By Jeremy McDonald

jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com

AURORA, Ore.–  30 athletes deep. Working on headers, footwork.  Going a mini circuit before trying to work a power shot around a netting with holes just big enough for a ball to go through around the inner edges of the goal.

You could tell that was an sense that the North Marion Boys Soccer Team were focused a week and a half into Fall Training, you could tell that these boys don’t look like they’ve graduated as many seniors as they did from 2015s 4A OSAA Semi-Finalist squad.

And this is just a week and a half into their 2016 campaign without any games played just yet.

Head Coach Rafael Pelaez is pleased with how quickly the younger guys came in and picked up where the recently graduated seniors left behind.

“They’re working very well and they’re working hard physically to get ready, be ready,” he said.  “Mentally, even the freshman came prepared and they have the same mentality that all guys who had graduated already.

“They were all mentality thinking the same way.  The legacy that the other kids left over here at the school, was that.  Now they believe, that even when we graduate students, or players, they think we still have a good team.”

Second Team All-OWC League Defender/Midfielder Ismael Carrillo knows the expectations are high during camp, but meshing personalities together during camp has really helped mold and mature this team to this point of camp as they look to make another run at the 4A State Title.

“The good thing about it is that all of them have played together, so they kind of bring in a bond from within the team,” said Carrillo. “And the players we’ve had, already have the bond, it’s just connecting it.  We always tried to keep it as family and we get along, we know where to pass it and how to pass it.

“It’s us kind of teaching them and looking up to us, and like I said it’s three leading the team, trying to connect the puzzle and trying to make them understand what’s coming and what has happen in the past and we’ve explained that to them.  But other than that, they know that this team, has the capacity to go far if the efforts put in.”

Yeah it’s hard to focus on the here and now for this young Huskie team knowing that they do have this capacity and the potential to be something great as they have when they won it all in 2014 and made it to the Final Four in 2015.

For Pelaez, he has to remind his team to stay in the moment and not think ahead to what’s possibly to come for them though it may be difficult young athlete or older athlete on the team.

“You have to constantly remind them,” “Because they, mentality think, ‘We can reach the other side’.  I mean I’m happy with that, I’m glad they have that mentality, but now my goal is to keep them focus on each game and thinking on short terms.  Not long ones, the short ones.  That’s my goal.”

31 Pictures from North Marion Practice (Pictures By Jeremy McDonald)