WHITEFISH — After the Whitefish boys and girls soccer teams won state championships last year, they both came into the 2024 season with first-year head coaches who had big shoes to fill.
Eric Sawtelle has been with the boys program for three years and is in his first year as head coach, replacing John Lacey. He’s noticed his players' winning attitude has not changed.
“I got some senior boys, who starting from the winter all the way through spring and through summer, they've just given us great leadership,” Sawtelle said.
“They show that on the pitch every day and so, you know, they're kind of leading the pathway for the rest of us, I would say.”
One of those seniors is Preston McPherson, who says the team has not missed a beat since Sawtelle took over.
“Coach Sawtelle holds us to the same high standards that coach Lacy held us to,” McPherson said.
“So it's been pretty much the same thing. Very smooth. We're coming in, we've been doing the same thing the last four years, same way, just the same program, just different names.”
On the girl’s side, new head coach Kelly Ordway is taking over after coaching only club soccer teams over the years. She took over for Roland Benedict.
Delaney Smith says her new coach brings a new style of coaching that is unique to what the team has experienced in the past.
“It's different because I feel like this year we have like a, like a group mom,” Smith said. “She's super positive and tells us what to do and she's kind of just like our backbone.”
The first year with a program can come with a learning curve. Even with that in mind, Ordway has high expectations for her team.
“I'd say this is a special group of players, so they have the potential if they're able to reach the state championship and compete again. They've just had a great season so far,” Ordway said.
“We've learned a ton every game. So yeah, there's definitely a pressure to try to replicate that again this year, but we're just taking it one step at a time and, learning a bunch each week.”
Both Whitefish soccer teams played Columbia Falls Tuesday. The boys teams played to a 1-1 tie while the C-Falls girls knocked off the Bulldogs 1-0.
