The transition from middle to high school can be daunting in any case, but it’s especially intimidating when you make a sports team… and it’s varsity…and you are one of only two freshmen on the team. Such is the case for freshmen Liam Dixon and Nolan Allen. They both faced some anxiety at the beginning of the season.
“I was a little bit nervous just because there is a lot to expect from a freshman on varsity,” said Dixon.
Allen agreed, saying, “For the first game, I was definitely kind of nervous because of the different playing styles, playing with way older, and way bigger kids.”
Having strong role models to learn from was very helpful as they adjusted to a new environment.
Dixon said he looks up to senior Owen Walsh ,who is committed to play soccer at Connecticut College, because “he is a really good defender and is going on to play soccer in college,” something Dixon is also interested in doing.
One of Allen’s role models is senior Alan Montanez. After becoming close during the beginning of the season, Montanez gave Allen a lot of advice on topics on and off the field. Allen also admires Montanez’s commitment to the team.
“Even though [Montanez] tore his ACL and does not play, he still shows up to pretty much all of the games and everything,” Allen said. However, these are not the only valuable relationships that the team has fostered.
The annual trip to Jekyll Island for a tournament was a great opportunity to build relationships with their teammates as well.
“On the Jekyll trip, I got to know a lot more of the players better because [Allen] wasn’t there,” Dixon said. It forced me to go talk to more of the older players and get to know them better.”
Adding a varsity sport to an already difficult transition into high school was tricky for Dixon and Allen, but they were able to get into a routine of balancing school and soccer.
“Time management has definitely been a big beast because I don’t have as much free time after school to do homework,” Allen said. “So, whether it’s doing it in class or getting it done when I get home, I have to make sure I get it finished.”
Similarly, Dixon found that “before I could try to mess around and not really focus, but now I have to make sure that I complete all of my work before games and stuff like that because I won’t have time after.”
Dixon and Allen’s hard work and determination has helped the team finish the regular season with a record of 11-8-1 and they advanced to the second round of the state playoffs before falling to Glynn Academy on April 26.
