no player we have had in many, many years has so cherished his Brooks Soccer experience as has Andrew. His story is a remarkable one and one that I will recount for however many years I have left. That he could go from Third team to manager to reserve striker to a veritable goal scoring machine is just astounding. I am in awe of what it says about him as a person and an athlete. But I am so proud of what it says about our program. This doesn't happen in other sports or in other schools. I swear, if he had one more season with us he could become a recruitable striker. He gave defenses fits with his pace and anticipation. He totally changed the pivotal Lawrence match and his goals at St. Paul’s and Rivers in the last week were truly immense. But it was his ever present sheer enthusiasm that inspired his teammates and coaches most. He picked us up when we were lagging, he played with an abandon that motivated all of those around him, and he celebrated everyone’s triumphs as if they were his own. Andrew’s experience in our program, on our team, epitomizes everything that I most care about in school sports. For that, we are all deeply indebted to him for his manifold contributions….Greg has the unique distinction of winning more matches in a week with us than he did in three seasons at Govs. In his two years with us he has produced big moments and lasting memories. He is, of course, a great kid and a fine player. This season he was confident in his role as a leader and played with great success. Though he didn't score as many goals as he had, he orchestrated our attack in the front third of the pitch and made us dangerous from all angles. His winner at St. Mark’s and his remarkable goal against KUA while dragging his leg all over the pitch will be memories that linger for quite a while. All League, All State don’t begin to adequately describe the contributions Greg has made during his too short time with us. He’s a class act through and through and college coaches love his game. Though hurt the final three weeks, he soldiered on bravely and continued to lead by example. His natural sense of teamness mixed well with what we try to do and he “got it” immediately when he joined us. He has now experienced both ends of the Gummere Cup race and I’m thinking he ain't looking back too much. I think he’ll be even better in college and will prove a great NESCAC performer. We will all follow him with great pride. …Patrick has grown quite a bit as a player in his years with us. There are times when he is a devastating attacker, able to turn defenses and unbalance them with a run. He defends his flank with great attention and he isn't afraid to take on anyone with the ball. He certainly has given us consistently great flank strength throughout his time and he has had matches when he has been the most dangerous player on the pitch. His great enthusiasm for attacking has often led him to unilaterally switch our formation to include three strikers, and he may well lead the team in offsides violations. But the fact remains that if anyone was ever pressured with the ball and his way forward blocked, they could always count on a long ball into Patrick’s corner and his assured retention of our possession. He loves the game and is a thinking player, opposing coaches always lauded his performance. He earned All League status with his most consistent season yet and it was great to see him play so well. We’ll see how he does next year, as it might take a season or to to get on the pitch regularly…or maybe not. He certainly will be missed on our right side…. Jory had the All ISL 1st Team season we all knew he would. Nobody has played that left back position better than he has in at least a couple of decades. His service was tremendous and he developed these past two seasons into a clinical defender. Watching him go forward with the ball was inspiring to his teammates and extremely frustrating to opposing midfields. College coaches all marveled at his play as he had the rare ability to control matches from a flank back position. He became integral to the fabric of the second best defense in the league this year. I really hope he takes his soccer seriously because I believe he’ll be a great NESCAC player. He has been with us from the start of his IIIrd form year and he is a very different player than he was back then. Sometime during his sophomore season he developed a physical toughness that augmented an already strong technical and tactical game. As he gained confidence in his ability to defend against really strong players a newfound calmness pervaded his play. At that moment he became an impressive two way player. By his junior year he was playing the full ninety regularly and this year we simply couldn't afford to take him off the field. He deserves a lot of credit for developing into such a player in his supposed second sport. He’s been a great teammate and a true gentleman throughout his time with us and I will greatly miss his maturity, wisdom and tenacious play…Zach had spent three seasons in the shadow of another striker, first Nick and then Elijah. But he has been an impact first XI player pretty much from the start. We worried how he’d do this year when he attracted the other team’s best defender each match. Zach allayed that concern early when he scored a slew of goals in our first five or six matches. He didn't stop there, ending up with the second most in the league and the most goals in a season by any Brooks player since Davies and Fucito in ’03. There have been a lot of fine strikers since then, but Zach has topped them all. Just for kicks, he became an assist machine in the last two weeks as he and Greg often switched roles. But Zach’s greatest contributions this year were not the goals. It was the example he set for the rest of the team in matches through his extraordinary work rate. He trained every bit as hard each day and our sessions were totally transformed by his work ethic. Everybody had to be better and faster because of the way he trained. Younger players got to see what it meant to play all out for long stretches of time. This example was important to the team culture when we played. I don’t know who will supply this next year, but someone will have to step up and bring it, or we will be playing at a completely different pace. I believe that Zach will be a very strong college performer and I look forward to following his successes after he leaves us. …Sam has had another spectacular season and has been the linchpin of our defense since Andres left two years ago. His abilities as a multifaceted player are manifold and he plays the game with a seeming grace and ease that belie the extraordinary work he has put in over the years to arrive at this level. He was one of the two or three players in the league performing at a whole different level. The coaches of the league nearly unanimously voted him the ISL’s best defensive player, and he was an overwhelming choice for All New England. Only five Prep players achieved this honor and we should be rightly proud of all that he has accomplished. Sam attacked when we were desperate for a goal and he was the best 1v1 defender we've seen in years. He occasionally wowed us with a free kick seemingly off a FIFA screen. He will excel even more at the next level when greater discipline will necessitate further development in his game. He may well play beyond college as I just am not sure what the upper limit may be. More importantly, Sam was a very strong captain. He has developed into a young man with perspective and has been able to reign in his own passions. He marshaled this spectacular senior group to provide the younger players with great motivation and imparted their own love of the game and the team upon them. These seniors have left a legacy that will not soon be forgotten, for they surely have left our program richer than they found it.
It is truly a wonderful thing to see all of you back together again. As we have all moved on to other endeavors of the winter it is particularly nostalgic to remember the magic that was our fall together. Willie and I marvel at our good fortune with this program. One of the many great traditions of it has been the continued and substantial support of the parents of our kids. Whether it has been a disappointing year or a spectacular championship one, as this one, the parents of this team have always been there. From providing drinks and food on the touchline at every match, to the fantastic get togethers during the season, to providing uniforms and equipment that the athletic department can’t, to proselytizing the faith of Brooks soccer to the unwashed heathen masses in the youth soccer world, to even sheparding our top new prospects through the admissions maze …always the parents have been there in force to enrich the experience of their kids in this cherished endeavor. It is sad to contemplate not having some of you at matches next year. Of course, I want to duly thank all of those who've hosted get togethers and helped to make them happen. I want to particularly note the Milbury's who have been generous and gracious hosts for this gathering and others and to whom we are all deeply thankful. Robyn has really set the standard of parental leadership for those to come. It is heartening to see so many parents here today. It speaks volumes about what is clearly so important about this experience for the kids and for us. I am always grateful for the immense and consistent support we get from the parents of all of the boys. I can’t remember the last time I felt anything but care and concern and gratitude from so many people who had such vested interests. I think back and it’s been like that for a long time and I realize how lucky we've been to have that kind of mutually supportive atmosphere in our program. We know how much trust you've placed in us and we certainly are thankful for that and hopeful that we've done well by your son as well as the group. It’s so inspiring to see so many parents so healthily involved in their son’s interest. Not all coaches feel this way at Brooks and very few feel thusly in the larger soccer world. I coached in the ODP program and I can tell you that it just isn't like this. Whenever kids and parents invest so much in something such as a sport over a long number of years, it becomes natural to lose perspective. That hasn't happened here, at all, and it makes it a whole lot easier to retain our perspective as coaches. For all this and much more, I truly thank the parents. But I know that just as returning kids will embrace the carrying on of their traditions, the returning parents will continue to be a great asset on the touchlines in future years.
I want to also thank Julius for his continued good work with our goalkeepers. Matt has come a great distance and his training since last year at this time has made all of the difference in our season. In Julius, I am quite sure that Bryan and Matt are in very good hands. …I also want to thank Willie for all sorts of things. First, for each year taking on more and more of the load as I begin to wither in my old age. Of course, we all know that he is totally ready to do this by himself, but I’m just not ready yet to give it up. The kids are simply too much fun. But also, I want to thank him for the comfort he has allowed me as the years go by. I couldn't have envisioned anyone else but Pack being as much much fun to work with, but clearly Willie has become that over these past few years and it is truly comforting to once again have that full and equal partner in this great endeavor.
And, of course, I want to thank these kids. Each fall they invigorate me and remind me how much I love what we are doing. Their care for the legacy and tradition of this program is astounding to me and I want them to know how much I appreciate it. People keep asking me how we get our kids so invested in the team. I don’t…they do. I may have started something thirty five years ago and I certainly had a vision. But I swear that it has been hundreds of kids who have nurtured this thing along. You all are connected with them. Last June we had a great Alumni Match to celebrate the 1986 team being the first team ever in the school’s history to go into the Athletic Hall of Fame.You wouldn't believe how many of the Alums wore their shirts that they had won when they we Gummere Cup winners or New England Champions. They were proud of their achievements of ten, twenty five and even thirty years ago. You will have your shirts in a moment and I know many of you will wear them in Alumni games to come. I haven’t mentioned one of the emails I got the Sunday morning after the St. Paul’s match. It was from the captain of the 1960 Gummere Cup side, the school’s first. He later went on to captain Harvard and was for many years a Headmaster in the Southwest. He’s been a good friend since he coached in this league some thirty four and five years ago. He’s retired now and living out west. He simply wanted to congratulate us on another Cup. He’s 70 years old and it still meant enough to him to follow our season and rejoice in our triumph. That is the tradition that you are all a part of and that you have each already contributed mightily to. It’s a tradition of excellence and it will only continue if you each continue to work hard and do your best. So preparations for next September begin now. Lift, run, and play, play play. Be at your best so we can be at ours. Those of you going off to college…represent us well and care about us often. We will miss you but will be left with all that you've added to our great legacy. I want to thank you all for a wonderful three months, wish you each a happy holiday season and give you each that treasured Championship shirt that connects you with so many who came before you.
