How region champion Clover boys’ soccer has overcome adversity as postseason play looms

The rules are simple. A player receives a pass and shoots the ball at the goal with his first touch then runs in between the sticks to defend the next player’s shot attempt.

If a player can score and get the save, he runs to the back of the line to repeat the process. If he kicks the ball outside the fence or allows the opponent to score, he’s eliminated.

It’s a training exercise utilized by the boys’ soccer team at Clover High School to work on first-time finishing and goal-line defending. On Thursday, the cheers and laughter echoing from Clover’s ninth-grade campus field breathe life into an otherwise quiet morning before the first students arrive on campus.

Joining in on the fun is 49-year-old Graham Stafford, Clover’s head coach for 11 seasons. And as the warmer weather from spring continues to roll in, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“At the start of the season in February and March, it’s hard,” Stafford said. “It’s cold out here. It’s dark, the lights are on, and it’s frozen. Right now, this is gravy, this is money. This is easy for us, and they’re used to it now. And I think this helps with the chemistry. Nobody’s here. There’s no noise. There’s no other team waiting to get on. This environment here is the key to it as well. It’s helped bring us together because it’s like a little family out here every morning, having breakfast together.”

Clover is having one of its best seasons under Stafford.

The Blue Eagles are 20-1 and clinched their second undefeated region championship and fifth overall in Stafford’s tenure following a 4-0 win against Blythewood on Monday.

This comes after Clover advanced to the 5A state championship game despite finishing third in its region last year. The Blue Eagles lost 2-0 to Ashley Ridge in a rain-soaked affair.

“We’re managing the expectation that we got there last year,” Stafford said. “There’s no gimmies. We’ve got no right to get back there again this year just because of last year. That means nothing. It’s a good challenge obviously, and we put ourselves in a good position.”

Clover struggled with absences from key players all season.

Starting forwards Sam Sykes and James Jenkin missed time with an ankle avulsion fracture and a high ankle sprain, respectively, while starting defender Trenton Palumbo was out at the beginning of the season with a hip flexor.

Stafford said club seasons also created some scheduling conflicts, causing players to miss games. Clover wasn’t able to use the same lineups in back-to-back games until well into region play and didn’t field its best 11 players until a 7-0 win against Spring Valley on April 9.

Even with the team getting healthier as the season goes on, the Blue Eagles are still missing senior co-captain Cory Lownds, who is expected back for the postseason after recovering from an MCL sprain.

“It’s like an itch that can’t be scratched,” senior defender Blake Harrill said. “It’s really annoying because you can’t get your best players in, but we had several guys that were able to step up in the preseason and early games that did well, so I’m not complaining. I’m just glad they’re back.”

Jenkin, a co-captain, said that the team has grown closer off the field as much as on it. That camaraderie has allowed the Blue Eagles to maintain their form even while dealing with injuries.

“Obviously, we have the morning practices, but we do a lot of stuff outside of soccer,” the Coastal Carolina commit said. “Soccer is very important, but we also have other stuff going on like team bonding, building up the chemistry. We’ve just been playing really well as a team, and it’s been working out for us.”

Clover’s experience also has played a part in keeping the team on track.

All three of the Blue Eagles’ double-digit goal scorers (Landon Sykes: 12; Grady Pierce: 11; Jenkin: 10) and their top assists leaders (Lownds: 13; Nolan Pinti, Landon Sykes, and Jenkin: 5) are seniors.

Lownds said that a big focus for the team is taking things one step at a time, an approach that is crucial for a team trying to make it back to the state championship.

“I think we have a lot more experience,” Lownds said. “We know what it feels like to get to the final, so I feel like if we’re there again, hopefully, we’ll be more prepared and understand the game a lot better than we did before.”

Stafford lauded the team’s defense as well, calling the senior centerback duo of Harrill and the two-sport Palumbo “two rocks”.

The six-foot Palumbo, who also played basketball for Clover, uses his height and athleticism to challenge taller forwards, while Harrill’s toughness wears opposing players out and forces more mistakes on the ball.

“We got some guys that can get you off your seat. They’re really exciting players to watch, Landon Sykes and Sam Sykes especially, but we’ve also got a good engine to the team,” Stafford said. “We’ve got some tough players that are going to win the ball for us and allow those guys to express themselves higher up the pitch. We’ve got some rocks back there that are (strong) on defense, and you want a strong defense if you’re going to have a chance of doing well in the playoffs.”

The 5A boys soccer playoffs begin April 29.

Stafford hopes last year’s state championship loss still resonates with the team as they make the push for redemption.

“When you get to the playoffs, anything can happen, so we’re certainly not going to look past the first round which is T.L. Hanna,” Stafford said. “We’ve got some good pieces of the puzzle this year that are fitting together nicely. Being senior-heavy, there’s a bit more focus, a bit more maturity, and hopefully there’s a bit of a chip on their shoulder still.”

Clover will host that first-round match. Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

This story was originally published April 26, 2024 at 5:30 AM.