By TIM BIRNEYValley Sports Report
WAVERLY — Second-year Waverly boys soccer coach Jonny Rankin said his numbers are solid, and his focus in the preseason is better in 2025 than the Wolverines were last year.
"It feels amazing to be back on the field. I'm loving every second of it.
"The guys are excited to be here, and I'm excited to be here, too," said Rankin.
"And, luckily I have some past athlete's help," he added in reference to Waverly soccer alum Cameron McIsaac, who was working with the goal keepers before heading back to RIT.
"We've got 15 right now," said Rankin. "One of them is dealing with a little nagging injury, but he'll be good to go for our first game Tuesday.
"I feel great about 15," he noted. "Ideally, I'd like to be closer to 18. I don't like to be above 18 becuse it gets a little tough with numbers and rotating kids out.
"Our junior high numbers are pretty good, and they've been putting in a lot of work," Rankin added.
Rankin likes what he has in the varsity ranks.
"I have a pretty solid group of kids, they love the grindstone," he said. "They love to work hard, so I feel real good about the group we have.
"A lot of the varsity guys got together this summer and invited the junior high boys to come play and work.
"They're all like-minded with us coaches about getting soccer more on the radar, and getting more kids excited about the sport," the added.
"Our preseason focus is on being better than we were last year, making improvements," said Rankin.
"Our goal this year is to make Sectionals. All these boys are motivated, that's what they want."
Rankin is also excited about his newcomers.
"I have a good group of freshmen," he said. "They had a great coach last year, who got them very excited for soccer, and excited to contribute to the change."
Waverly opens the 2025 Tuesday when it hosts Elmira.
"The Elmira game will be a good litmus test," said Rankin. "We held them to 0-0 at half last year, and had some good opportunities. They made some good adjustments at halftime, and we weren't able to figure it out and solve it.
"I'm excited to see what these guys can do this time," he added.
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PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.
