With the new soccer season just now getting started I thought it would be a great idea to discuss how their camaraderie is strong and is a key factor into helping the boys of Academic Magnet go back to back as division 2A state champs. Camaraderie is defined on google as “mutual trust and friendship among people who spend a lot of time together”. This is just what the team needs and already has to win a bunch of games. As we all know they definitely have what it takes to win ANOTHER state championship, they just need to get good communication on and off the field to truly get the chemistry where it needs to be.

I do not know much about soccer but after going to a few games I have learned that key to scoring good goals while on the attack is good communication and precision between left back, Jack Ham, left wing, Jaidon Daley. I have seen it with my own two eyes, when these two guys communicate with each other and get the ball through it is like watching something out of a movie. Sources say that soon they may pull out the “flying V” during an upcoming game against Lucy Beckham. This will throw Beckham off their game and they are only able to achieve this elusive play because of their camaraderie. 

As a person who has played team sports, never soccer, I know how important it is to have good communication with your teammates. It makes the ball movement look for fluid and allows for good transitions between offense and defense. Through basketball I’ve learned that a team can have a lot of skill with no camaraderie and it will lose to a team that has not a lot of skill and has a lot of camaraderie. 

Now I’ll ask some of the players on the team how they feel their camaraderie

Sam Abney- I think camaraderie makes the team feel more connected. It builds our chemistry and trust so we can work better together as a team. For example, when sophomore Charlie McGlaughlon was caught slipping and ended up face first on the turf, his loving teammates were there to lift him up and tell him “You’ll do better next time”.

• Great sentiments from Sam, I have seen him on the field and can testify that they move as one unit rather than as eleven individuals.

Captain Blake Yarborough – I believe our team is built off camaraderie and it’s the stepping stones for our team. Every season we start our first game as the floor for our performance and every game we step up our performance and expectations for our team. We hold each other accountable and give constructive criticism rather than criticism. 

• The floor of their season is set high. The boys had a 2-0 win over Glenn Academy from Georgia. You heard that right!! Our soccer boys defeat teams on the national level.