PENDLETON — They are all gone.
Kyle Davy is in his 10th season as the Pendleton Heights High School boys soccer coach. For most on his team, this season will be their first.
The Arabians graduated 16 players, including their entire starting lineup from 2019, a season that saw the team go 8-7-1 overall (4-3, Hoosier Heritage Conference).
“The thing I know, though, is that I have a great group of guys who are competing each day and want to learn,” Davy said. “My goal for the team is that we compete to our highest potential. We may not always get the result we want, but we will learn and grow and move forward to the next match.”
From graduation, among Davy’s key losses are leading goal scorer Brennan Jones, midfielder Kai Moore and solid defenders Daniel Aker, Alex Nelson and Connor Hendrickson.
Davy said they were great in the classroom, too. Aker was Valedictorian. Moore and Hendrickson also finished in the top 10% of their class.
“We, as coaches, preach it’s not just what you do on the field, but also what you do in the classroom,” Davy said. “I’m a big believer if you have success in the classroom; that will translate to the playing field. So my hope is that our younger guys look up to those graduates and try to continue their success.”
Some of the new guys Davy will be counting on include midfielders Kam Kail and Cole Bubalo and speedy first-year player Kip Mankhwala.
He still has a few key returnees back, including senior Caleb Spires and junior goalkeeper William Phillips.
Davy said his young team is handling changes that go with more playing time, along with the adjustments related to the coronavirus pandemic, as well as possible.
“It was tough over the summer not being able to attend camps and showcases, which have been a staple of the program for so long, but the guys have really stepped up and taken this serious,” Davy said. “There are times when players get relaxed, but we have seniors and upperclassmen who hold the team accountable. You can see that the athletes take it serious because they want to have a season.”
The Arabians season opened Aug. 20 with a 3-2 road match victory at Hamilton Heights. Kail, assisted by Bubalo, and Mankhwala had first-half goals to give PH a 2-0 lead. Kail added another goal in the second half to put the Arabians up 3-1.
The home portion of the schedule opened on Monday, Aug. 24 with a 2-2 tie against Greenwood Christian Academy. Twice the Arabians came back from a one-goal deficit. Bubalo scored on a penalty kick to tie the match 1-1. Mankhwala’s second-half goal tied the match.
The HHC opener is, at home, Sept. 1 against Greenfield-Central.
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No.;Name;Class
00;Will Phillips;11
1/10;Luke Mills;11
3;Gavin Spaeth;11
4;Kip Mankhwala;11
5;Jacob Sikorski;9
6;Grant Koperczak;11
8;Cole Bubalo;10
9;Gavin Busby;9
10;Kam Kail;10
11;Jackson Ragan;10
12;Caleb Spires;12
13;Tim Fout;12
14;Matthew Roark;11
15;David Frakes;12
16;Cole Drinkut;12
17;Clayton Scherer;12
18;Justin Delk;12
20;Devan Swinford;11
23;Zion Cook;12
24;Parker Suchyna;10
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