A new start for Silverado soccer

By Jared Harmon

Thursday, Sept. 4, 2008 | midnight

Silverado boys soccer coach John Cwik has grown accustomed to seeing the Skyhawks sit atop the Southeast Division the last seven years.

But, after graduating 10 players from last year's Sunrise Regional championship team, Cwik said the future remains in the hands — or feet — of his inexperienced squad this season.

The 'Hawks return four players and only one senior. With just 12 players on the roster and a handful of underclassmen looking to see significant field time, Cwik said it will be tough to get a handle on where the team fits in the division.

"We're coming off a pretty special time for the program," Cwik said. "The kids we graduated were some of the top kids in the city. You can't expect that every year. So, this year we're comparatively young, inexperienced and thin."

Silverado traditionally has strong defenses and Cwik said that won't change this fall. Senior Justin Close replaces all-state selection Joey Mora at goalie.

"Even last year we were offensively challenged but we could count on our defense to keep us in games," Cwik said. "We're going to need that again this year."

Senior midfielder and captain Gary Diego agreed defense will again be a rallying point for the Skyhawks, but said teamwork will be the key to a successful season.

"We knew coming in that this year would be more of a struggle but I don't think we knew the numbers would be so low," Diego said. " If we start working as a team we could go far. "

The lack of depth will be a tough obstacle to overcome as avoiding injuries will become crucial. Cwik, who has not had a losing team at Silverado since 2001, said he's ready for the challenge and uncertainty that lie ahead.

"We knew coming in that we weren't going to start off as the top dogs," Cwik said. "I'm sure I'll pick up a few more gray hairs this season but the kids who are out here are survivors. They're willing to put in the extra time and work in this heat. A lot of kids just aren't willing to do that. You can work with kids like this."