MORGAN COUNTY
Despite losing nine seniors from last season, Morgan County’s boys soccer team has high hopes for this year.
A large portion of the roster this season is younger players, but coach Aaron Paul knows he still has some talent.
“Of those nine seniors we lost, all have been a big part of the team the last four years. We’ve lost a lot,” Paul said. “We lost Scott Chamberlain, Mckaylan Williams, and Peyton (Camp). Gosh, the list just goes on. That whole class was incredible. Alex Ortiz, Caleb Keener, and Gianluca Corrias were also big parts of our success.”
Paul knew his roster had “holes” to fill, but before this season, he was confident those returning would step up. The longtime Morgan County coach mentioned he has four current seniors who will also play a huge role.
“We’re going to be young this year. It’s crazy,” Paul added. “We went from being old and seasoned to being very young. I’ve only got four seniors this year, and two of those guys are starting and rotating on our defense. Santiago Ramirez and Bennett Cousins are stepping in there. Benny Lambert is another senior rotating in on defense for us. And Alex Anderson will rotate in and out on our offensive attack for us this year.”
Last season, Morgan County’s offensive attack struggled, so that’s a point of emphasis Paul wants to improve on.
The Dogs return junior midfielder Teddy Young, who started last season. However, they’ll rely on two new strikers in sophomores Korbin Hegwood and Larson Detienne. Those three could have a lot of success on the pitch.
Morgan County also returns experienced players such as Kentucky Outlaw, Teddy Young, Blake Downs, Carson Keener, Julian Tenerio, and Brandon Lopez. Those six players will also provide support for the team.
Paul expects those three needed to lead the charge on offense as he hopes for shots to end up in the back of the net.
“Our offense was not very good (last year). Our shot percentage and accuracy was not where it needs to be,” Paul said. “So we have to get better at our attack. The mentality for us this year has been improving our shooting and scoring percentages and the accuracy of our shots.
"That is going to be pivotal for us this season. Looking back at the end-of-year data from 2023, our shot percentage was 39 percent of shots on target. I told the guys last April that if we were to increase that data by 10 percent, we probably win more games.”
As far as expectations go, Morgan County is looking to secure a fourth-straight Region 4-AAA title this year. The Dogs are also looking to advance past the quarterfinal round of the GHSA Class AAA state playoffs.
While Paul knows his team is young, he can feel the hunger his players have to win another region title and return to the playoffs. His players are fired up to get back out on the pitch but know they’ve also got a lot to work on.
“Despite winning our region and getting to the second round of the playoffs last year, our record wasn’t stellar,” Paul said. “You’d expect to say we were 10-5 or 12-4. We were 8-6-2. Barely over .500 But it helps this year that I’ve got a full staff for the first time since 2019. Our players know the expectations this year.”