Dave Francis, the new AHS soccer coach, has taken a long-term view about coaching the boys’ squad.  In his opinion, the success of the team relies on year-round training.  Francis, who started coaching the AHS in 2013, improved the boys’ record by five wins, nearly clinching the team their first playoff spot in almost a decade.

On the heels of a successful season last fall, over 40 AHS boys have joined the roster for a U 18 spring soccer league sponsored by Aspen United Soccer Club. Francis will be coaching this newly formed team. Before coaching the AHS team, Francis primarily coached club soccer.  In fact, many of the starting eleven on the high school team played for Francis as young participants of the club.

“The main importance of the club soccer season is to get the players active outside of the high school season,” said Francis. This sense of continuity is the key to Francis’ success as a coach.

AHS’s student athletes are so enthusiastic about spring soccer that many are doing it in addition to playing another sport.

“I run track for the high school team,” freshman Sunday Abarca said. “But when I heard that Dave would be coaching this spring, I knew I had to figure out how to make time for both sports.”

Although the team had only a handful of practices prior to their first match, the team was victorious in their first game against the Glenwood U18 boys’ club team on April 19. Junior Joel Brice scored three goals in the 3-1 victory.

“The win was a product of good passing and positioning,” Brice said.

Francis was ecstatic about the club’s successful showing on their opening weekend.

“The best part of this is that everybody keeps playing so that when we progress into the high school season we’re not starting from scratch,” Francis said.  The master plan is to keep the AHS soccer players in fighting shape all year round.   Not only will Francis be coaching club soccer this spring, but he also has plans to create a team that will play this summer.

“When the players constantly have soccer on their brains, skills and tactics will constantly develop,” Francis said.