Share this story:

“Special Group” of Warriors Make Boys’ Soccer Season One to Remember

11/17/2014

A tough loss to Caravel Academy on Saturday, November 8th, put an end to the Sanford boys’ soccer squad’s hopes of a state title—for this year.

But to coach John Donecker, that loss was secondary to the story of a spectacular season, which saw a dedicated and talented group of seniors lead the Warriors to their first Delaware Independent School Conference championship since 1999.

“This team was a special group,” he said. “Really fun to work with, and they worked really hard all season to do the things we asked them to do.”

The Warriors, who ended the regular season with an 11–4–1 record, emerged as conference champions following a thrilling October 30th home game against longtime rival Tower Hill.

In the three years he has been head coach, John said, his goal has been to “change the culture on campus around the soccer program. We believe we should be winning conference titles—you need to have success for that mindset to change.”

The program has certainly achieved that success. The Tower Hill game drew “a huge crowd, the biggest I’ve seen here in years.” Parents, faculty, and local community members packed the sidelines to cheer on the team, and the game was live streamed on the Sanford News Network website—with live commentary from former Sanford coach Chip Mayo and sophomore Tré Armstrong.

John pointed to the five varsity seniors—Joey Basciani, Chester Burnett, Jake Emanuel, Chase Humphreys, and Erik Lundberg—as examples of the kind of leadership that has made improvement possible. From the beginning of the season, he said, “they were preaching ‘one team, one family’” and making an effort to make the 8th and 9th graders and new students feel like integral parts of the team.

He also said that he and his “fantastic assistant coaches,” Marc Samonisky and Logan Herring, made it clear in preseason that they wanted the squad to compete for the DISC championship. Logan, a Sanford alumnus, was a senior during the 1999 season, and played on the varsity team that last won the DISC title. Throughout the season, he shared his experiences with the team, inspiring them to work towards the same goal.

After winning the conference championship, the Sanford team beat Christiana High School 2–1 in an exciting first-round tournament game. Senior Joey Basciani scored both of Sanford’s goals—the winning one an improbable high shot from 35 yards out that dropped into the upper right corner. “One of the best goals I’ve seen at the high school level, ever,” John said. “He’s the heart and soul of the team and he worked so hard for that.”

The loss to Caravel was disappointing, but the coaching staff is already looking forward to next fall. “We’re very excited about the seniors we’ll have next year, but also about the players that continue to come up from middle school or other schools,” John said.

More than anything, he wants this season’s standard of hard work, dedication, and teamwork to continue into the program’s future. Watching the team beat Tower Hill for the championship was a special experience. “To see our guys celebrating, and being excited,” he said, “it was magical.”

Back