When head coach Christopher Fonehouse mapped out the 2015-16 schedule for his Vero Beach High boys soccer team, it was designed to toughen up his squad for a run in the postseason. That maneuver turned out to be a bit of a gamble when his team struggled in the early going against top-tier competition.
The risk was that the players might become demoralized, but just the opposite occurred. Fonehouse apparently knew the type of talent and character he was coaching, and the plan worked to perfection. Through Tuesday of last week the Fighting Indians had won six straight and nine out of 10 to elevate their regular season to 12-6-2. They also secured the No. 1 seed in District 10-5A by going 4-0-1.
As a result, VBHS advanced directly to the semifinals of the postseason district tournament on Wednesday of this week to face the winner of an earlier play-in game. A victory would guarantee a spot in the regional tournament regardless of the outcome of the district championship.
“We had some quality wins when we traveled to Tallahassee and I thought that fortified our team confidence,” Fonehouse said, referring to the Capital City Classic in December when the Fighting Indians were 2-1 against very rugged competition. “The guys are actually meshing together as a unit, believing in one another, buying into the system of play, and fulfilling their roles.
“This is the first time since I’ve been here that all of the guys collectively are buying into the team aspect as opposed to just playing for themselves. That’s why we are currently having all of this success.”
Even though VBHS has recently dominated some out-of-conference teams by posting the first three mercy-rule romps for Fonehouse in his six-year tenure, all five regular-season district matches have been nail-biters. The four victories were all decided by one goal.
“I want to emphasize that this is probably one of the toughest districts in the state,” the coach told us. “Any team one-through-six can win this district tournament. So I think there is a point of emphasis amongst our seniors that is filtering down to the underclassmen about the importance of the first game. The boys have been in that particular situation in the past two years and we have been knocked out in the semifinals.
“As sports people know, when you get into any type of tournament play you have to be at your best mentally and physically. We put in all of this hard work throughout the season to get the No. 1 seed, and now we have to be ready to fulfill our true obligation of bringing home the district title.”
Evidently the team that was only 3-5-2 at one point is on the rise at the most opportune time. The confidence level is high. Junior Wesley Alexander has six shutouts to his credit in goal. Seniors Matt Metz, Kaden Diniz, Bennett O’Brien and Tyler Rogers produced goals in waves last week when VBHS outscored Lincoln Park Academy and Port St. Lucie by a combined 17-1.
“This time of year it’s basically business as usual because of all the strong competition that we’ve faced throughout the regular season,” Fonehouse said. “The system is in place and if the boys go out and execute what we’ve been doing all season long, success will be there for us. That’s been obvious since we started playing our matches at home (early season games all away), where we have been controlling the play and dominating the games.
“Basically what we are trying to do is maintain possession, build up from the back, and look for the counterattacks. Younger players in high school tend to lose sight of their positioning on the field. That’s when I try to guide them from the sidelines to keep their shape and formation so there isn’t penetration from the other side.
“The majority of my (six) seniors are very physical and athletic. I’m fortunate –and the team is fortunate – to have them. We use that to our advantage, particularly with reference to our sets on offense and defense. When we go in strong and win those physical 50-50 battles on the field, it’s very advantageous to our team.
“I’m a very vocal individual and that was one of the key elements to my success as a player (at Siena College) and to our success as team. Some of that is filtering off to our seniors and leaders. I hear more guys out there communicating. I’m still quite animated in making sure everyone is where they should be on the field.
“So if they continue doing what they’ve been doing, there should be a lot of success for these young men.”