By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
First-year head coach Matt Novak had some big shoes to fill in following up the Fair Grove Eagles’ boys’ soccer team’s Class 1 third-place finish in 2018.
On top of that, Novak, who was hired in the summer of 2019, had to find a way to fill the void left by the Class of 2018, which accounted for 80 percent of the offense for the Eagles.
But, in his first season as a high school head coach, Novak led the Eagles to a 9-11 record and runner-up finish in the Class 1 District 6 tournament, and learned what most first-year coaches learn: “What to do, what not to do; what works, what doesn’t work.”
CLICK HERE FOR LINKS TO ALL OF THE FALL PREVIEWS
“We started off slow and had a few key players and team leaders injured,” said Novak, who also has club, NPSL and PASL coaching experience. “Scoring was slow. We had to get guys confident in shooting and not trying to get that perfect shot every time. We also had to convince them that with good defense offense will come easier, and once we start scoring it will come easier.”
Heading into the 2020 season, the Eagles will have to overcome the loss of five seniors, including three defenders in Jack McAtee, Grant Squires and Ben Hamilton; goalkeeper Jacob Morelan; and midfielder Griffin Merillat.
• Jack Mcatee, a Class 1 District 6 Second-Team selection, will be missed for his ability to defend and his continuous motor.
• Jacob Morelan, was an all-district first-team pick at keeper, and was a team leader.
• Grant Squires, earned all-district second-team honors, and was a top defender.
• Griffin Merillat, an all-district first-team selection, “never stopped working hard.”
• Ben Hamilton will be missed for his intensity.
The Eagles have four all-district performers returning in Josh Orr, Andrew Shurtz, Jaxon Rowden and Tyler Padgett.
• Josh Orr, junior, midfielder – Class 1 District 6 Second Team
• Andrew Shurtz, junior, midfielder – All-District First Team
• Jaxon Rowden, sophomore, forward – All-District First Team
• Tyler Padgett, junior, forward – All-District Second Team
“We have a lot of varsity players returning, and guys that had limited time on varsity stepping up, and I can see changes at open-field,” Novak said. “We should have a solid midfield and good attack. Defense and goalkeeper will be tough (to replace), but I’ll have guys step up and do great things.”
Identifying newcomers likely will come once school practice officially starts.
“Summer has been rough,” Novak said. “We’ve had a consistent eight players at open-field, but planned to have many more. Not all guys could make it due to vacations, work, etc.”
The Eagles are scheduled to open the season at the Cassville Soccer Classic, and Novak is eager to build upon last season’s momentum.
“Winning a district championship (is the goal),” Novak said. “We were so close last season.”
