By Taylor Bush

The BHS Varsity Soccer Teams have shown impressive teamwork in the games this year. The efforts of the players have helped prepare the girls and boys for the excellent season they are in the midst of.
Both the Girls and Boys Varsity Soccer Team practice every weekday for two hours. Extensive training of the basics and fundamentals of soccer has set up both teams for a successful season. The Girls Varsity Soccer Team has only lost two games so far which pales in comparison to the six wins the team has achieved. The Boys Varsity Soccer Team has had an impeccable season by winning seven of their eight games so far. Congratulations, players! Corey Morrison, a junior on the boys’ team, says “Our team has done an awesome job coming together this year to play well.” Both teams have brought great pride to the BHS community with their hard work.
Chip Ariail serves as head coach of both soccer teams. Coach Ariail has held this position for over a decade and continues to do a great job with the teams.  Ariail teaches Visual Arts at Bainbridge Middle School, yet he dedicates much of his time to the players by attending all BHS soccer practices and games, alternating between girls’ and boys’ practices. Jamie Ard, principal of West Bainbridge Elementary, assists in coaching the boys’ team. Ard comments, “I am glad that I have coached. The boys have really developed as a team this year, and are fun to be around.” Jennifer Oldaker also contributes to the success of the players by being assistant coach of the girls’ team. Oldaker is a teacher of FACS Essentials, Food Nutrition, and Human Growth and Development at BHS. The three coaches deserve to be commended for their dedication of time and care to the teams.
The senior players on the boys’ team this year are Mike Bush, Davin Butler, Cameron Campbell, Maurico Granados, Darrell Thompson, Alex Ward, and Terrance White.  Honorina Barrios, Jennifer Becerra, Lilly Gomez, and Rebecca Mulkey are the senior players on the girls’ team. Coach Ariail says that these players “have done a good job in leading their squads on the practice field and in the games towards a successful season.”
The teams are not yet finished with their hard work, however. The girls and boys Varsity Soccer Players still have two games left to play in the regional season. The goal is to conquer each of these games one at a time to earn a spot in the state play-offs. BHS has high hopes for the motivated players. “I am proud of what we have accomplished to this point,” reports Coach Ard, “We still cannot get satisfied as we have not reached our ultimate goal, but it has been loads of fun so far.” The boys and girls receive full support from their teachers, administrators, and fellow students as they continue through their season.  Good luck, BHS Varsity Soccer Players!