With Josh already off at college and Jake now a High School Senior, this is likely our final Fall Sports blog post. It’s certainly been Jake’s final season of High School Soccer – but what a season it was!
Jake and the Hornets came out of the hive buzzing and avenged last years opening game loss with a 7-0 stinging of Newburyport. One of those goals was Jake’s – and it was far from his last. The game set the tone for the entire season. The Hornets played possession soccer, capitalized on key match-ups, and never gave up.
By the time the regular season was over, Jake led the team with 16 goals. He led the Cape Ann League with 23 total points (Goals + Assists) and was named to the Cape Ann League First Team All-Stars, the Eastern Massachusetts All-Star, and the All-State teams, not to mention earning Hornet of the Week honors along the way!
Of course, all of this made Jake a marked man. He’d regularly be assigned an “escort” from the other team to go wherever he went. Sometimes it was a really big escort!
No matter, Jake still exploited his speed and scored regularly with both right and left feet – this one’s going in!
The Hornets finished the regular season at 12-3-3 and earned the #1 seed in the MIAA Division III North Tournament. With a bye in the first round, they began their championship quest with a quarterfinal match against Watertown – the same team that knocked them out of last year’s tournament with a 0-1 OT loss in the semifinals. This year, it was the Hornets who scored the 1-0 win in OT but, unfortunately for Jake, it would also be the end of his season. Ten minutes into the game, he challenged two defenders, went airborne, and landed on his shoulder breaking his collarbone. He’d watch the rest of the tournament from the bench.
The Hornets went on to win that quarterfinal as well as the semifinal that followed. But when they go to the finals, despite a mid-game lead, they were defeated by Wayland, finishing their season.
Jake’s season finished with being honored as the team’s MVP at the school’s Fall Sports Awards Ceremony.
Here’s a video that John made for the team summarizing their season…
We’re wicked proud of Jake’s accomplishments in soccer. We certainly had a lot of fun watching him on the field. Congratulations Jake! (And heal up for the spring tournaments!)
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