With the conclusion of the banquet this week, the 2016 season officially comes to an end. I have to admit it was a tough ending to accept for me personally. With so much success in the last half of the season, I had a strong belief this group was made for a deep postseason run. I still believe that, and I would have put this team up against anyone in the state. The postseason was tough, and both losses were a bit stunning. On another night either one of those games could have went differently. The boys played very hard and we were in a position to win both games, but in the end we lost to two very good teams. However, I am very proud of the boys and all they accomplished this year. More than anything I am just happy that their hard work paid off with positive on field results and they were able to see the fruits of their labor. It was awesome to see how far they had come from day 1, and how they all came together as brothers with one common goal. The results are great, but those lessons of hard work, putting team over self, and competing for a higher purpose are so much more meaningful and applicable to life outside soccer. The results just reassure the worth of their commitment.
The regular season was historic. We finished 15-4-1 (16-6-1 overall), winning our last 11 games, sweeping BOTH the city and district. We also won the Purples Classic tournament while defeating the #1 ranked team in the state. The 15 regular season wins were the most for the program since 1993, and the 16 overall wins were also the most since 1993 and tied for the 5th most overall in the history of the program dating back to 1975. (2015-16 combined win total of 30 is most in back to back seasons since 1989-1990) The 11 game winning streak was the most since 2004, and second most since 2000. The district sweep was the first in District 43, and the first time ever since we were moved into the same district as LCA, Lexington Catholic, and Dunbar. The city sweep was the first since 2002, and the first time ever in modern history (dating back to 2000) since Lexington Catholic returned to the schedule. All of this was done with the second toughest schedule in the state, per the Maher (math) ranking system. With team success comes individual success. We had 5 All-City selections: 3 first team (Nick SirLouis, Holden Treadway, and Evan Bunch), 1 second team (Riley Bishop), and 1 honorable mention (Max Nusbacher). AND Nick SirLouis was named the Lexington Herald Leader City Player of the Year! We also had 4 All-State selections: 1 first team (Nick SirLouis), 1 second team (Holden Treadway), and 2 honorable mention (Riley Bishop, Max Nusbacher). Absolutely awesome!
For all of their on field success, this group was even better off of it. 18 varsity players earned a team academic award (at least 3.75 weighted GPA during season) and 13 earned KHSAA Academic All-State recognition (at least 3.25 unweighted cumulative GPA). It is very apparent they put a high value on what they do in the classroom. They are all great young men who represented the program incredibly all season. I have consistently received compliments from officials telling me how pleasant our groups are to officiate. They also have created a culture of positivity, inclusiveness, and encouragement. The high school experience is very important on many different levels, and we have the young men in the program to thank for committing to help make the experience a positive one for all players. I commend the parents for raising such great young men and I know they will all continue to make us proud long after their high school careers.
It is going to be very tough to see our 11 seniors move on, but we couldn't have asked for much more from this group. They are special young men who have left a permanent mark on the program. All I can say is thank you. The transformation of the program from when they were freshmen to now as seniors has been awesome to watch, and this class is a huge reason why that transformation took place. They were all such a pleasure to coach and I enjoyed my time getting to know each and every one of them. I can't wait to hear about all of the great things they will do after high school. The bar has been set high for future classes, and the standard has been raised throughout the program. I will miss them all dearly, and I hope they all know that they are welcome back anytime! Thank you Evan, Nick, Holden, D, Tarek, Trevor, Gavin, Kyle, Daniel, Riley, and Abad!!!!
As for our JV teams, I am also proud of their successes and how they represented Lafayette. The JV Red team continued our trend of major improvement with our third team from the first day to the last day. That team looked totally different by the end of the season, and many of the boys had made huge leaps forward as players. Our focus is always on development first and foremost with that group, and we couldn't have been happier with their progress. The JV Navy group proved once again that we have one of the best JV programs in the area. They had fantastic on field results which coincided with major improvement across the board. Many of those boys will step into varsity roles next year and I know they will be ready! Good work Coach Ladwig and Coach Raney!
Thank you to everyone for all of your hard work this past season. We wouldn't be able to do much of anything without the work of our booster club and all of the volunteers. Our program culture is not just the players/coaches, it also extends to all of the parents as well. Thank you for making the program such a joy to be a part of!
We will have some sporadic, optional off season sessions which I will communicate over email/social media. They will also be added to the calendar. I don't anticipate we will do anything until after the first of the year, unless we do some indoor over the holiday break. If anyone is still looking for a club team for the spring, please let me know and I will do my best to help you find one!
Thanks again and I already can't wait until 2017!
