By Jeremy McDonald
Jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com
STAYTON, Ore.– Coming off of their heartbreaking 4A State Semi-Final defeat to Henley last Fall, the Stayton Boys Soccer team entered this season motivated.
They had the belief that if they stayed healthy, they had a chance to win the 4A State Title. And that potential backed it up.
Fast forward about nine months later, the Eagles were back on the pitch for their jamboree on Thursday, still having the belief that they have what it takes to bring home the 4A State Championship.
“We got to get ready for the upcoming season. We got a good chance, I’d say the best chance in State in winning, I think it’s our year. After the last three/four years, I’d say it’s more than overdue, and we’re just working hard to get it done,” said Johnny Gacia.
“Last year we had a disappointing end. We expected more things from us,” adds Ruben Bell. “So this year, I think we’re trying to win, trying to prove that we can actually win stuff here. We have a good group of seniors, and they’re going to help us a lot, and we want to win it for them.”
Stayton hosted Blanchet, Astoria, and Estacada on Saturday. The Eagles tied with the Cavailers, who were State Finalist in 3A/2A/1A this past Fall, at 0-0 before defeating both Astoria and Estacada in the three jamboree scrimmage games on Thursday.
“Getting these games in before the season starts is really good because we’re trying to figure things out, like positions and stuff like that. It also helps us see how we are, what our weaknesses are, how we’re going to play, how we’re going to score goals and stuff like that,” said Bell.
Finishing opportunities are still an issue for the Eagles, something they’ll hope to pan out as they open the season Tuesday at Cottage Grove before hosting Seaside on September 9.
Photos By Jeremy McDonald
