Drury Boys Soccer Welcomes Back Former Head Coach

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- The high school soccer season gets under way today, and in North County there three new faces patrolling the sidelines -- including one very familiar face.

 

The girls at Drury and Hoosac Valley are led this fall by Maryjane Rumbolt and Kirstin Holmgren, respectively, while Drury's boys last month welcomed back John Jacobbe, who coached the Blue Devils' varsity for six or seven years but has not coached soccer since 2004.

 

He returned in the 11th hour to retake the reins after former coach Greg Caproni this summer accepted an assistant coaching position with Southern Vermont College in Bennington.

 

At first, Jacobbe said he was a little hesitant to accept the new challenge.

 

"I coached soccer my whole teaching career starting in 1991 until 2004," Jacobbe said last week. "I was used to soccer. But now that I've had this time off, I, enjoyed not coaching in the fall. I was able to get my year going teaching wise and then got into basketball and tennis."

 

Jacobbe teaches science at Greylock Elementary School and coaches junior varsity basketball and varsity tennis at Mount Greylock.

 

"I'm not in a position where I wanted to give up either basketball or tennis, so that was the hesitation," he said. "But I've done it before, and I knew I did a decent job in my reign here before, but I also knew I'd taken 10 years off.

 

"In the end, I wasn't pressured into taking the job, but I had been asked because of my experience and because they knew I loved soccer."

 

And it helped that Jacobbe knew Drury's players -- most of them -- either as a teacher or a judge at the Science Fair.

 

"I think there's a lot of kids who have soccer ability," he said. "I think they have a lot of skill. They've had a lot of good coaching in the past."

 

What they do not have is a lot of numbers. There were just 21 players in the program pre-season, and Jacobbe said he hopes more kids come out for the squad when school opens.

 

For now, the five or six junior varsity games on the schedule will feature some players who will shift back and forth between the varsity and JV squads.

 

Drury's varsity once again will feature one player who will shift back and forth between the defense and forward line, Michael "Sully" Boland, who last year was listed as a defender but was perhaps the team's most dangerous scoring threat when he moved up the field.

 

Once again, he will see time in the back along with his brother John, a freshman, Josh Giron and Oscar Alvarez. That quartet will help stabilize the back while Drury gains experience for its first-year goalkeeping trio of freshman Dylan Toomey, sophomore Brian Christian and senior Luke Grant.

 

"Luke is a senior but has never played soccer, Brian played JV two years ago and a little last year in JV, and Dylan is a field player and a goalie, but he's giving it a try right now as a freshman," Jacobbe said. "That's a wild card."

 

In the midfield, Jacobbe is looking to sophmore Jonah Miles, who, like Sully Boland, can play a variety of positions, Jacobbe said. Hunter Harpin, Chris Andrews, Elliot Eastman, Mitchell Anderson, Jeff Hancock and Danny Alvarez all could see time in the midfield.

 

Andrews also will see time on the front line along with Connor Meehan, Jake Doherty, Thane Preite and Nick Mirante.

 

"I felt good about the pre-season except for injuries," Jacobbe said. "Sully spent four or five days with a summer injury, but he's hoping to be in shape [for Wednesday evening's opener at Hoosac Valley].

 

"It's been fun getting back into soccer, but I'm starting to feel nerves now that we're starting to piece it together. But that's good. I'm always nervous before a game. If I'm not nervous, I don't care."