Miller tries kick-starting Felicity-Franklin boys soccer
FELICITY - An hour before their road game at Bethel-Tate, Felicity-Franklin High School boys soccer coach Bil Miller had his Cardinals circled in some adjoining grass trying to get them mentally prepared.
Most years, Bethel-Tate is usually a first or second-place team. They have the luxury of some bench strength and a few club-level players. Miller was trying to get his guys to not focus on the name on the opposing uniform. All he wanted was 80 solid minutes from the dozen Cardinals staring at him as the sun set.
The message may have hit home, but with just one substitute, the team that has won more than they have lost beat the team that has lost more than they have won. Bethel-Tate shut out the Cardinals 6-0. It was a slight improvement over an 8-0 loss to the Tigers earlier in the season.
The struggle continues for the coach who won at Clermont Northeastern, Batavia and his alma mater, Anderson (coaching both boys and girls teams). Miller is used to the top floor and not the cellar.
“It’s been hard,” he said. “But, I told you at the beginning of the year, it was going to be a labor of love. It was something I wanted to do to help some of these kids learn a little bit. It’s like starting out at square one.”
The key difference is going from a school that featured year round soccer players to a school just trying to get enough guys on the field. For various reasons, getting a full squad at practice is an accomplishment.
“It’s still been fun,” Miller said. “We’ve gotten better. I want to see them compete and not give up and play for the whole 80 minutes.”
On the upside, playing time is not an issue at Felicity-Franklin. A recent game featured just 11 guys going the distance. Injuries can be devastating for more reasons than one.
Starting center back Logan Hatfield, recently had a concussion and leading scorer Noah Reisert broke his collarbone. Miller can’t reach down to the junior varsity, because there is none.
Minus Hatfield, Felicity-Franklin has just two seniors in Dell Preston and defender Kevin Arkenau.
“He (Arkenau) does a good job for us because he can physically match-up with other teams,” Miller said. “Most of the team are freshmen and sophomores. At the junior high there’s about seven or eight coming up, so we should be able to round out a team next year.”
The obvious downside of the numbers is the wear and tear on the players who can’t come out and get a drink. They usually tire out in the second half.
“With the exception of Bethel or Blanchester, we’ve been at 1-0 or 2-1 at halftime in games,” Miller said. “After halftime, the roof caves in because they’re just tired.”
The reality is conditioning becomes an issue because Miller needs to save their legs for the games.
The Cardinals close out the regular season at CNE Oct. 6 and at Georgetown Oct. 11. They tied CNE Sept. 19. After that, there’s the tournament draw and then a whole off-season to change the mental outlook of the squad.
“It’s a culture change,” Miller said. “If they lose, they lose. We’re trying to make it (winning) a little more important than that.”