Over the past two seasons, Gray University's men's soccer team has been one win away from winning the SCHSL 2A state championship.
The War Eagles have fielded quality teams year after year, but have fallen short of achieving the ultimate results. With only one year left of his play in 2A, the team is more motivated than ever to get the job done.
“We're all on the same page. I mean, everyone in the locker room wants to win a state championship,” head coach Kevin Heise said. “They've had a taste of it, but they haven't been able to enjoy the end result yet.”
This group brings back most of its key players from last year's team, which finished 21-7-1. Gray cruised through the playoffs before losing to Oceanside University in the championship game.
The previous year's team had 20 wins, 4 losses, and 2 draws, and featured many of the same players as the current team. The Grays reached the 2022 championship game, but lost to Christchurch.
The pain of those losses still hits the hearts of the players still on the team.
“I’m really hungry,” junior goalie Joey Sullivan said. “This has been in the back of all of our minds since last year. That's why we want it.”
Heise said he believes these losses will help this year's team. Not only was it motivating, but competing in these games gave the team experience unlike any other group in the state.
“We made it to the finals. We know what finals are like. We know the disappointment of being eliminated twice in the finals,” Heise said. “But we also know the steps it takes to get there. It's hard. It's a journey. It's a marathon, not a sprint. There are a lot of twists and turns in the season, but we… is just trying to get through one week at a time.”
Gray needs to have a strong regular season in preparation for the playoffs before considering a state championship. The War Eagles have already secured their spot after their regional opponents decided to forfeit the contest due to competitive balance complaints.
Despite the challenges that come with these deprivations, Heise is using this as an opportunity to put together a different season.
“We have eight free games. Can we lose all eight? Of course we can. But we know what we can do against other competitors,” Heise said. “Be the best, win the best, see how good you are. And put a little bit of money into it. … It's very satisfying. You never get the chance to have a schedule like this as a coach. Every day is exciting because there isn’t.”
Gray will compete in multiple states, including Georgia and Tennessee. This week, the team will compete in a tournament in Gatlinburg.
The War Eagles are off to a strong start this year, entering this week with a 7-1-1 record. The team conceded one goal through nine games.
“We're defending really well, which is a good thing,” senior midfielder Ben Richards said. “We have a really good relationship across the team. We're all friends, so that helps a lot.”
Gray is also playing well offensively. The team spreads its wealth with him scoring an average of 3 goals per game, with 9 different players scoring.
Leading scorer Carlos Vazquez has nine goals and four assists this season.
“We're doing the best we can,” Vasquez said. “I want to work hard and do my best for this team.”
Vazquez, Richards and Sullivan were involved in both championship losses. At the time, he was an up-and-coming young player, but now he is a seasoned soccer player.
“This is the first time we've had an upperclassman team. Instead of focusing on freshmen and sophomores, we're focusing on juniors and seniors,” Heise said. “A lot of these kids have already played 60, 70 games in their high school careers. Two years ago, they'd never played in a high school game. So you put a price tag on that kind of experience. You can't put it on, and I think that's probably where part of our mentality comes from.”
Big changes are brewing at Gray University, and this season is something of a last hurray for the team. Starting next year, the War Eagles will be in Class 4A and will face an entirely new group of regional opponents.
Mr. Heise was recently promoted to Mr. Gray's new director of athletics. Balancing both jobs has forced him to rely on his staff for support more than ever.
“I've never relied on an assistant coach as much as I have the last three weeks,” Heise said. “It's been fun, it's been exciting, it's been tiring, it's been emotional at times. But let me just say this: I have a great staff, I really do. I'm incredibly blessed to have staff. They work hard, train hard, and maybe don't get paid as much as they should, but they're here to make sure everything goes well, not just football. It takes up all of your time.”
Like the staff, the group of experienced players also knows the expectations. So even though things are different, they really aren't.
Almost halfway through the season, the War Eagles are confident they have what it takes to achieve their goals. Heise believes the talent up and down the roster and his stride over the past few years has put this team in as good a shape as possible. They just have to shut it down.
“I've always said most teams have seven or eight good players. We've had seven or eight very good players working together,” Heise said. Ta. “There's a brotherly love there, and you can't just say, 'Hey, let's be brothers.' That's great. You can say that, but in good times and bad. , there are other things that should grow over time.”
