By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Sometimes a rebuild is required for a program to move forward. Last year, the Great Bend High School soccer team finished at 6-11 after Andover scored with 1:42 left in regulation to end the season with a 2-1 score. Seventh-year coach Chuy Loera lost a big group to graduation but he's ready to move forward.
"Our biggest loss heading into the season might be experience," he said. "We lost nine seniors last year and will only have one senior on the roster this year. Honestly though, I am not too worried about it. As coaches, we focus on what we currently have and work to develop the boys that are on the roster."
The Panthers will be without Salvador Garcia and Jonathan Pasos, both first-team all-Western Athletic Conference selections a year ago. Second-team picks Carlos Batres and Kyser Fox have also graduated.
Loera does get back a nice group of juniors. Alex Galindo and Ramiro Rocha will play up at forward, and Gustavo Alvarado and Jonathan Lira will hang back at midfield.
"Those four boys have the most varsity experience on the roster and will serve as leaders on the team this season," Loera said.
Despite the six wins last year and the losses to graduation, Loera still enters the season with high expectations for his athletes on and off the pitch.
"Our expectation for the season is to be excellent," he said. "Excellence is the standard here for Great Bend soccer and for Great Bend athletics, overall. Our expectation is to be excellent in the classroom, community, on the field, and anywhere else that we are representing Great Bend High School."
Around the WAC, Dodge City failed to repeat as Class 6A state champions in 2021 but did take a 17-0-1 record into the state quarterfinals before a loss to Wichita North. WAC Player of the Year Irwin Macias returns as a senior for the Red Demons. Hays also gets back a pair of all-league first-teamers in senior Diego Muller and junior Brantlee Staab.
Great Bend opens its season against WAC-foe Liberal on Sept. 1 at The Cav (Cavanaugh Soccer Complex). Loera is ready to see what his new squad can do.
"What I am looking forward to this season is the same I look for every season," he said. "To build a relationship with these young men and find ways in which we can help them continue to grow and mature. I love competing and I absolutely love winning, but the memories that I get to make with the players and coaches are definitely top of the list."