WORTON — It’s water under the bridge, but Dennis Hickman has on more than one occasion said the Trojans’ loss at Crisfield is one of the two matches from 2024 that he would like to have back.
As recently as Sunday, Hickman, who returns for a second year as head boys soccer coach at alma mater Kent County High School, insisted “we were the better team” on that day in early September, and he described the 7-2 loss as a “first-part-of-the-year meltdown.”
We’ll see if recent history repeats itself Monday when KCHS hosts Crisfield.
The match, which kicks off at 4 p.m., will be played on the stadium pitch at Washington College.
It’s the season opener for Kent County, while Crisfield is coming off a 6-0 loss on Friday, Sept. 5 to South Bayside Conference rival Stephen Decatur.
The vibe surrounding the Trojans is one of optimism. They return eight starters from last year’s squad that won five matches in a row in mid-season, after an 0-3 start that included the loss at Crisfield, and finished 6-8.
“Realistically, this year, we should be .500 or a game or two above .500,” Hickman told The Evening Enterprise in a telephone interview Sunday.
“What a difference a year has made for some of these guys,” Hickman added. “It’s been enjoyable seeing them progress. … The cool part is that they’ve been coaching themselves on the field, saying some of the same things to one another that we [Hickman and his assistant coaches] have been saying from the sidelines.”
Preseason included a scrimmage mid-week at The Gunston School in Centreville.
The opportunity to “see what we’ve been working on” led to changes in the Trojans’ formation, according to Hickman.
They will come out Monday in a 1-3-2-4 setup with starters junior Gabe Parr (4 goals, 1 assist) up front; an attacking midfield of junior Sebastien Cousineau (7 goals, 3 assists), junior Fox Ford and sophomore Jake Wade; senior Colbyn Lopez and sophomore Dylan Peralta (7 goals, 5 assists) as center defensive midfielders; junior Jayden Miller and seniors Noah Iacona, Stewart Hickman and Kiyan Hynson as defensive backs; and senior Peter Sine in the net.
Sine and freshman Jake Stumpf will split halves in the net in tomorrow’s opener, just as they did in the scrimmage Wednesday at Gunston, according to Hickman.
Fox Ford and Wade are transfers from Chestertown Christian Academy.
There are three Ford brothers on the team — Fox, sophomore Colton and freshman Gage — and their father Bo is an assistant coach for the Trojans.
Also playing soccer for the first time at KCHS is senior midfielder/forward Chase Dolgos.
Returnees include seniors Christopher Gonzales Lopez (utility player) and De’Andre Sisco (midfielder), who was the MVP on last year’s junior varsity team; juniors Bryce Jacobs (defensive back), John Coleman (goalie), Nathan Sutton (defensive back), Aiden Ruiz (midfielder) and Landon Merritt (defensive back); and sophomores Joey Homyack (defensive back, midfielder), Ibrahm Mejia (midfielder), Brian Aldrich (defensive back), Yesner Perez (midfielder, forward) and Owen Sutton (forward).
Among the newcomers are freshmen Edwin Perez (midfielder), Noel Farinacci (midfielder), Gage Ford (defensive back), Trenton Montooth (midfielder, defensive back) and Daniel Diaz (midfielder); sophomores Christian Merrill (midfielder) and Dylan Morales (midfielder, forward); and juniors Colin Fry (midfielder, forward) and Damian Sanchez (midfielder).
NOTES: Kent County has a roster of 30-plus, allowing for a junior varsity program for the second year in a row — though not all opponents have a jayvee.
Hickman said on days when there is only a varsity match, he will dress some of the jayvee players with the hope of getting them some playing time.
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While the Trojan Stadium field is undergoing a sprinkler upgrade, Kent County also will play at Washington College on Wednesday, Sept. 10 in another “home” match against Easton. It appears there will only be a varsity match.
The Trojans will travel to Queen Anne’s on Friday, Sept. 12 for jayvee and varsity matches.
