To Coach Alan Pocock, the boys varsity soccer team’s win against Denton Ryan last Friday morning will always stand out.
The game marked his 250th win, not just with the Lions, but in his career as a coach.
“It’s kind of humbling to voice aloud that in 21 different years, with 21 different teams and personalities, this team is the one I’ll think of when I think 250,” Coach Pocock said. “It’s a great group of hardworking guys, with a lot of level-headed seniors.”
Before the game, the coach was confident that his team would play well.
“I looked at our score from the last game and some of the other team’s stats, and I wasn’t intimidated by any 5A label,” Pocock said. “Unfortunately, soccer is a game where anything could happen, and the best team doesn’t always win, but our boys jumped on pretty quick.”
At halftime, the score was tied at zero.
“I moved a couple players around in the second half,” Pocock said. “In the 58th minute, Sean Townsend scored on a corner kick, and that got things going.”
The final score was 3-0.
“I hadn’t mentioned anything to the team about the number win that it would be because I didn’t want it to get to their heads. Afterward, I told them. I wanted them to know what it meant to me and that I will always remember their faces,” Pocock said. “There was a dog-pile, and they all signed the match report sheet.”
The Lions’ next game is against Wylie on Friday.
“It’s always great to build on positives. We’re in the toughest district since the last time McKinney was in 5A. Not to belittle the four District Championships we’ve won in 4A or the eight straight play-offs we’ve been to, but the strength in some of the other teams is monumental. It’s definitely David vs. Goliath,” Pocock said. “But who knows, we know how that story ended.”
by Kayla Crowley