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The Adams Family: Wildcats ready to go under new head coach
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@starlocalnews.com
There's more than just the customary turnover in personnel surrounding the Plano Senior boys soccer team this season.
For the first time in 35 years, the Wildcats will have a new head coach patrolling the sidelines as Doug Adams assumes the longstanding perch of Bob Weir. As just the program's third-ever head coach, Adams admits he's still getting acclimated to his new post and the usual transitional ins and outs are evident.
"It's always hard following someone like coach Weir, who was a great coach and role model for the boys," Adams said. "In the first year anywhere, it's a little interesting trying to implement your style and instilling a new personality within the team."
"This team has a really high potential," Adams said. "So far, we're hit-and-miss and a little inconsistent, but as the year progresses I think this can be a good team and can be really competitive throughout the year."
Thus far, Plano's offense has endured a few growing pains by having scored multiple goals just once in its first six games -- a 2-0 win over Mesquite Horn at the Allen Tournament over the weekend. Adams said the team is still feeling each other out and working on its timing. Should the Wildcats' attacking front eye comparable results to 2012, it'll likely mean big senior campaigns from Oscar Martinez and Steven Cypert.
"We're hoping for a really strong year from Oscar Martinez," Adams said. "He's very quick on the ball and has good speed up top. He's a little rusty right now but is getting better everyday."
Martinez joins Cypert, a scoring staple from last season's Region I Semifinal squad, as the two look to replicate the efforts created by alums Ramon Gallegos and Tony Santibanez -- an admittedly high bar given the latter was named the Texas Gatorade Boys Soccer Player of the Year.
In the midfield, senior Jessey Hein (BYU) returns for his second stint on varsity while junior Travis Higgins will see additional reps as an heir to Hein's spot atop the unit.
"Hein's small in stature but plays with a lot of heart and intensity," Adams said. "He never gives up on the play and is really anchoring the midfield so far."
Senior Alec Bidwell and junior Joe Niece headline the defense, while the Wildcats will operate with a by-committee approach to goal between seniors Brandon Delin and Eric Olvera -- for the time being.
"We're giving both an equal opportunity in goal," Adams said. "But once district starts we hope to settle on playing just one for the majority of, if not all, the time in goal."
The Wildcats will have the added support of seniors Pierluigi Ramirez, Cameron Spence, juniors Michael Brezovsky and Vinit Nagaich, but only in a moral capacity with the quartet opting to go the academy route.
Working with the hand its been dealt, Plano sits at 3-1-2 with a run through the Marcus Tournament set for today through Saturday. The Wildcats open against Mansfield Summit today at 2 p.m. before continuing Friday against Flower Mound (noon) and Saturday against Molina (2 p.m.).
Like their previous tournaments, the Wildcats are using non-district as a chance to experiment with different formations and personnel, with Adams playing a "mad scientist."
He'll have just under three weeks to continue doing so before the Feb. 12 district opener against McKinney.
"This will be a good district," Adams said. "You always get good play from Allen and now we've got McKinney and (McKinney) Boyd. I think Boyd's one of those teams we'll have to look out for and you never know how things will turn out between Plano and Allen because there's a rivalry between all of us."
For continued news and coverage on the local sports scene, follow @MWelchSCN on Twitter.
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