By Hayden Garrett
“Eleven players with one heartbeat.”
This is how junior Senad Selimovic describes Delta’s boys soccer team.
Senad is a starting varsity center midfielder. On Aug. 19, the boys had a victory against Daleville winning 10-0. Senad led the team with two goals and two assists.
Although Senad’s performance was helpful, the team chemistry is what the boys believe is most important. After only losing one senior last year, the varsity team stayed the same other than gaining sophomore Keller Bartlett and juniors Dylan Smith and Miguel Gonzales. Miguel plays both varsity and JV but has managed to already impact the varsity team positively when he gets the chance.
Having such a strong bond as a team the boys’ motto this year is “One team, one mission.”
The boys hope that this bond can help them with more than just strong friendships. They hope to at least win sectionals after losing last year to Jay County.
Another tough game they are working hard to come out on top is against Pendleton Heights.
“They have a strong attack and they have a lot of fast players that are really techy,” Dylan said about Pendleton.
Senior Drayton Swanson plays center defensive midfielder on the varsity. He believes they can execute their overall season goals along with building strong relationships as long as everyone keeps a good attitude on and off the field with each other.
Drayton says their team is set apart from other high school teams because of the chemistry they have built after playing together for so long.
So far the boys have played four games and have gone 3-1, beating Daleville, Blackford, and Jay county but fell short in a 1-2 game against Mt. Vernon . They hope to continue to work hard and have an overall winning season, while building a family at the same time.
Similar to the boys varsity team, the girls soccer team also believes that strong bonds are the most valuable aspect in a team. But they don’t only build their relationships off of each other but also their religious faith.
“The mindset as a team is ‘as one’ and just to center God and build off of that,” freshman varsity striker Avery Jarrells said. “I try to demonstrate it by motivating people and showing God’s love on the field.”
Senior Grier Backus said Avery will have a positive impact on the team.
“She’s really good with the ball, she’s good at communication and she’s really good at finishing through the goal,” Grier said.
Grier is a senior who has only played for two years but has found a strong love for the game and plays as a center defensive midfielder.
Grier also finds that the most important priority is her faith.
“Our biggest goal is just to be more together as one and be a team in Christ,” Grier said.
Their goal is to get past sectionals and get to regionals and maybe even semi state. They had the same goal last year but fell short after losing in sectionals by only one penalty kick.
Senior Adalyn Rozzi believes they will go further than last year and achieve these goals.
“I think our team chemistry is a lot better this year,” Adalyn said. “We all work together really well and have a bunch of seniors so we’re all going to want to play our hardest for our last few games.”
The girls have played three games and won all of them. The latest victory was a strong 15-0 win against Anderson on Aug. 28.
They want to have a winning season but most importantly prioritize their tight and family like bonds while playing for Christ and demonstrating His love.
