There’s perhaps no better example for a high school sports team to show that it has become a consistent program than the ability to reload rather than rebuild.

 

Bridgeport High School boys soccer second-year head coach Keith Dumas has good reason to think the Indians are that type of program.

 

“We lost six seniors, four were starters,” Dumas said. “It’s always hard to replace experience and talent but it seems like to me every year, I have some doubt as to how I’m going to replace them. But these kids, they grow and they develop over the course of six months coming into the season and by the time it’s the end of the season it’s like I don’t know how I thought I couldn’t live without them because somebody is always stepping up.

 

“We are lucky. We have had the very great fortune for at least the last 10 years to almost always have a JV team. I think there was one year were there weren’t enough. And we’re fortunate enough we can get younger kids into the games and give them that experience when they are young so when it’s their turn, they don’t feel overwhelmed by the moment.”

 

The three-week summer practice period is normally a time when a coach begins to get a feel for exactly who is going to be the player(s) that steps up — even in 2020, when the three-week period has been anything but normal thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

The BHS boys soccer squad like every other team has made the most of the summer even with the “fight against coronavirus” guidelines.

 

“Really overall for the three weeks we’ve had really nice numbers,” Dumas said.  “I think in general this summer, just from the kids being on lock down since mid-March, just getting out and being able to socialize with some of their friends and getting back to being somewhat normal, as normal as we can be with the crisis we are dealing with at that moment, has been important to them.

 

“With that being said, the participation level has been wonderful. Obviously, you are going to miss days for various reasons but when they could come, they were out there and the level of effort they give has been good.

 

“One of the reasons the excitement level is there is you don’t realize how much you miss something until it is taken away from you. Seeing them get together and being excited to be around one another, that’s a great feeling. That’s why I coach.”

 

Dumas said another benefit of the three-week period was to get the newcomers moving up from eighth grade a chance to get their feet wet.

 

“They always have that deer in the headlight look especially that first day on the ball,” Dumas said. “With the conditioning it’s not as bad but when they come into contact with the seniors its different because they don’t typically play against kids that much older than them until they get to high school.

 

“It gets some of the jitters off them then in August they can start thinking about what we are trying to accomplish as a team.”

 

With the three-week period coming later in the summer than usual as part of the SSAC’s Phase Three plan, it’s not as long a break before teams can get back together with the official start of fall practice in August.

 

However, Dumas said it’s still a long enough period of time that the rust could go back on just as quickly as it came off.

 

“It’s always tough,” he said. “This year it’s more tough because of the unknowns. We know we have a three-week break in between which is just long enough for a kid to lose touch on a ball or lose a little bit of fitness.  And this year, we don’t have three weeks before our first game, we have 15 practice days. That’s not much time for a team.

 

“I told them don’t waste the opportunity you have been given the last three weeks. Make sure you keep your foot on a ball, make sure you go out and run. I can’t make you do it, but you have to want to do it if you want this team to be what you want it to be.”

 

Of course, unknown is a far-too accurate word to describe the status of fall sports in West Virginia right now, or even being back in school in person on Sept. 8.

 

Dumas however said he thinks the only way you can tackle that uncertainty is to prepare like everything is going to start back up and make the most of the time they get.

 

"The unknown of the future is partially motivating, he said. “They can read the papers, they can watch the news, they know virtual school is a possible reality and where does that leave sports? We don’t know. They try to focus on the things that they really enjoy, being outside, playing with you friends, hopefully getting to play in competitive games. For them, they are taking it all in and not wasting a moment.

 

“Nathan Jackson is one of my senior leaders and he is coming back from a broken leg last season. Him, probably more than anybody, realizes how precious this time is together with the team. He comes out on days where he might not be able to practice 100 percent and he says he just wants to be there with the guys as long as he can.”