The 2024/25 school year has been a year of history with the celebration of the 100th birthday of St. Barnabas Parish. I'm a huge fan of history: world, US, and sports. History provides a sense of belonging by connecting us to the experiences of our families and community. It's how we develop memories, both joyous and painful. Most importantly for sports, it helps us understand change and how we learn to plan for the future. However, before we get to the future, let's take a walk down memory lane and smile when thinking about the past and present.
Ten years ago, the soccer program was revitalized through the Saturday morning Coffee League. 275 kids participated in League and Saturday soccer. 275! Amongst them are at least 12 kids still playing on high school soccer teams. The addition of the Bitty Buckeyes to learn the basics of the beautiful game sparked a new age for the Barnabas soccer program. And leading 35 PreK and Kindergarten players on Team #1 (Blue) was Jose Rivero.
For those of you that haven't met Jose, or know him but haven't seen him on the touchline, the best adjectives to describe him are intensity and passion, in either order. From preseason planning at his house to in-game tactics to an Adventure Guides chef, Jose is always cooking up something whether it be classic nicknames for our favorite referees, practice drills, or his fantastic pallela. Jose has been a staple of the Barnabas soccer program for 10 years, coaching at all levels as a head coach or assistant wherever he was needed. He finished his Varsity head coaching career this Spring season with the largest recruiting class of varsity boys since Spring 2017. And the team performed up to his high standards against the toughest schedule in the league. It's only fitting that he watched with this year's assistants Marco Tinio and Eamon Reilly as his son Finian scored on the final play of their final Barnabas game together to tie one of the playoff teams as the dust storm approached, assisted by Liam after Jack intercepted a pass. Jose left a trail for us current coaches to follow similar to that of strong spring storms (that we've all stood in and watched games).
Unfortunately for us Buckeyes, this Spring was very rough in the standings for all of our teams, marking the first season in the last 6 without a Varsity of JV playoff appearance and no wins in the St. Linus youth league playoffs. The 5th-6th grade JV team had the best record and the only Pack the Park victory (against rival St. Gerald!), losing out on the playoffs by a tiebreaker. The 8th-grade Varsity victory came against rival St. Alexander, and the 7th grade Varsity highlight was a last second goal to tie St. Cajetan in a battle of Beverly. In the youth levels, each level had two teams this season, creating the perfect matchups for Pack the Park. In a similar fashion to last year, the 3rd-4th grade teams tied again, while 1/2 Red got the best of 1/2 white. KINDERGARTEN had 24 kids join this season, the most since 8th grade graduates were at that level 9 years ago. I've been told many enjoyed the season and we look forward to them joining the grade level teams next Fall.
This year, in addition to the shoutout to Jose and the other Varsity and JV coaches, I must say this has been a great year with parents coaches and volunteers. The Fall Coffee League had the most coaches in my three years, the Fall League had the most teams in my three years, and as noted above, the Spring had the most youngsters of my three years. It's been a real joy to see the excitement and a great help to keep our kids excited about soccer. The spring's weather was again no joke at the beginning and y'all handled it without worry while I was away. Amber Chatellier and her Pack the Park team took the reigns early and improved upon last year's inaugural Pack the Park event with another fabulous day this May. A few parents were helping to clean up after the final game, about 5 hours after setup began, and the kids were still passing and shooting the ball while others were chasing balloons on a sunny and windy spring day. Rain will catch up with us one year, but hopefully not until after I am off the clock!
There's one more history lesson before summer vacation and it takes us back to the aforementioned Fall 2015 Coffee League when our Class of 2025 graduates first kicked the ball for the Buckeyes. Evan Cooney, Colm Crowley, James Kaskie, Sam Konrath, Jack Reilly, and Finian Rivero started young and finished this final season for us. Jack and Finny were joined by regulars Finn Curley, Nathan Doig, Kyi Hampton, Colin Harris, Waylon Szczytowski, and Liam Tinio, for many, many seasons together. Edward Lyon, Mickey Perfetti, and Grayson Wiers returned this season after playing during their early years at St. Barnabas. (Adam Wiers and I coached together long ago!) Lastly, Kieran Thiagarajan and Cooper Tyrcha joined the team for a few seasons over their final years on Longwood. There are rumors that more than a few of these young men are looking forward to continuing with soccer while others will focus on their true loves baseball, basketball, lacrosse, volleyball, and of course, learning. We wish them all the best as they head on to the next steps in their lives as noted below.
