Farmington High School (FHS) boys soccer had a stellar regular season finishing with 13 wins, 3 ties and 0 losses and were ranked the number three seed in the state tournament. The team has worked diligently this year not only on their road to states, but also to ensure that it remains a viable contender in the years ahead as well.
Senior Captain Keane Murphy, along with co-captains Colin Shatbel, Evan Whal, Dante Fierro and Ian Manton have led the team this year. With 14 seniors graduating at the end of this school year, it has been of the utmost importance for the team to ensure continuity of its longstanding legacy. The team has done a lot of work this season preparing the underclassmen for next season and the years to come.
Looking to the future is something that Head coach Nick Boorman is always doing. He has worked to create a team culture that prioritizes teamwork and makes everyone feel welcome. This team culture is a big part of the team’s successes.
“Farmington Soccer is always a player’s first program. One of the jobs of the older and more experienced players is to show the younger players the Farmington Soccer Way. The expectation is to make all players feel welcome. Experienced players set the tone in practice and games, make sure everyone buys into the “we over me” mentality, and everyone makes smart choices on and off the field,” stated Boorman.
Going for back-to-back championships is not an easy task. While many teams experience this type of pressure and easily crumble, Farmington Boys Soccer is not afraid to face it. Farmington has won fourteen state championships in 52 years, including 2 in the last 4 years.
“We have such a huge winning tradition at Farmington with our soccer, it is expected that we are a state contender every year, which is a lot. But we definitely use that fuel to our advantage, and we love the pressure,” stated Murphy.
For coach Boorman, representing Farmington well is a top priority. His style of coaching emphasizes teamwork and maintaining integrity on and off the field. These expectations help prepare the players for huge moments like these.
“Farmington Soccer is always under pressure. This makes the players not only used to pressure, but be able to enjoy the pressure and thrive under it. The players practice hard everyday and know that no matter what, if they leave everything on the field and play with integrity they will be representing Farmington at the highest level,” stated Boorman.
Soccer is not an individual sport, it takes the whole team to step up and that perseverance is one of the big reasons that the team is in the spot they are now. Each player relies on each other to overcome obstacles. This effort is what has helped the team to grow stronger and to continue to achieve success.
“The team has performed phenomenally. I had good expectations for this season, but we have skyrocketed those [and] we just go all out every game,” said Murphy.
