Ben Maffei (6) is among key returners for Colorado Academy. (Pam Wagner)
It must be strange, coming off an undefeated season that culminated in a Class 3A state title, to be seen as an underdog.
But that’s where Colorado Academy and coach Gabe Bernstein find themselves heading into the 2014 boys soccer season, despite being ranked No. 2 in CHSAANow.com’s preseason poll.
Most of that attitude has to do with the fact that Colorado Academy graduated four all-state athletes from last year’s state championship squad — defender Clark Gebhart, forward J.J. Myers, midfielder Robert White and goalkeeper Jack Thomas are all gone.
It’s a new challenge that Bernstein, in his second year as head coach, has considered.
“My goal is to have the guys overcome some of the challenges of losing a handful of seniors this past year and see if we can surprise some people,” said Bernstein. “I wouldn’t say we’ve been written off but I think a lot of coaches and a lot of programs have maybe thought we’ve graduated some guys and maybe we won’t be a title contender this year.
“For us, we’re looking to just continue on the course we’ve set and make progress each game to try and position ourselves for a playoff run.”
Bernstein says that while he thinks expectations for Colorado Academy are down around the classification, his team is still committed to living up to the legacy of last season. To accomplish that, he breaks down the season into a set of smaller, more manageable goals.
“Obviously the goal is to win a state title, but with us we set smaller targets, little more realistic goals: Try to earn a top seed in the playoffs, try to focus on what we do during the day, in practice,” Bernstein said. “We really try to break the season into smaller parts.”
Bernstein believes he’ll have plenty of help keeping his team focused on the day-to-day grind from a new set of seniors that are ready to take on the leadership mantle.
“Last year we we’re fortunate to have a group of about nine or ten seniors that had played together since they were young kids and the leadership we had from that group was very strong,” said Bernstein. “So I think our junior class truly got a glimpse of what that senior leadership looks like.
Colorado Academy celebrates winning the 2013 championship in 3A. (Pam Wagner)
“We have a couple strong leaders in Ben Maffei and Noah Henry. We also have guys like Tyler Kelly and Alex Clinkscales, all of whom are going to be seniors. So that presents four strong seniors in itself. So I think we have the pieces in place to have strong leadership this year.”
Every team can point to senior leaders however; it’s talent on the pitch that’s just as — if not more — important. Bernstein thinks nobody puts more pressure on themselves than his players, and he believes this group has the potential to be better than ever.
“I really do think that the group of seniors coming up is stronger than ever in terms of their leadership ability as well as just strong soccer players,” Bernstein said. “It’s one thing to be a good leader, but to be able to be a good leader and an influential player on the field, that’s a pretty powerful thing.”
Class 3A boys soccer preview
Defending champion: Colorado Academy
Runner-up: The Classical Academy (moved up to 4A)
Returning All-State players: Sawyer Lincoln, junior, Manitou Springs (1st).
Regular season begins: Aug. 21
Playoffs begin: Oct. 24
Championship: Nov. 8 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park (Commerce City)