LAUREL — Laurel head girls soccer coach Tom Maack knows that having fun at practice is key.
“We're really light. We have a lot of fun. It's a light practice, but when there's a time we have to get serious about what we're up to — they recognize when it's light or when it gets serious, and that changes pretty quick," Maack told MTN Sports.
Maack has a group that varies across the board in age, as the starting lineup features eighth graders and freshmen, along with a few experienced seniors.
As the youngsters have gotten their feet wet in the early going, they’ve rapidly improved.
“They're a good group of players. They play together and they work hard. They just don't have the experience yet," Maack said. "They bring a drive, and sometimes they don't know what they're doing. They're just out there playing soccer, and that's a big deal. We're excited about them, and the future is bright. Balancing that with our older kids, it's been working pretty good so far."
“They're young. They have that spark that high school doesn't take out of you," Laurel senior goalkeeper Raelynn Wagner said. "They have this energy that's so — you see them at practice and it's just like, 'OK. Go girl.'"
Laurel has sky-high aspirations this season, as the senior class is hoping to bookend its career with state championships after winning as freshmen.
The past two seasons, though, have brought heartbreak, as the Locomotives have been bounced prior to the championship round in both years.
“As a coach, I've always learned a little bit more from a loss over a win. Sometimes when you don't win all the time it creates a hunger," Maack said. "Our senior leadership group has a certain hunger, because they know the last couple of years where they were and what the potential was. They just want to make sure that when they end up here in their senior season that they finish very strong there."
There are plenty of boxes to check off before making a state title a reality, but this group certainly holds the potential.
