Nicolas Archer , 12

Q: How many years have you played soccer?

A: I have played soccer for about 13 years. 

Q: Why did you start playing?

A: I started when I was four.

Q: What position do you play?

A: I play center back.

Q: What is the hardest part of being on the soccer team?

A: There aren’t a lot of “hard” things about being on the soccer team but the time, like any other sport, is a lot. 

Q: What are some of your favorite moments with the team?

A: When we beat Kent 1-0 this year and when Nathan Kubala  scored a last-second goal against Streetsboro two seasons ago to tie the game.

Q: What are some highlights or some plays you have done?

A: I don’t have a lot of “highlights” since I play center back, but I’ve had multiple good slide tackles and good clearances.

Q: Do you plan on continuing soccer in college, and if so do you know where you are continuing your career?

A: No.

Q: How do you feel about this season as opposed to last season?

A: I feel like we are a lot better than last year. Many new guys stepped up, and it helped the team in a huge way.

Q: How did Covid affect the season last year?

A: We were not able to do as much team stuff, and also there were a couple Covid cases but other than that it was a pretty normal season.

Q: What is some advice you would give to an incoming freshman soccer player?

A: I would say work hard even if you are not starting. Also I would say even if you don’t enjoy it at first keep playing. It will be fun.

Ben McCauley, 12

Q: How many years have you played soccer?

A: I’ve played soccer for 13 years. 

Q: Why did you start playing?

A: I started playing soccer because my parents wanted me to play sports when I was young, and soccer was really fun. 

Q: What position do you play?

A: I’ve played defensive mid for the past four years, but recently I’ve been playing striker. 

Q: What is the hardest part of being on the soccer team?

A: The hardest part is balancing school and soccer. 

Q: What are some of your favorite moments with the team?

A: I have a lot of favorite moments with my team, but the most favorite moment I’ve had with the team is just bonding and playing with all of my friends on the field and beating Kent Roosevelt 1-0 this year. 

Q: What are some highlights or some plays you have done?

A: I have a lot of enjoyable highlights. Some of my favorites are my volley goal outside the box against Field, scoring a header in a 1-1 tie against Aurora, and scoring a 30-yard free-kick against Marlington. 

Q: Do you plan on continuing soccer in college, and if so do you know where you are continuing your career?

A: I plan on continuing soccer in college, but I don’t know where. Some colleges I have interest in going to are Baldwin Wallace, Muskingum, Heidelberg and John Carroll. 

Q: How do you feel about this season as opposed to last season?

A: I feel like this year’s team is really good compared to last year. We had seven starting seniors leave last year and with the addition of a couple of really good freshmen this year, we have been competing with some of the top teams in Northeast Ohio. 

Q: How did Covid affect the season last year?

A: Covid greatly affected the season last year. We didn’t have as many organized preseason practices, and we could only gather so many people because of the pandemic. The entire boys soccer team also had to quarantine for 2-3 weeks because there was an outbreak in the team in August. 

Q: What is some advice you would give to an incoming freshman soccer player?

A: Try to enjoy it as much as possible. Also, try to attend as many practices or organized workouts as possible during preseason, during the season, and after the season. Attending those practices will only help you in the long run and you’ll have more opportunities to bond with your teammates.