BonnerSprings.com

The Basehor-Linwood boys soccer team enjoyed success for the first time last year. This summer, they have spent nearly every free hour working towards reaching the team's ultimate goal: a trip to the State Tournament.

The work appears to be paying off. At least one of the team's seniors believes this year's squad is destined for big things.

"I think we can win state," Matt Murrell said. "I really do. We've stepped it up a lot. At the Sunflower State Games in Topeka (this summer) we were playing 6A schools and staying with them. We can compete. I am that confident.

"We will make state. Last year I said we would go, and we got to the state quarterfinals. This year we will get all the way there."

The work all starts with Seaman Sundays. It is a sign of devotion that could favorably prognosticate a BLHS soccer team competing for the Kaw Valley League Championship in the fall.

The family of BLHS senior Sam Seaman hosts the Bobcats every Sunday for a few hours of intense soccer scrimmaging. The boys unwind afterwards with a swim in the family pool.

But the weekly gatherings are only the beginning.

The team plays in an indoor league every Wednesday night. They lift five mornings a week. They meet at the high school to run, always more than a mile. Members of the team volunteered to coach at a camp run by the Kansas Rush Soccer Coaches for kids in kindergarten through eighth grade. The team also participated in the Challenger Sports camp.

And they all work regular jobs, ranging from erecting barbed wire fences to cooking pizzas to driving trucks.

"We definitely are working harder because we know we can go farther this year," Murrell said. "Being a senior with Steve (Millison), Ryan (Sirridge), Kyle (Allen) and Alex (Ziegler) we just had the feeling that this is our senior year and we know we can go the whole way. We are going to step up and bring leadership. We are going to listen to our coach and step up our games and get Basehor-Linwood soccer known around the state. All sports (at the school) will be like that now."

The seniors have enjoyed everything from the weekly meetings to teaching the young kids of the community the finer points of the game.

"It was really exciting, because it was good to see all those young kids out there getting involved in sports," Murrell said. "It felt good to get out with the kids and have fun. We volunteered our time, and we had fun with the kids. It was cool, because when I was little, I looked up to the high school kids. To get out there and get to know the kids in the community... it was very uplifting. I think got something out of it, because the stuff we taught them is stuff that we reinforced in our game. It reinforced our outlook on the game."

The team's seniors have taken it upon themselves to push the rest of the squad over the summer.

"It's senior leadership, basically," Murrell said. "We work together and we contemplate what we need to work on. Last summer we worked hard, but not this hard. This year our skill level has increased. We've come closer as a team; a lot closer. We are a big family."

Murrell thinks a big reason for the team's renaissance has been an improved mindset.

"Last year, when I first moved up here, everyone had the mindset of a .500 team," Murrell said. "Now that we have tasted victory, everybody is so much happier. Four league championships (which BLHS achieved in the 2006-2007 season) is great for a school, but we know we can do more. So we stepped up. We know we can win and play with the big boys.

"We want to make it to the next level. We aren't the only sport doing it. Now Basehor has the confidence that we can compete in every sport."