ROCKINGHAM - Monday night opened the second full week of Richmond Senior High School’s boys soccer summer workouts, and with it, a chance for first-year head coach Chris Larsen to see his varsity and junior varsity players in action.
While dark clouds loomed overhead and a light drizzle fell, Larsen acted as an official as he watched the approximately 25 junior and senior players battle for the ball in a full-field scrimmage. Rotating every 10 minutes with the sophomore and freshman team, coached by other first-year head coach in Tad Hamilton, Larsen used the opportunity to see what the program holds as it enters official tryouts next week.
It had been a while since the players and coaches had met on the pitch at RSHS, thanks to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s second mandatory dead week last week, but nearly 50 players came out for the hour-and-a-half workout. Noting that the open practices normally see anywhere from 45 to 55 players, Larsen has been pleased with the participation numbers during his first full month of coaching.
“The biggest thing that I’ve been most impressed with, since it is my first year coaching, is that the guys have been receptive to my coaching style,” Larsen said. “We’re not changing much this year, but they’re taking it in really well. I don’t want to change what’s been working, but I do want to tweak it a bit to try and take us to the next level.
“It’s been a big help having guys take on leadership roles and taking the initiative to buy in to what I’m trying to do and see if this will work,” he added.
Since taking over the boys and girls soccer programs in June after the retirement of former 30-year head coach Bennie Howard, Larsen has put his foot on the pedal in preparing for the fast-approaching fall soccer season. The Raiders are coming off a mediocre 11-9-1 season in 2017, which saw them fall to fifth place in the Sandhills Athletic Conference after winning the conference title in 2016.
But last season is just that -- and Larsen has his players focusing on the task at hand, which is trying to compete for another conference title and a run in the state playoffs. And it all starts with summer workouts.
“We’re doing a lot of drills and scrimmages (during workouts) that will be similar to what we do in tryouts,” Larsen explained. “I want to get the players back on regular routine for when school starts.
“Soccer camp numbers are usually low, but we get a lot of guys out here for workouts,” he continued. “The focus in workouts is building skills, seeing how guys can work better together and teach how things go in practice so there’s not a drop off in the varsity and junior varsity levels.”
Monday night’s team scrimmage was a chance for Larsen and Hamilton, a former RSHS player, to scope out each players’ “skill level” and see where “guys match up against one another.” Larsen added that by using a full-field scrimmage, as compared to a small-sided game, it allowed players to “get more touches, pick the game speed up and work on getting the ball down field.”
As his players get used to his system, Larsen is still getting acclimated to his role as the head coach, but so far, it’s been a seamless transition.
“It’s different than being the junior varsity coach,” Larsen said. “There’s a lot more paperwork to get everything ready, but Coach Howard and I shared the duties over the last couple of years, so it was like I was in training. It’s been a small transition, but I’m looking forward to the start of the season and being in a different role.”
There are several players on both squads who Larsen is looking to have step up and fulfill leadership roles on the team. And while he won’t name and names right now, he’s seeing what he’s been hoping for during the handful of summer workouts.
“It’s time to start getting geared up for the season, and I’ve seen a lot of guys with leadership qualities from last year show that this summer,” Larsen commented. “I always hope that one or two guys step up, and without an official team selected, I can say that there are some guys stepping up now, which is good for the season.
“This will prepare them for when we have a full squad and they can lead and take the initiative,” he concluded. “And it hasn’t just been on varsity -- there are some junior varsity players who have shown some potential. But I expect some of my seniors and juniors to become good leaders, and guys who will carry that role for either this year of the next two years.”
Official tryouts for the Raiders soccer team are Monday, July 30, through Wednesday, August 1, at 3:30 p.m. at RSHS. The Raiders will have their first preseason scrimmage on Saturday, August 11, at Hoke County High School. The varsity-only scrimmage will see the Raiders face off against Hoke County and Red Springs high schools, with start times yet to be finalized.
