After a 2022 season that featured 400 career wins, a new goal scoring school record, an undefeated regular season, and an Elite Eight berth, this year’s Glynn Academy boys will look to continue to grow in the eyes of head coach Bobby Brockman.
“I’ve been very happy with the boys,” Brockman said of the preseason. “Tremendous attitudes, great work ethics, and it’s gone by pretty quick to be honest.”
Needing to replace the new school goal record of 35 goals set by the DiVarsity 6A Boys Player of the Year, 912 Player of the Year, and Region 2-6A Player of the Year in Gavin Swafford, and another 15 from center attacking midfielder Jonathan Sasser, the 50 goals between the two accounted for 47 percent of the teams’ 105 goals on the season.
Brockman knows it will be hard to replace the impact the two had in terms of goal involvement, but he’s ready to see what this year’s team provides.
“When 50 goals graduate, it’s hard to replace that,” Brockman said. “Now, we need more players to contribute to the goals rather than just relying on one or two for the majority of the goals. They have embraced that.”
Led by captains Harrison Lee, John William Barbee and Keller Lopez Orellana, the Terrors have fully embraced the mindset of filling in the gaps. The goals still stay the same for Glynn Academy — winning the Region 2-6A title and ultimately raising the state title trophy in May. Besides the yearly goals that are sought out since preseason training, Brockman wants to see improvement from the whole team no matter the role they have.
“These guys have been great as far as just trying to get better each and every day,” Brockman said. “The goal for the guys that are starting is to keep their starting positions and to continue to improve. For the guys that aren’t starting, their goal is to improve and try and get more playing time this year. If they are not able to do that, at least set the table for themselves for next year. We have a bunch of seniors this year and obviously, they will be gone next year.”
Embodying the transition from grass to turf just like the Lady Terrors have, Brockman said the team enjoys the turf as it adds another advantage for them when non-turf teams come down to play. Whenever the team hits the road to take on a school that plays on grass, the team will be ready as they’ve done training sessions on the grass to keep a balance of what to prepare for.
Adding the likes of Lakeside Evans, Evans and Grovetown to the region, the Augusta schools add excitement to a region that continues to be super competitive.
“This is probably the most competitive our region has been in quite a number of years,” Brockman said. “Those three Augusta schools are all very good. In the past, our guys might have taken it for granted that we would be one of the top four teams in the region. The goal of winning the region, we’ve done that more than any team that has been in our region in the past, but it’s a whole new ballgame now. It’s good because the soccer is going to be better and it will be more competitive. For the four teams that make state, they will be better prepared than they have been in years past.”
Looking forward to implementing new tactics on fresh teams, Brockman said the teams are ready for new experiences to face.
The Terrors kick off their season at 7 p.m. Tuesday when they host Wayne County.