Youngsters Factor Prominently for Drury
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Drury High School boys soccer coach Greg Caproni enters the 2013 campaign hoping to turn a liability into an asset.
The problem: not enough players in the Blue Devils' program to constitute full varsity and junior varsity teams.
The opportunity: A lot of Devils are going to see a lot of time and gain valuable varsity experience this fall.
"I'm disappointed there isn't a separate JV program because I want the kids to play as much as possible," Camproni said after scrimmaging McCann Tech last weekend. "We are setting up a separate JV schedule on off days. They'll get six, possibly eight games.
"But on the brighter side, it's great to have all these numbers [on the varsity roster]. Because we're going to be running and running. If you need a two-minute breather, we'll send in somebody else."
Drury went 2-11-2 last fall and will start trying to improve on that mark on Wednesday when it entertains Mohawk -- the first of four home games in Drury's first five outings this fall.
Included in that big crop of varsity players at Drury this fall are several who play soccer year round, Caproni said.
Among the leaders in the program is senior Matthew Vachereau. Another is Sully Boland, a junior who assisted on three goals last year from the midfield.
"He is a striker," Caproni said of Boland. "But unfortunately I have to put him at center back because I need that rock back there. I need that playing ability he possesses. I know he wants to be a striker, but I have to play him where I need him right now. And he's willing to do that."
Drury also has a couple of standout freshmen who offer hope not only for this season but for years to come.
"Conor Meehan is a striker who started all 16 games as an eighth-grader," Caproni said. "He's unbelievable. "Jonah Miles is a very young ninth-grader. He's actually an eighth-grade age because he skipped a year. He plays year round and has a great vision of the game."
Despite the challenges Drury faces from the relatively small numbers in the program, Caproni was excited about the year ahead on the final weekend of the preseason.
"One of the things I do like is even though we don't have a lot of numbers, we have talent from eighth grade right through the senior class," he said. "The younger guys are going to get playing time on varsity, and they're going to learn how to play at a fast pace."