By Moses Leos III.
With a roster that only saw three players graduate last season, the Hays Lady Rebel soccer team hopes familiarity equals success in 2014.
To surpass last year’s second-place district finish and area round playoff appearance, offseason preparation was necessary.
The team performed normal conditioning along with extra work in the weight room, based on input from seniors Mallory Willis and Megan Blanks. The idea was to ensure the team could compete with Bastrop, Lockhart and Leh-man – three of the most physical teams in the district.
“We understand we are a smaller team in our district. We begged [head coach Brent] Holcomb for more weight room time,” Blanks said. “If we are going to be this small, we need to hold our own in district.”
Holcomb said the work in the weight room had multiple benefits. Decreasing injury is one reason, but the more important benefit was staying level with other physical teams.
Envisioning tough competition was the tactic used in the preseason.
“I tried to get the girls to envision stiff completion,” Holcomb said. “And to think about themselves being more physical in the game so they can be competitive one on one.”
Now as the season draws near, Holcomb and his senior leaders have a quiet confidence about them, attributed to eight starters returning from last year’s squad.
Gaining familiarity within the team took the entirety of 2013 to accomplish. According to Willis, the team had to help many of the newcomers adjust to the strategy of varsity soccer.
However, it came with some caveats. There were moments where the team had an “occasional lack of chemistry,” according to Holcomb – something he said can be a struggle for teams.
However, with the knowledge of each other’s abilities, Holcomb believes the girls can attain a level of understanding that may not have been there last season.
He said it has already helped them grow on the field in a variety of levels.
Blanks believes it will help quite a bit going into 2014.
“Our speed of play is a lot faster than the end of last year. That’s going to help us against Lehman, Bastrop and Lockhart,” she said. “That’s what we really need. We have more unity and we know how each other plays [on the field].”
Hays will put that to the test well before district begins. The Lady Rebels will participate in the Rex King Tournament in Fossil Ridge, near Fort Worth. That tournament Holcomb said draws many high profile teams, including Weatherford and Alamo Heights.
The team then follows with the Lady Rebel Cup, which it hosts. The Lady Rebs face the likes of Pflugerville Connally, Akins and Copperas Cove – all in their own pool.
Tough competition was something Holcomb sought out for his team.
“I’m intentionally doing that; looking for high quality teams to improve our level of play.”
But district is still the focus for the team. Holcomb understood and was respectful of the talent in 49-4A, but continues to instill a sense of respectful confidence in his team.
“The girls are focused on being district champs and to see that move on to the playoff round,” he said.
For the team, continuing to play well as a team will be the biggest goal of all.
“We just want [to play] at a faster level and have everyone comfortable and willing to play with each other,” Blanks said. “We [want to] work together as a team.”
