A fresh start is exactly what the Warren County High School soccer team needs.
The Pioneers struggled last year to a 4-10-1 record, including going winless in their first 10 games. The team was also bounced out of the District 6-AAA tournament on a 6-0 loss to Cookeville and graduated many of the team’s starters.
With a new outlook and new roster, coach Willmore is hopeful his team is ready for more success this season.
“If we are able to have some of our young players step up, we should have an opportunity to be in the hunt in the district,” said Willmore.  “We are eager to get the season started and excited about the possibilities.”
If the Pioneers are going to look back to last year, coach Willmore wants the team to focus on how the season ended.
After a brutal start, Warren County rallied with three straight wins to end the regular season and claimed a victory over Cumberland County in the district tournament.
Cookeville snapped that four-game winning streak though as the Cavaliers went on to win the district and earn a spot in the state tournament. With many of the players responsible for that run still in Cookeville, coach Willmore already knows who to look at as the District 6-AAA favorite.
“Cookeville is coming off excellent back-to-back seasons, which landed them a spot in the state tournament last year. They should be in a position to make a similar run this year,” said Willmore. “The rest of the district should be up for grabs. White County continues to improve. We do not know very much about Rhea County, but were able to see Cumberland County and Stone Memorial compete during the Coffee County playday.”
The Pioneers went 3-1 in the Coffee County playday – part of a busy preseason that featured a scrimmage with Oakland. Coach Willmore wanted to get plenty of work before the start of the season so he could mix in plenty of fresh faces.
The Pioneers return a few key players from last year, but Warren County also will be relying on several youngsters to fill spots.
Senior midfielders Cristian Mendez and Johnny Smith are back to help the Pioneers, along with junior forwards Ethan Bandy and Cole Millard - two of the team’s top offensive threats. Sophomore Evan Reynolds, a starter at keeper last year, will be counted on to play a variety of roles this year.
Coach Willmore believes juniors Jacob Dodd and Roberto Aliva could play a bigger role this season. Dodd could step in at keeper to allow Reynolds to shift to different positions while Aliva can be a steady midfielder for the Pioneers. Sophomore Max Gallagher and freshmen Juan Casas and Abraham Pumarino are also in line for potential starting spots.
Coach Willmore is still searching for an 11th starter to emerge.
“There are several players competing for the final starting position and it should be interesting to see how it plays out,” said Willmore.
Along with Mendez and Smith, the Pioneer roster also includes seniors Steven Weber and Cristian Ochoa. The junior class includes Bandy, Millard, Dodd, Avila, Cristhian Lopez, Alexis Mendez and Cole Stinson.
Reynolds, Gallagher, Cameron Shelton, Eduardo Almaguer, Leo Almaguer, Juan Sanchez, Edgar Diaz and  Mitchell Madewell make up the sophomore class while Anthony Rodriguez, J.T. Boyd, Jesus DeSantiago, Abraham Villafuerte, Jose Villanueva, Connor Moore, Benito Mirafuentes, Jakob Morin, Alex Onate, Eduardo Cordero and J.D. Keele join Casas and Pumarino in the freshman class.
The Pioneers will get their season started Tuesday, March 11 with an away game at Shelbyville. Warren County makes its home debut Friday, March 14 against Tullahoma.