HHS Soccer is entering a new era in its program. With a majority of new faces, the team is starting fresh this season. This start is proving effective so far, as the team has come hot out of the gate with several quality road wins.
This season is bringing a lot of change to the program, especially after so many pivotal players graduated last year. The boys head coach and HHS soccer alumnus, Julian Kersh, has a positive outlook for this season.
“This year, I’m excited because it feels like a new era for Homewood High School soccer,” Kersh said. “We’ve been blessed with some phenomenal players who’ve been three-year starters for us, but we’ve also got a lot of new faces.”
Although this year might not bring the firepower like past teams with former college-bound players, Kersh describes the blessing of having players who are less focused on recruitment and more on the team’s success.
“I think this is a hungry squad,” Kersh said. “This is the year, among recent years, where you can’t look and say, ‘Well, he’s going to start, he’s going to start, and he’s going to start.’ There are a lot of spots that are up for grabs, and it keeps players motivated.”
Part of the hunger Kersh sees in this team stems from a tough playoff loss to Mountain Brook, which sent them home disappointed last year. Kersh reflects on what he thought was the issue.
“I was not surprised by the result, because we just didn’t show up,” Kersh said. “In truth, something we talked about all season long was that we weren’t always applying ourselves in practice. I loved that we were having a good time, but sometimes things were getting a little too goofy.”
With what Kersh witnessed last year, he is keeping past issues in mind as they go forward into the season.
“You’re left to wonder when the results don’t go your way, what if we had locked in for those practices?” Kersh said. “You’re leaving a lot of reps on the training field, and so that’s something we’re going to make sure we don’t do. Would we have won if we had a perfect practice every day? Maybe not, but you are left to wonder, and you don’t want to leave that question.”
In a season with 25 or more games, it can be difficult to keep up intensity in both practice and games. Kersh highlights how he will combat this team’s burnout.
“We play a lot of games, so it’s just about staying focused,” Kersh said. “It can be tough to stay focused in a long season like that, particularly when you practice so much. But we can use last year’s motivation. You want the season to end in a fashion where you can say, “We gave it our all, we did our best, and we don’t have any regrets.”
Part of what makes the team successful is their peer leadership. Senior captain Brooks Harwell describes his philosophy on making their season successful.
“My leadership strategy revolves around the games,” Harwell said. “There are going to be very close, high-intensity games, and in those games, something needs to happen at halftime in the locker room where leadership happens.”
As one of the few who have been part of the varsity for three years, Harwell acknowledges the changes the team needs to make this year.
“It’s easy to depend on that one player to do the work,” Harwell said. “But you have to have other players who can step up. When you rely on one guy, there can be a disconnect in not realizing we actually need everybody to step up and do their own individual part.”
The team will have plenty of challenges this year, having already beaten Pelham and Auburn, they will also play quality 7A opponents and top-tier 6A programs. Kersh comments on his ideology when scheduling.
“It’s great to win a state championship, but you’re also playing 25 regular-season games,” Kersh said. “You want there to be competitive games that you can be excited and proud of after a win.”
Especially with a tough schedule, there are going to be high and low moments. Kersh describes the coaching philosophy that helps him guide the team through all moments.
“Maybe I’m a weird coach, but I don’t really think in terms of process vs result. We’re not going to sweat results that don’t go our way because it’s a long season. The goal is simply, borrowing from the school’s mantra, to maximize our potential.”
As a whole, HHS aims to build community throughout the student body. The soccer program is no different.
“Some of my best friends were teammates I played with at Homewood,” Kersh said. “This is somewhere people can enjoy themselves and be comfortable, but also, the expectation is that you come to work because nothing is guaranteed to you…We still have alumni pick up over the summer, with guys who have graduated, and I hope the program is important to these guys and that they’ll want to stay connected with their teammates.”
The girls, headed by Coach Sean McBride, are currently 8-1, while the boys are 6-1. Both are first in the region.
