CHEBOYGAN – Results-wise, it’s been a difficult season for the Cheboygan Chiefs on the soccer pitch.
The good news is their overall play has improved drastically since the start of the campaign.
Evidence of that was provided on Monday by the Chiefs, who created chances and looked dangerous at times despite an 8-0 home loss to Boyne City.
Here’s some takeaways from Monday’s game.
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Positive signs
While it’s been a struggle defensively for Cheboygan, it never stopped battling against a Boyne City squad that featured several clinical attackers. The opportunities were there for the Chiefs, but coach Bob Miller knows the play needs to be just a little bit quicker from his young squad if it wants to find the back of the net more.
“They’re young – they’ve gotten a lot better,” Miller said. “They’ve gotten a lot of compliments from other teams that we’ve played and referees who have officiated our games. A lot of our boys haven’t played a lot of soccer. We just need to keep working on the basics, communication, trapping, passing and a lot of cardio, because we don’t have subs.
“These guys have outlasted teams that are easily quite a bit bigger than them as far as numbers.”
Helping make the Chiefs (0-12-0, 0-10-0 Northern Shores Conference) look dangerous attacking-wise were junior midfielder Brady Lockwood, as well as freshmen Trenton LaHaie and Hayden Wheelock, who created scoring chances.
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At the same time, the Ramblers (2-10-1, 2-7-1) had success against Cheboygan’s defense as junior Dylan Pellerito, who scored the first two goals of the game, netted a hat trick, while Mason Vadnais added two goals.
For a team that’s also struggled this fall, the performance was the confidence boost Boyne City needed.
“We wanted to work on some specific things from practice, connecting more in the midfield and sending the ball out wide to the flags, and then crosses into dangerous areas,” Boyne City coach Abner Bardeguez said. “We were able to make those connections. It was also an opportunity for us to play some new guys on the team that joined kind of late, and we’re trying to get them up to speed. The younger guys need more experience and more touches on the ball, because we need them to execute just as well as the other guys so that our level doesn’t go down when we send substitutes in.”
Rounding out Boyne City with a goal apiece were Felix Bair, Reese Bey and Evan Biskner.
Continuing to fight
The Chiefs have endured their fair share of lopsided setbacks this campaign, but what Miller has been impressed with is their ability to keep fighting despite the struggles.
“(Continuing to battle) is a lost skill,” Miller said. “I keep telling them that everybody wants it now, everybody’s addicted to the dopamine rush of seeing something on their phone. Fighting as hard as they are – repeatedly – and losing, and putting a smile on, and I said, ‘You guys are going to be leaders in whatever arena you’re in,’ because if somebody gets in your face and tells you to do it again, you’re going to go, ‘OK,’ and then you’re going to do it. That likely won’t happen because you’re likely going to have to gut it out anyway, and that’s what they’re learning to do.
“Every kid out there – all of 11 of them – they’re gritty tough.”
Cheboygan continues its home slate with a 4:30 p.m. clash against Charlevoix on Thursday.
Contact sports editor Jared Greenleaf atjgreenleaf@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter@sportsCDT
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