The energy of the Social Circle soccer programs looks to be strong as both teams enter the season with high hopes.

The Redskins boys soccer team, coached by Jim Corasaniti, is looking for a rebound year.

In 2023, Social Circle finished with a 6-11 overall record while finishing 4-2 in Region 5A-Division I play.

Corasaniti spoke about the added motivation for his senior class that takes up the majority of the roster.

“We had a great offseason conditioning and we have 22 guys, we are excited,” Corasaniti said. “We have nine seniors, so it is a big year for them.”

When assessing his senior leaders, Corasaniti mentioned players such as Jordan Leigh, Jed Stapp, Drake Wilkerson and Tanner Clark as the four leaders for this Redskins squad.

Despite the large senior presence on the team, the young players have been showing flashes.

So much so that Corasaniti feels the competition between the underclassman and seniors has become tight.

“The underclassman had a good offseason, they played all summer,” Corasaniti said. “They got tremendously better, I am really excited for the sophomores and the juniors that really worked hard all summer, in club leagues and during the winter. The underclassmen have really stepped up, they are pressuring the seniors, which is a good thing.”

With a mix of experience and youth, the overall cohesiveness of the team is one of the Redskins biggest strengths in the eyes of Corasaniti.

“The strength of our team is their ability to play together and communicate, they have been really good this year with communicating and playing with the new kids,” Corasaniti said.

The Lady Redskins are coming off a 14-6 season where they went 6-0 in Region 5A-Division I play.

It was a year in which Social Circle claimed the region title.

The 2023 campaign ended with a loss in the Final Four of the Class A-Division I state playoffs, and coach Heather Richardson is only looking to build off the team’s success from a year ago.

“We made it to the Final Four last year so I am hoping we can pick up where we left off with our mindset,” Richardson said. “I have a good solid set of players that have come back and I have some new players that have fit in well. I hope to see growth out of all of them with what formation we use.”

Richardson lost a handful of players from last season, but she is confident in her upperclassman.

Seniors Peyton Brooks and Macy Williams were two players Richardson highlighted as two of the captains for the Lady Redskins in 2024.

In the junior class, Richardson had much praise for Alana Ferguson, Claire Ray and Faith Young.

“They are good leaders and I am looking for big things from those girls,” Richardson said. 

One issue that the team did not need to worry about was lack of activity.

“A lot of them have played clubs, so I am seeing growth from last year already,” Richardson said. “I am not having to pick up from where we left off. A lot of them have been playing since we finished last season, so I appreciate their hard work over the offseason.”

With the success of the program, Richardson is expecting high level play from her top scorers this season.

“We have some playmakers and I am looking forward to them doing good, creative things,” Richardson said. “I hope to see a lot of goals being scored.”