Article sponsored by Cheltenham boys’ soccer booster club. Action photos courtesy of Karla Donohoe. To view a complete gallery: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/p342724572
They’ve come a long way. A long, long way.
The seniors on last fall’s Cheltenham boys’ soccer team have had quite a journey in their four years in high school. It began with a freshman season that was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic and was followed by a three-win season and then a two-win season.
That might have been enough for some to throw in the towel, but for the eight seniors who stayed with the program – it was worth the wait as all the frustration of years past disappeared in one remarkable season.
The Panthers opened the 2023 season with four straight wins, went on to win 10 games and earned a berth in the District 1 4A Tournament.
Ask coach Bill Tonkin the key to the turnaround, and without hesitation, he points to the team’s seniors – John Bowden, Cole Funk, Arlo Kemmerer-Scovner, Dean Latosh, Keegan Peet, Cameron Rhoades, Logan Schlappich and Beck Toledo.
“The seniors on the team this year really became leaders and pushed the team to be at their best every game,” the Panthers’ coach said. “They played a huge role in this season. The leadership they showed from coming to the workouts and getting the younger guys to come as well and then carrying that into the season was huge for us. They are a close group on and off the field, and they played for each other not just for themselves. They really cared for one another and didn’t care who scored or who did what. All they cared about was winning.
“Last year was a big learning experience for us. We played all underclassmen for the most part and took our lumps in hopes that this year would be a better year, and that’s what happened.”
The turnaround didn’t just happen. The seniors took intentional steps to make sure there would be a change.
“We focused on having a tight-knit team this year,” senior Keegan Peet said. “Everyone was included, and the seniors did a great job of including the kids that were on jayvee last year and included everyone. We just had a good team thing going. Everyone was part of the team.”
There was also the not-so-little matter of investing time in the offseason.
“In the offseason, I had a good feeling that we were going to be pretty good this year,” Tonkin said. “We had great turnouts for workouts through the winter, spring and in the summer, and we had some success in the league we play in that we usually struggled in. You could tell the boys were committed to having a successful season.”
And they brought a winning attitude to the pitch.
“I think that was the biggest difference,” Tonkin said. “Our group this year had a lot of boys that play on successful club teams that win games regularly, so that winning attitude came with them.
“In the past, we had some good players, but they all played on not so good club teams and didn’t win a lot so their attitude to win wasn’t there. It was almost like they expected to lose. This group expected to win and went out every game with the attitude that we were going to win today. We went through a little stretch where we lost a few in a row and I thought ‘Oh no, are we going to lose that winning attitude?’ But the boys held it together, kept working hard at practice and got back on track.”
The journey
There’s no denying it was a tough couple of years for the senior class. A 3-14 season sophomore year was followed by a 2-15 season junior year.
“There’s nothing that will hurt your ego more than just losing a bunch of games in a row,” Arlo Kemmerer-Scovner said. “At a certain point, we were just kind of used to it.
“It’s never a good look to lose a bunch of games like that, but honestly, I think it made it even better to win so many games this year.”
A junior captain, Xavier Chanoine was part of last year’s two-win season as a sophomore.
“It’s been a rough couple of years,” he said. “Last year was tough. Every game we played this year, there was a more positive feeling about it. We kind of felt as if we could win every game.
“In the past, it was almost like dread at all times – oh, now we have to play Abington, now we have to play Upper Dublin, all those teams that we never beat. This year, overall, the vibes around the team were positive. Just being on the team was more fun, the practices and games were more positive.”
There’s no mistaking the importance of offseason work, but the biggest change, according to the players, was developing a camaraderie.
“In the past, we weren’t as tight as a group, so everybody was kind of doing their own thing,” Cameron Rhoades said. “We didn’t really have leaders that would push us to be the best of our abilities. We were all closer this year, and as captains, we had to step up and take our team to the next level.”
It also helped that the seniors had a history with each other.
“We had eight seniors, and this team was the product of those seniors growing up and playing for the past four years,” Peet said. “That skill that developed over the past four years plus the addition of a couple of good juniors and some sophomores – all of our stars aligned this year, and we were able to form a playoff contending team.”
The addition of promising young players to the mix was significant.
“It’s always been fun to be part of the soccer team, but one of the changes this year – a lot of us have known each other for a while, so there’s a lot more chemistry between us,” Kemmerer-Scovner said. “In the past, we had a couple of people that were friends, but they didn’t really click with everybody else on the team, but this year, it was a really good group.
“I think the biggest change was some of the younger players that had been on jayvee last year and hadn’t gotten a lot of (varsity) playing time got chances and opportunities this year. Those younger players mixed well with the players that were already established on the team, and it really made a great group of boys that we could play with this year.”
After a 6-2 start, the Panthers lost four straight games to larger schools in SOL crossover play, but they proved their mettle when they extended perennial power Abington to overtime before falling 3-2.
“We just had the mindset of making sure we stuck together,” Rhoades said. “We’re a family, so we go through ups and downs. It was just sticking together and maintaining a positive attitude.”
The seniors, according to Tonkin, showed the underclassmen what it takes to win.
“The hopes are that the underclassmen have learned and will continue to have the same attitude going forward and really instill a winning culture now,” the Panthers’ coach said. “We have a good group returning with a lot of talent. The goal is to not just make the playoffs next year - it’s to advance in the playoffs.
Like his coach, Chanoine credited the seniors for bringing – and keeping - the team together.
“They were huge,” the junior captain said. “Throughout the years, a lot of them took on leadership roles on the team. Not only are they talented, but they really pulled us together.
“I think it’s going to be very tough to recover from losing them next year. Pretty much all the leaders – they’re all really talented, and throughout their three or four years here, they were able to really change the culture around the team. Overall, they left the program better off than when it started.”
And how will the Panthers maintain the culture that was established?
“While the seniors were very important, we did have a lot of specifically juniors that were very instrumental,” Chanoine said. “It’s definitely going to be tough, but the jayvee team did pretty well, so it shouldn’t be impossible to recover.
“We’re doing a lot of stuff as a team – the winter practices, the summer practices. We have two new captains, and at the banquet, I touched on the importance of being there and getting better. If everyone on this team can really improve, I think we’ll be just as good if not even possibly better than last year.”
Memories, they’ve got memories
There’s no mistaking the imprint the fall season left on their lives, an imprint that extends well beyond high school.
“It’s been amazing because I’ve been here since freshman year, and just the improvement – it’s amazing to see, because previously, we haven’t had the best of seasons – it’s refreshing,” Rhoades said. “Beyond high school, I think we’ll all remain friends. A lot of us grew up together playing soccer, so we’re definitely going to stay in touch
after the high school season.”
The memories they take with them go well beyond the wins and losses.
“Just the friendships,” Kemmerer-Scovner said. “The thing I’ll remember the most is being with my friends on the team. It was a great opportunity to go far.”
“The memories we made were awesome this year,” Peet said. “More than the actual soccer, I’m going to remember the friendships I made and the community we had as a team.
“Even when we weren’t playing soccer, I just loved spending time with all these guys.”
“I’ve been part of the 2-15 and 3-14 teams, so it was definitely a lot of losing in the past, but this year, it was a brotherhood. Everyone came working hard every single practice and every game. It was awesome to see how much everyone cared about the team. There was definitely a lot of passion for the team. I’m privileged to be part of a group that cares so much.”
- Log in to post comments
