Correction: As of March 26, both games against Greenbrier High School have been cancelled and will be rescheduled for April 14.
Members of the Clarke Central High School girls varsity soccer team (left) and the boys varsity soccer team (right) practice in the Billy Henderson Stadium. Both teams will face off against Greenbrier High School on Friday evening. “A win versus us would help them secure a playoff spot potentially, but a win for us is really big, because if we win, it guarantees us a playoff spot, which is an ultimate goal of the season,” head boys varsity soccer coach Chris Aiken said. “Historically, (GHS has) kind of been a soccer powerhouse in Georgia. So I think it should be a really good matchup for us with both teams fighting for a playoff spot.” Photos by Audrey Enghauser (right) and Chloe Sears (left)
Jump to coverage of the CCHS boys varsity team
Jump to coverage of the CCHS girls varsity team
CCHS boys varsity
Clarke Central High School boys varsity soccer defender Daniel Byrd, a sophomore (left), and forward Jackson Bramlett, a senior (right), practice drills in the Billy Henderson Stadium on March 25 for the team’s upcoming region game against Greenbrier High School. Bramlett’s personal focus at practice lies in scoring goals to prepare for tomorrow. “I just have to focus on finishing,” Bramlett said. “The position I play, I’m there for me to score goals and I’m not doing my team any good if I can’t score, so I just need to focus on putting the ball in the back of the net.” Photo by Audrey Enghauser
The Clarke Central High School boys varsity soccer team will face off against Greenbrier High School in Evans, Georgia at 7:30 p.m. on Friday with a total of three region games left in the season.
The team is currently undefeated in region games after winning against Jackson County Comprehensive High School, Walnut Grove High School, Eastside High School and Loganville High School.
“(GHS does) a really good job possessing the ball in the middle of the field. They’ve got a lot of really good, skillful kids who make really (strong) soccer plays. They don’t dribble a lot (and) they find open teammates and move the ball very quickly, which is something that we’ve actually been struggling with this year,” head varsity boys soccer coach Chris Aiken said.
To prepare for their opponent, Aiken is focusing on basic soccer skills this week at practice.
“Early in the week, we’re going to work a lot on defensive shape, just positioning formationally where to be when the ball’s at certain places on the field. (We’re) working on communication, telling players who to mark (and) which way to force them,” Aiken said. “(We’re focusing on) more basic, fundamental type things, but it’s always good to revisit them especially before a big game like this so that kids aren’t nervous to make the wrong mistakes during the game.”
Varsity boys soccer forward Jackson Bramlett, a senior, feels the team should improve their dialogue during the game in order to keep their plays sharp.
“Communication is key for us because when we stop talking, then we get sloppy,” Bramlett said. “I feel like if we’re gonna be successful, there shouldn’t be a time in the game where nobody’s talking, I feel like somebody should always be telling a teammate, ‘Man here,’ ‘Man there,’ ‘man on,’ ‘turn,’ ‘shot’. It makes the game 10 times easier when everyone’s communicating.”
If the team wins on Friday, they will secure a spot to compete in the state playoffs, but also have two more chances to do so with upcoming games against Johnson High School and Apalachee High School planned for March 30 and April 2, respectively. Bramlett expects this game to set the tone for the team’s energy at these last region games of the season.
“I don’t think we’ll lose this Friday, but let’s say a scenario happens where we do lose. We still have two region games left for the possibility to be in the playoffs — I think that makes us go even harder,” Bramlett said. “I think a win makes us go even harder too, because a win puts us one step closer to being a region champ.”
CCHS girls varsity
Clarke Central High School boys varsity soccer defender Daniel Byrd, a sophomore (left), and forward Jackson Bramlett, a senior (right), practice drills in the Billy Henderson Stadium on March 25 for the team’s upcoming region game against Greenbrier High School. Bramlett’s personal focus at practice lies in scoring goals to prepare for tomorrow. “I just have to focus on finishing,” Bramlett said. “The position I play, I’m there for me to score goals and I’m not doing my team any good if I can’t score, so I just need to focus on putting the ball in the back of the net.” Photo by Audrey Enghauser
The Clarke Central High School girls varsity soccer team will play against Greenbrier High School, who is new to the 8-AAAAA region, in Evans, Georgi. this Friday at 5:30 p.m.
“(Greenbrier is) a quality program that plays pretty good soccer, but that’s pretty consistent with everybody in this region,” CCHS head girls varsity soccer coach Chris Hulse said. “There are six of us that are legitimate playoff game-winning teams that are going to compete for four spots, so that means it is quite likely that two teams that can win playoff games will sit at home and watch the first round.”
Varsity girls centerback Lilly Stevens, a senior, remembers from past years that region soccer games can be nerve-wracking, but has confidence in herself and her teammates.
“This is our first time playing Greenbrier,” Stevens said. “It’s kind of known that this is the new Buford of the region, a dominant school. (That) can be a little scary, but I think we’re ready for it.”
As Friday’s match approaches, assistant girls varsity soccer coach Grace Ayer says that success will be dependent on getting in the right mindset.
“They’re going to be a tough opponent, but everyone in the region is. It’s a competitive region,” Ayer said. “We have some good preparation. We’ve been practicing both fitness and skills, and we’re feeling pretty good. It’s going to be mostly a mindset game for us.”
Hulse recognizes the importance of this soccer game, and has faith in his team’s ability to get in a competitive mindset for the game on Friday.
“Last Friday, I think we played– no way to cut around it, it was the worst I’ve seen us play all season and it’s unfortunate that we had a two week hiatus between games out of our control,” Hulse said. “You could tell we were rusty and it affected the way we played. All night long and even when I look back at the film, we were a step behind where we would normally be, so here’s hoping that we’re sharpening the edge and we’re back to being ourselves and we’ll play a good game.”
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