SALEM, Va. – From being the hunters to now the hunted.
“We already had a target on our head because we were Salem and now that we are the defending state champions, everybody is coming at us even more,” said Salem Spartans goalie Richard Hof.
“Since the beginning, it was back to back,” said Spartans midfielder Oliver Farbar.
The defending VHSL Class 4 state champion Salem has felt the pressure to execute at a high level all season.
“Yeah, you know, pressure is a privilege and last year we didn’t have a lot of it,” said Salem head coach and reigning Class 4 coach of the year George Revercomb. “We were kind of the underdogs going into the state tournament. We hadn’t won a state tournament game before, but you know, coming back into this year again, there’s a lot of pressure on us, but we embrace that.”
Even with a 13-1 record, nothing has come easy for the Spartans. Three overtime wins, mid-season injuries and toting the fine line between cocky and confident--just a few things Salem has had to correct.
“We’ve had a lot of very close games,” said coach Revercomb. “We’ve had three overtime wins this year, but the kids have shown a lot of composure in those situations, so they’ve done a good job adjusting. We’re down our top goal scorer Holden Custer. He’s been out since the fifth game of the year, so a lot of younger kids about to step up in his absence.”
This senior class is one that leads by example, including the talented goalie Richard Hoff, whose saves are over 60% this season.
“We’re talking more, our slides are looking good our our recoveries are looking good as well,” Hof said.
“Our offense is playing more like a team and we kind of have the humble like nature of a team who wants to get it done. But also we know that there’s some good teams out there who have the ability to come after us,” Farbar said. “We’re ready to meet anybody.”
Salem will open play in the VHSL Region 4D tournament later this week.