Leadership is a term defined by not only age and experience, but by work ethic and example. In this regard, the FHN varsity boys soccer team has nothing to worry about, but the current formation of the roster is disconcerting nonetheless.

“It was weird,” senior and captain Chris Oswald said of the situation. “It’s good to have a lot of juniors because they know how to play the game, but we would’ve liked to see a few more seniors decide to play this year.”

The situation that the soccer team faces is that only three of the 19 players on the team are graduating with the class of 2016. While the experience may not be there for the team, none of the players are worried about this perceived lack of maturity.

“We’re not scared of anything,” senior Isaias Alvarado said. “The team is made up of more than just seniors. We’re working on improving more and more. Having less seniors will let juniors experience playing on varsity, and it will help them continue that leadership when they’re seniors.”

Just like Alvarado did in the previous quote, the seniors and coaching staff are all looking on the bright side of this situation. They see it as an invaluable vessel to teach the sophomores and juniors on the team priceless leadership qualities that they can, in turn, relay to the younger players when they get to their final years on the team. The one word to best describe the outlook of the team- optimistic.

“We all know what to do and how to play together,” senior Jake Beckmann said. “There are a couple juniors already starting to step up and lead the team. They’ll continue to grow and be good leaders in the future.”

The seniors on the team are taking a very optimistic approach to the situation, but things could easily take a turn for the worse. The lack of varsity experience could begin to rear its ugly head in vicious rivalry games, or, even worse, in the district tournament once the regular season comes to a close. As the precedent has been set, though, the leadership of the team is looking forward with a calm, cool and collected view of what is to come.

“I’m anxious to see how we progress as a team,” Oswald said. “The end result is to get W’s and get past Districts and as far as we can. Every team is different. We’re very excited to see the team come together by the end of the season and play at our full potential. I’m excited.”