Fair Grove Soccer Takes Their First Win of the Season

The Fair Grove Boys’ Soccer team won their first game of the season against the Dixon Bulldogs on Monday September 26, with a final score of 4-2. It was also senior night for their one and only senior, Elijah Merillat. 

The boys are about half way through their season. One of the captains, Garrett Mullis (11), said, “I think the season started up rough but has potential to continue to get better as the team grows.”

Mullis also stated that one of the team’s strengths is captain Elijah Merillat, who is a very strong player, on the field and in the goal. However, he added that one of the weaknesses of the team is that they are a very inexperienced team. They have a few freshmen that are starters, and more than half the team are either freshmen or sophomores. 

The team graduated five seniors from last year and a couple of current seniors did not return. “The freshmen are playing a big role this year and stepping up to fill the seniors from last year’s spots. It’s very impressive,” Mullis stated. 

Something Mullis and the team are looking forward to this season is watching the team grow and hopefully get a few wins under their belt. 

Coming into high school and already playing on a varsity team can be a big deal for freshmen. Everyone is on a different skill level. Gavin Brock (9) explained, “I feel that I am sort of in the middle of the pack in soccer. I do certain things well in soccer, but my foot work is one of my biggest struggles.” 

Brock said that one of his personal strengths is that he has a really strong kick which means he can move the ball up the field easily. “One goal I have for this season is to be aggressive and to get better at footwork,” Brock explained. 

The next time you can catch the boys playing is against Logan Rogersville on Tuesday, October 11.