BY CHRIS FORTUNE
Eudora High School varsity soccer coach Darren Erpelding found himself in a unique situation this year with 20 seniors on the team.
Many of those seniors began playing soccer together at a young age, and senior year is likely their last chance to play together.
But Erpelding said as the season approached and the pandemic persisted, there were times when he felt a return to normal was on the horizon and others where he wasn’t as optimistic.
“It’s been a rollercoaster, it really has,” he said. “One day I’m like, OK, I think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We’re going to get back to normal. And then another day, we’re light years [away].”
The players were not sure what to expect as the season approached, either.
“It was a lot of unknown and uncertainty because we didn’t know if we were going to have our season or not,” forward Alex Kooken said. “Now we know that every day is a blessing because it could end in a heartbeat.”
Knowing that the season could end at any time can be distracting, but forward Jace McCormick said he stays focused by giving his all on the field, making good decisions and maintaining that attitude.
“Just coming out and giving 100 percent effort at practice and making good decisions on and off the field,” he said. “With COVID it's been hard, but we just have to keep that mindset and focus on what’s important.”
Erpelding said he does what he can to stay positive for his team during a time that has been distracting. The most seniors he’s ever had in a season was 12 or 13, and he said he’s done his best to get each senior playing time.
“I’m just trying to keep them focused and trying to be positive and optimistic about the whole thing,” he said.
Left back Dylan Meier said the season has been stressful at times with so many unknowns about the status of his senior year. The team started practicing early in the summer, and Meier said when coronavirus cases began to spike, it made them even more nervous for their season.
“It made me worry because I didn’t want us to put in all this work and feel like it was for nothing,” he said. “I just didn’t want it all to be taken away.”
With a 3-2 record, including a big win over Maur Hill at the season opener, players are feeling grateful for the opportunity to keep playing. Even as the school district moved into phase yellow and a hybrid model of schooling, the Eudora School Board agreed to allow sports and activities to continue, giving the seniors one last chance to play together.
Midfielder Kale Breedlove said sharing the field with other seniors over the years has helped them understand each other and how they play.
“I think it's been really good for us because we’re all really close, and we’ve all played with each other for five or six years,” he said. “We know how we all work and how we communicate with each other.”
Breedlove has high expectations for this season because of how many seniors there are and how close they have become over the years.
“Us being really close and there being 20 of us, I think we’re bound for greatness,” he said. “This being our last season, I think it’s going to be our best season yet.”
Eudora varsity soccer will next take on Maranatha Christian Academy at 6 p.m. Monday at home.
Reach reporter Chris Fortune at eudoratimes@gmail.com.
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