Second-place finish won't define Revere boys soccer's legacy. Its professionalism will
COLUMBUS — The most overused phrase in all of sports is, “No one thought we could do it.”
In a way, that phrase fit the Revere boys soccer team better than almost anyone else this season.
The Minutemen (20-1-2) had believers, but a team that lost 19 players and eight starters from a regional finalist could be excused for taking its lumps.
Instead, Revere reached its seventh state final and only lost once, to two-time champion Tippecanoe.
“To pick up the pieces in our younger program and for them to put it together like they did was great,” Revere coach Nick DePompei said. “We have high expectations, but for how they did it. To watch them come together as a group to get to this point was amazing.”
Nineteen first-year players, just one loss. That's Revere boys soccer
One 2-0 loss to the Red Devils doesn’t define a season for the state runners-up.
A Suburban League American Conference title was a precursor to what was ahead for these Minutemen. They rolled through district, regional and the state final by only giving up one goal. During that postseason stretch, they outscored opponents 28-1.
“It was that (regional semifinal) game when we beat Maumee 5-0,” Revere midfielder Joe Brown said. “That’s when I thought, ‘This is real. It’s not last year.’ It’s not when we had a stacked lineup full of seniors. We’re working with what we got and can make it happen.”
That belief spread throughout the lineup.
For those players, it was a feeling of when and not if.
“Revere as a program can do anything,” Revere midfielder Zach Iler said. “We can do anything we put our minds to. At the end of the day, we got a bit unlucky, but no matter whatever personnel we have we can always piece it together and make something great happen.”
A group individuals becomes one incredible Revere boys soccer team
That showed up in droves as Division II Player of the year Dylan Halm (33 goals, 10 assists), AJ Catlett (11, 27), Jeff Boyle (11, 8), Gavin Boltz (8, 7), Brown (4, 4) and Iler (3, 4) torched teams with 81 goals.
Jake Nations (60 saves, 12 shutouts) held opponents at bay in his first season on the parent club and the Minutemen started to roll.
“There was a little bit of getting to know each other this season,” Boyle said. “That feistiness at practice brought us together. I’m going to miss them. These guys have kind of been my social life.”
Tradition will live on at an already-stout Revere boys soccer program
Boyle, Iler and Catlett know the true meaning of being a Minuteman.
The three returning starters leave a program that won four straight district titles and three SL crowns. They finished 67-10-6 in four seasons and played in the state's elite eight three times.
“They’ve got a lot of energy and like to have a good time with each other,” DePompei said. “There’s a lot of different personalities in this group. When there’s a lot of different personalities, some might get worried that it’s going to clash when there’s not a set way of doing things.
"These guys took care of each other like a family. When one or two were down they know how to bring them up again. That’s what’s more pleasing as a coach. It was nice to see how these guys picked each other up.”
Contact Brad Bournival at bbournival@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @bbournival
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: OHSAA boys soccer: Revere's runner-up finish is a script worth writing
