This summer, the boys varsity soccer team will prepare for the upcoming fall season.

JV boys soccer coach, Oscar Sarmiento or “Profe” as many players know him, says the team will undergo intense preparation. “We have two captains that…assist us to make sure that students or participants for all three teams…are showing up to do at least an hour and a half of conditioning to get to the right stage when it comes to Aug. 1,” he said.

Aug. 1 is the first day the school can run official practices. “When we start on Aug. 1 we do run a lot and at that point we expect to see who’s ready to go…soccer is about conditioning and being fit so that’s why we expect that during the summer our captains are helping us,” he said.

Not only does the team practice every weekday but Sarmiento said they also play games. “For a third year in a row, we have been asked to join the Twinsburg summer league which is run in the afternoons…it covers eight to nine games and they are playing against other teams…that want to be pre-fit before August 1st,” he said.

Sarmiento describes the summer as something that will “help you in the long run.” He said, “The season goes real fast…it could be August 4th, we already have a game and although it’s preseason, we assume that our players are 100% ready to go…It’s just non-stop.”

One of the big events the soccer team has every summer is a preseason camp in Edinboro, Pa. “It’s only four days but it’s coached by college coaches…they’re playing a higher level than Twinsburg for example. I think Edinboro is a bit more close to where they need to be and they’re exposed as well and there is some scouts that come and see them…those are connections that at one point is going to help them in their life,” he said.

Sarmiento admits he’s learned to balance soccer and his personal life over the summer. “For example, last summer I travelled to France…I remember, I didn’t care, I was jet-lagged, you name it. It was a 16 hour trip but as soon as I landed I just took a shower and went straight to Twinsburg ‘cause I wanted to see them,” he said.

One of his favorite parts of the preseason is “see(ing) what’s incoming.” He said, “If I could…tell the head coaches if we need to do anything beyond what is in front of us…I want to be the eyes for them because they’re all so busy.”

Junior Nico Marella who will be next year’s senior captain said “preseason training is important. Primarily for conditioning, as Coach Mac stresses fitness as the first criteria for a university player.”

Marella and sophomore Jack Dominish, next year’s junior captain, agreed upon the social aspect of summer practice. “Players that go to summer practices are much closer to everyone,” said Dominish.

Edinboro camp is one of the big events every year for the soccer team. Edinboro camp is “an unforgettable experience. You get to…grow some of your best high school friendships,” Dominish said. “You’re responsible for going to practices, games, and fitness in the morning, and that shared sense of freedom is a binding experience,” Dominish said.

Although the preseason training is necessary for the team to get back in shape, it is “better than the regular season practices” according to Marella. He said, “(My favorite part of soccer over the summer is) being able to hang out with friends, meet new players and underclassmen, and just play some soccer with the boys.”