Dylan Slager is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Chaparral High School for AZPreps365.com. 

In their first season back in the 5A Conference, the Chaparral varsity boys soccer team scorched their way into the playoffs and did so in dominant fashion.

The Firebirds opened up the season with an impressive 6-4 win over the Coyotes of Campo Verde High School. Later in the season, the boys then went on to gain back to back 4-0 wins over region rivals Desert Mountain and Notre Dame Prep.

“Good leadership from the seniors is really important,” coach Jason Speirs said as he reflected on how his seniors helped elevate the team throughout the season.

Speirs, who is in his 19th year as head coach for the program, weighed in heavily on the true leadership he asked for from his seniors and how much their words and actions would affect the other players. Speirs really breaks down how important that they are the mentors of the team.

“I brought the seniors together and talked to them personally, just by themselves,” he said, “just to tell them their expectations. This is how they gotta treat the younger ones because you’re bringing them into the fold. You may be gone next year, but I’m gonna still be here.”

The impact of the seniors shows as they have led the team through thick and thin this season. Senior goalkeeper Nathan Kattan held multiple shutouts this season. Seniors Drew Friedland and the Dutch-born Ruben Derksen also shined and proved to be major contributors to the strong core the Firebirds have built. 

“Chemistry is, probably, one of the most important things, as a team,” said Derksen. “I believe, if you have good chemistry as a team, you fight harder. You fight for each other. Just winning a game can be the best thing ever or something much less desirable, depending on the chemistry.”

The Firebirds proved throughout this season that it is hard to count them out of any game they went into this season. Of the many talented players and coaches within this team, Kattan attributes more to their success than just talent.

“I’ve known these kids since middle school, so I kind of see them as family,” the Firebirds goalkeeper said. “I feel like the bond that we have created has helped us out so much throughout these games. A lot of these games we were down 1-0 at halftime, and we came back and went 2-1, or 3-1. It’s the bond that you build as a team that puts that extra effort at the end of the game.”

Derksen spoke strongly on the amount of energy and time that affected the team both positively and negatively. 

“Here, the distance. Especially to games like Verrado. We had like a two hour bus ride and that really killed us in the first half. It gets you sleeping and relaxed because you’re on a bus with your friends,” he said.

The 5A Conference play-in games will begin on Thursday, Feb. 9 at 6 p.m. The eight winners of the respective games will be reseeded and placed with the top 8 to make the official 16 team bracket, which kicks off on Tuesday, Feb. 14 at 6 p.m.