2017 Thoughts

  I am very excited for the upcoming season and everything that it has to offer.  I know that this is the way every season should begin, but this one feels different.  It could be because it is the first time here at Berry that all four years of players on the team have only worked with me and my staff.  It could also possibly be that there is a feeling within the team that they know they could have been more competitive in last years big games in hindsight and are eager to show their improvements.  However, it is an overwhelming feeling that we are really starting to gain some traction in many facets we were working to improve.  We are not only attracting some recruits that wouldn't have called us back a couple of years ago, but we continue to turn new heads as we improve our schedule and continually hover in the top 3 teams in the SAA conference.  I have never been more confident that we have a legitimate chance to return to Championship Sunday and win the Conference this season.  I feel that we have a solid blend of old and new talent at every position and for the first time since I've been here, our Returning class is larger that our Rookie class.

  Our Senior class is outstanding right now, and our Captain Quentin Johnson is doing a terrific job of leading the helm so far.  These guys have experienced it all over four years, and having been in a one-goal Championship game as Sophomores know how to handle big time games.

  

  Additionally, I am excited to see what our Freshmen class can do this Fall.  We have brought in some solid talent at every position that should complement our upperclassmen nicely.  One thing that worked out a little funny this year is we had 5 Goalies want to join the program.  Two of them were recruited hard by the staff and the others were hard to turn away, especially since our history of Goalies quitting in the Fall.  We did lose our Senior starting Goalie this week in Zach McConnell who will have to forgo his final year due to back problems, so it is kind of a blessing that we have 5 Freshmen to compete for an open net.  We also received news that 1st Team All-State attackmen Michael Fredlock will have to hang up his gloves due to concussion issues, so our losses continue before the first day of practice begins.

  Thanks for checking in and I will do a better job of keeping everyone updated this year, but for now we are undefeated, and working hard to stay that way!

  Talk again soon.

-Curtis Gilbert