Credit to Mac Hill

Head coach Travis Cairer huddles boys varsity soccer together after a 0-5 defeat against Liberty on FHN home turf.

A 1-3 record wasn’t the start the boys varsity team had hoped for. After a 0-3 start with losses against Howell, Central and Liberty, all the Knights needed was a win to give them a boost. Knights rose again when they had a big 4-1 win against Troy. Those four goals were the first goals for the Knights in their four games.

“It was super cool to score in that game,” junior Ethan Scott said. “Although we had a rough start, I think that the season will continue to go up because we are used to playing with each other now.”

This season for the Knights will also bring new opportunities for coaches and players. The Knights brought in new head coach Travis Cairer and new assistant coach Matt Havermale. Carier and Havermale are set to be the new girls varsity soccer coaches as well. The team this year has seven returners, one being the starting goalie from the 23-24 season, Carson Howard. Howard led in minutes, solo shutouts and wins.

“I think that even though we lost all of our seniors last year which was a main part of our starting lineup, we gained some solid players that can be effective for this year’s team,” Howard said.

The team also included 18 new players with a range of sophomores to seniors. With an exception from the six players that came from another school or didn’t try out last year, 11 of those players came from playing at the JV level which is a big jump for those players. One of the players was junior Jaiden Shah, who scored four goals on JV last year.

“I am excited to be on varsity this year and have those new coaches,” Shah said. “I think that it is definitely a new experience for me but I am excited for the opportunity.”

Last season was an unforgettable one for the FHN boys varsity soccer team. The team ended with a 14-5 record which is the best record for the team in the past five years. Last year’s coaches, Larry Scheller and assistant Zach Fettig led the team to the semifinals of the district tournament where the Knights fell to the John Burroughs Bombers 1-0. The Knights team last year was composed of 12 seniors, one of them including the team’s leading goal scorer that year, JT Grabowski.

“I am excited to be coaching this season,” Havermale said. “Last season’s team was solid but I think with the group that we have, we can build this program.”