Air Academy finished runner-up a season ago in the 4A title game. (Pam Wagner)
Air Academy’s boys soccer team isn’t just a collection of friends uniting toward a shared goal.
The Kadets think of themselves as a family — in more ways than one. Austen Dewing and cousins David Louthan and James Sims are all seniors, and another cousin, John, graduated a year ago. It’s a tight-knit group, even among those not related, and that is a big reason why Air Academy advanced to the Class 4A state championship game last fall before falling 2-1 to rival Cheyenne Mountain.
“We’ve grown up playing together since I think we were 4. We know how to play with each other and we still love doing it,” Dewing said. “It makes us want to work that much harder for each other and the effort rubs off on other guys as well. They connect with it a little bit and it just makes the team chemistry amazing.”
After winning the 4A crown in 2010, the Kadets fell in the quarterfinals in 2011 and were eliminated in the first round the next season. Things turned around last year as the team dropped only two games — one to eventual 5A champion Pine Creek, the other to the Indians in the 4A championship.
They enter 2014 ranked No. 2 in CHSAANow.com’s preseason poll.
“I think the players that returned last year really used that as an added inspiration,” Kadets coach Espen Hosoien said of the early exit in 2012. “We were full of hope.”
(Pam Wagner)
That mantra holds true again this fall. Hosoien is entering his 11th season and has a strong senior and junior class coming back. The defense is experienced and talented, with Sims serving as a captain as a junior, and goalkeeper Matt Pipan returns as well.
Dewing continued to evolve as a player last year, scoring 23 goals — tied for 12th overall in 4A — to also go along with a team-high 14 assists.
“It definitely helped that I grew a few inches and gained a few pounds. I was able to do a little more for my team,” he said. “But it’s not possible for me to get that without my teammates.”
Facing Pikes Peak rival Cheyenne Mountain for the state title wasn’t an ideal situation, given that the two teams had already played earlier in the season. Players from both teams compete together during the club season, so while Dewing said the loss wasn’t personal, it did motivate the Kadets to work harder and be that much better this fall.
The excitement to get 2014 underway is palpable, but Hosoien understands that his team is guaranteed nothing coming into the season.
“It’s going to take some leadership from some of the returning players,” he said of keys to success. “I feel like we have a pretty good grasp of keeping these guys hungry and ready to go, and realizing hey, people are going to be gunning for us.
“With the athletes we have, I think we’ll be able to manage that pretty well.”
Class 4A boys soccer
Defending champion: Cheyenne Mountain
Runner-up: Air Academy
Returning All-State players: Brendan Clark, Jr., Valor Christian (2nd); Austin Dewing, Sr., Pine Creek (1st); Griffin Dorsey, Soph., Evergreen (1st); D’Angelo Escobar, Sr., Skyview (1st); Nate Flack, Sr., D’Evelyn (2nd); Cameron Guzman, Sr., Silver Creek (1st); Porter Milner, Soph., Broomfield (1st); Eric Spangler, Jr., Centaurus (2nd); Cruz Valdez, Sr., Skyline (2nd).
Regular Season begins: Aug. 21
Playoffs begin: Oct. 22
Championship: Nov. 8 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park