On Tuesday, March 10, Central High School’s boys’ soccer team took the field against Red Bank.

The boys stepped out onto the field with determination and a desire to win; they made sure they followed through on that.

The game began fair, but Central made sure that they dominated the field. With a final score of 4-1, the boys’ team was ecstatic about starting the season off with such a successful game.

“It was my first win as a senior, which was really great,” said Tareq Faleh, a left back (defender) on the team.

During the game, Bryson Lemons, Jacob Wilson, Tyler Kuhn, and Corey Quinn all scored beautiful goals. Thomas Crownover, Central’s goalkeeper, saved a number of shots and only let one ball creep its way into the goal.

“Yeah, there were a few fouls, but the ball also moved different. It was really wet, but that’s something you adjust to,” Faleh commented. “That’s just how the game is played.”

James Walker, another Central player, served as the gnat for the Red Bank game. He guarded Red Bank’s best player, and because of his remarkable defensive skills, Red Bank’s superstar barely touched the ball.

Midst the Central versus Red Bank game, Central’s boys kept the ball on Red Bank’s half of the field for at least 85 percent of the game, making it obvious that it was their game. The most exciting and nerve-wracking part for Central’s boys was when the opposing team shot on goal.

Meanwhile, the boys were overwhelmed with frustration when none of their shots would land in the back of the net. The boys kept striking the ball directly to Red Bank’s keeper.

“We had maybe one out of every six shots go in. They were good shots; the ball just wouldn’t go in,” Chandler Gilreath said.

“It was a really good game, and we played really hard. I didn’t expect us to do that well for one of our first games,” Kuhn stated.

“The game was awesome… It couldn’t have gone any better,” Mr. James Stone, the boys’ soccer coach, explained.

Coach Stone also noted that he is worried about upcoming games; he believes that his team is prepared skill-wise but wants to work more on conditioning. So far, the soccer team holds a winning record, defeating Red Bank, Marion County, and Bledsoe.

The boys experienced a saddening defeat by Hixson, one of their biggest games of the season. The game ended with a close score of 2-1, Hixson, but both teams had a number of shots on goal. Central’s boys think that one of their biggest problems was that they were not spread out enough on the field.

“We played really well together, but we were a bit jumbled up in the middle,” Andrew Wagner stated.

The boys have played a great season so far, and despite the weather and numerous cancellations, they have trudged through. Coach Stone and Browder, along with the rest of Central High School, are eager to see how far the boys will go this season.