Saugatuck soccer seeing program build after back-to-back district titles
SAUGATUCK - A little more than a decade ago, the Saugatuck soccer program was non-existent.
After forming a team, the program grew little by little until reaching its pinnacle (so far) with back-to-back district championships.
The community is getting more excited for soccer as several teams have shown significant growth in the past five years.
This year, there is clear evidence that soccer is growing at Saugatuck as the Trailblazers are fielding a junior varsity team for the first time. A few years ago, the program had a hard enough time filling out a varsity roster, now there are 35 athletes in the program.
"I think we were excited because after winning those district titles, people started to notice us after soccer being on the the backburner. I think we are at the forefront of things at the school now and people want to be part of it. They want to be a part of this growing thing. It means a lot to me as a senior because we all played a part in that," Saugatuck senior Adele Nieuwsma said. "It was amazing looking at our numbers this year and seeing 35 kids sign up. You can't have 35 on a varsity team."
It shows the direct translation between winning, and a program's next step.
"First time ever having J.V.," Saugatuck coach Jordan Campbell said. "Our program isn't that old. We have had years pulling in kids from wherever and just trying to get a foothold. We had that group a couple years ago really put it together. They were athletic and driven and it has just become part of the school now. When I started coaching here, no one was talking soccer and now it is a big thing. The community talks about it and there are more numbers coming up."
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While the growth is exciting, the Trailblazers want to make sure they are doing everything on the field to get better and keep the tradition going.
"We had some big gaps to fill, so we are shuffling around a bit. We have to find the best way. We also need long-term motivation," Nieuwsma said. "By the time we got to districts, we were so pumped up, but after that, it felt like summer and we were (satisfied). But we need to find that passion to keep going, driving for more success."
Coach Campbell agreed.
"The last couple years, districts was the pinnacle. We got a trophy. We got to put a banner up. It was great to be able to do that," Campbell said. "This senior group has experienced that. This year, you can see that they think we can take that next step. We have the talent to do it, we just have to finish."
Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Saugatuck soccer seeing program build after repeat district titles
