Nine of 11 starters from last seasons Panthers soccer team that went 5-10 overall were seniors.
Now, the Montezuma-Cortez High School boys soccer team must look to the future with new faces and a new coach.
Dave Frame was the assistant the last two years for Dave Robinson, who resigned as head coach. With Frame being the head man for the first time in his career with basically a new team, he feels the boys are responding well to the new system.
We got a pretty young, fresh team in a sense that theyre really receptive to being coached, adapting to the sport, (and) figuring it out on their own. Theyre putting in a lot of their own time and effort, Frame said. Theyre running in the mornings and they seem really driven. As coaches, were really pleased with that.
Senior center defender Tanner Elliot and junior defender Moki Youngquist, who had one goal last year, return the most experience to the team. The young players learned a lot from the 2010/2011 seniors and the Panthers are looking to continue from where they left off.
It gives us the opportunity to build upon things that we had working for us last year, Frame said. Were certainly going to be relying on these returning athletes a good bit. I think theyre up to the challenge.
The Panthers feel there may be some growing pains with most of the players running the field together for the first time. But right now in practice, M-CHS is playing loose and confident leading into Saturdays home scrimmage against a few regional teams.
Were starting to shape up with all our fitness in practice. I think well be able to outrun the teams. We may not have as much control, but well be able to outpace them. The teams looking good, Elliot said. I cant wait for the season to start. Everyone is pretty eager. From what Ive seen, everybody has the effort and heart for it.
The season officially kicks off on Tuesday, Sept. 6, at 3A Pagosa Springs. The Panthers return home for two more 3A nonconference games with Bayfield on Thursday, Sept. 8, and Telluride on Tuesday, Sept. 13. M-CHS defeated both Pagosa Springs and Bayfield last season. The Panthers begin 5A/4A Southwestern League play with a five-game road trip starting at Grand Junction Central on Friday, Sept. 16.
To get ready for this seasons tough schedule, Elliot feels the team is conditioning greater than in years past under coach Frame.
Hes young and ambitious. I like him as a coach. Were working a lot harder, Elliot said. We just need to get in shape and work. If we win, we win, and if we dont, we need to learn from it.
After the Panthers league opening road trip, they return to Johnson Memorial Field to take on Bloomfield (N.M.) on Thursday, Sept. 29, before going south of the state border to play Aztec on Saturday, Oct. 1. M-CHS will conclude the regular season with a five-game league home stand beginning with a rematch against Grand Junction Central on Friday, Oct. 7.
Reach Bobby Abplanalp at bobbya@cortezjournal.com.