Albemarle’s boys soccer fan base showed incredible love during the Group AAA tournament making the trip up to Westfield High. Six days after the Patriots earned their first state championship in the sport with a 3-0 win over Colonial Forge, the school held a ceremony back on its home turf to honor the team’s remarkable run.
“I want to thank the boosters and the parents, your support, your guidance was incredible and it was a long year,” said Albemarle coach Scott Jackson while addressing the adoring fan base. “Back to the kids, they really earned this the old fashioned way – hard work. We had an incredibly deep team this year and that was the one thing that (Forge coach Jeremy Sargent) said after the game. He said ‘How’d you guys have so much energy.’ And it was just that we played with so many guys, they all played. That was the difference with this year’s team. They were such a special group. I hope you guys can cherish the memories.”
The event introduced each player by class by carting them around in a handful of convertibles (most notably a 1966 Pontiac GTO a.k.a ‘The Judge’) and a police escort. After the introductions the team was presented with its championship banner unveiled by athletic director Deb Tyson. The players were then each awarded championship t-shirts which they immediately threw into the crowd. Finally, an autograph session followed where the team signed photos and t-shirts for nearly 30 minutes.
For the players, the event served as a reminder of an accomplishment still quite fresh in the back of their minds.
“It’s still surreal,” said senior Alex Bohn. “Accomplishing something our school’s never accomplished before, and as a senior, implementing our mark into school history, it’s just a great way to leave the school. Our fans are amazing. On the away games, the amount of fans we had show up was insane. Honestly without them I don’t know that we could have done this. They were immeasurable.”
