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Monterey High School will begin its first-ever boys soccer team this spring.
Athletic Director Benjamin Novak said the high school started the team after seeing success with the girl’s soccer team. Novak said Monterey had started a middle school boy’s soccer team that did not last long several years ago. Novak said he believes this program will be different.
“We had some really great staff involved,” Novak said. “Our central office was backing us up. All of our coaches at Monterey, and the community had huge support, and a lot of our local businesses are right there with us so I think it was kind of the peak of time where it was something that just kind of came to fruition because it was meant to be.”
Novak said the school received overwhelming interest at the initial meeting as 52 boys showed up interested in playing for the team. Novak said the team aligns with the school’s mission of providing as much opportunity to the students as possible.
“It is very exciting for us to get into this form of competition,” Novak said. “That’s one of our goals here at the Monterey Athletics Department is to grow and expand and offer more to our students.”
Novak said even though the team is new they would not be a team to sleep on. Novak said these boys have experience with the game of soccer.
“We have students that play in church leagues, travel leagues, rec leagues, and backyard soccer,” Novak said. “I mean if you drive through Monterey in the summer you will see soccer games happening all over the community.”
Novak said startup cost is one of the biggest challenges when forming a soccer team. Novak said fortunately enough they have had some financial backing to afford uniforms and equipment.
Novak said the team has already formed and they have a roster of 21 players after tryouts. Monterey High School Alum Nebelio Perez will be the men’s soccer team head coach.
