Harbor Springs soccer playing beyond their years, add second win over BNC team
HARBOR SPRINGS — We’re a little over six weeks away from the MHSAA postseason boys soccer tournament beginning in the state of Michigan.
But as hot as his Harbor Springs team has opened the 2023 season, Rams coach Jeff Suffolk wishes it was already here.
“They really have good chemistry, the team likes each other and they hang out with each other,” said Suffolk. “They’ve trained all year and it’s showing early. I wish districts were the first week of the season because they’ve come out so ready.”
Entering Tuesday, the Rams had opened a 4-2 start to the season, though the losses came against large, private programs, including Warren De La Salle.
On Tuesday night, Harbor Springs added to that start with the school’s first-ever victory over Cadillac, another large program out of the Big North Conference, in a 7-0 final.
While it’s rare to pick up a BNC win – though it’s their second of the season after beating Alpena as well – it’s been that kind of start for the Rams.
“I don’t think beating a Big North team is par for the course, but we’re pumped to do it,” said Suffolk. “We’ve never beaten Cadillac in the history of Harbor soccer, so that was a big deal for the guys.”
VOTE: Vote for the Petoskey News-Review Athlete of the Week: Aug. 21-26
It came as Harbor’s fourth shutout of the season and fourth game they’ve scored at least four goals.
Speaking of four, it also came as the second four-goal game for freshman, yes, freshman Henry Juneau.
Juneau is up to now 12 goals to begin his high school career with the Rams. He scored two in the first half against the Vikings, then added another two in the second half.
“It’s pretty wild,” said Suffolk on his freshman. “He’s definitely a talented player, but it’s the buildup around him too. It’s not like he’s doing this one vs. one, the whole team is building up around him and he’s getting goals from all over the place. He’s a special finisher, that’s for sure. And we knew he was coming, so it’s nice for him to be with this senior class.”
MORE: NCMC volleyball builds win streak, Simney earns first win leading Rayder soccer
MORE: Petoskey soccer gets first win, Harbor Springs volleyball leans on serving for win
Juneau wasn’t the only freshman to score Tuesday, as Aaron Baughman added a late goal, while sophomore Ryan Novak and senior Everett Shepherd also found the back of the net.
Sophomore keeper Greyson Rife also earned another win in net for Harbor, before going down late with an injury off a collision with a Cadillac player.
The Rams are young across the board, though Suffolk is getting some good leadership from guys who have been around the program, like Shepherd, Jackson Deegan, Sam Miller and others.
“They’re just a great group of kids. I love these guys,” added Suffolk. “They lost last season to Charlevoix in the district semis and they all showed up the next day to start training. They were all focused. It’s a good crew and three years of working with this crew and teaching them a particular style of play and seeing them adapt to it is fun. They’re figuring it out now.”
The Rams will next welcome in Elk Rapids for a Lake Michigan Conference opener on Thursday, Aug. 31 at Ottawa Stadium. They’ll then travel to Harbor Light Christian on Tuesday, Sept. 5, out of the long weekend.
Contact Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com. Follow him on Twitter, @DrewKochanny, and Instagram, @drewkochanny
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Harbor Springs soccer playing beyond their years, add second win over BNC team
