New field, plenty of players and other things learned at York boys soccer practice
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York coach Julie Johnson talks to players while running through a corner kick drill at practice Thursday in York. (Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer)
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YORK — For the York High boys soccer team, it’s great to be home again.
A new and improved home, that is.
The Wildcats were practicing on the school’s artificial turf field Thursday afternoon. The field was part of the school’s $6 million athletic complex renovation that included a six-lane track and a large scoreboard.
“It’s awesome. Especially my senior year. I’m very grateful to have this field,” said senior center back Tyler Moores.
The field was finished in late November, a few weeks too late for last year’s fall sports teams.
York played its soccer matches at Bog Road Fields on what junior outside back Henry Mirick called “a tiny youth football field.”
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There were highlights in an 8-7 season that ended with a loss at Cape Elizabeth in the Class B South quarterfinals. York handed eventual Class B champion Yarmouth its only loss in a match at Bog Road. But it wasn’t really home.
“We were great last year even on the grass. It was not great circumstances,” said senior goalkeeper Orrin Culp Dechant. “But we made it work. And I think if we can make it work over there, we can make it work even better here.”
York’s old grass field was probably even worse than the Bog Road community fields. There were depressions that ran parallel and just inside the sidelines. The area where a penalty kick would be taken was worn to a dusty pile from the previous spring’s lacrosse goalmouth areas. Players in the middle of the field would end up looking like the Peanuts character Pig Pen, surrounded by swirls of dirt.
“Honestly, I loved it,” Moores said of the old grass field, first installed in the 1970s. “Because you would see teams coming on to the field complaining about it right away, when we were so used to it.”
Mirick added: “My freshman year, this field was mud and dirt. It was a pretty big challenge. Other teams would come up here and be pretty annoyed they would have to play on our field.”
Julie Johnson, in her ninth season as York’s varsity coach, said she’s a bit concerned York will lose that home-field advantage. But make no mistake, Johnson is not complaining. Even something as simple as having clearly marked and visible lines helps practices run smoothly. No more spending precious practice minutes laying out cones for markers.
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STRONG SUPPORT
One thing that hasn’t changed for York boys soccer is the overall strength of the program. With a school population of 488, Johnson has 50 players in the high school program, enough for a varsity, junior varsity and first team. The roster size has been consistent.
“I think it’s just the program,” Moores said. “Everyone knows that once you play here, it’s just a huge family. We always comes back together. The alumni, they always come and help out with practices, because everyone just loves playing here.”
On Thursday, there were at least three alumni — “legends,” Johnson called them with honest appreciation — taking turns supplementing the 10 v 10 training blocks.
Because of the program’s overall strength, York is grouped in the Western Maine Conference’s top tier for scheduling, and has been for years. That means home-and-away games with powerhouse Yarmouth (13 Class B titles since 2004), as well as perennial contenders Greely (2024 champion) and Cape Elizabeth. York’s last state championship came in 1998.
York is looking to get a home-field playoff game this season and advance past the regional quarterfinals.
“It’s working hard, really. Just if you want it or not,” Moores said. “I know every other team wants it, but if you want it more than them, then that’s what you need. Just have grit and love for the game.”
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STILL THE SAME WALK
One thing that hasn’t changed is how the stadium field is accessed. From the parking lot behind the high school, there is an approximately 220-yard path through old growth oak, maple and beech trees that obscure the field for most of the walk and, especially for late-season night games, adds a bit of spooky aura.
“It’s really exciting,” Moores said. “You get the jitters in your body as you’re walking up because you’re so excited.”
Culp Dechant added: “It’s just different. All the other schools we go to, there’s no path like this.”
York’s goalie spend his first two seasons at Marshwood, so he has yet to play a game on the stadium field — old or new.
“Last year at Bog, there was no walk like that,” Culp Dechant said. “You could see the field from the parking lot. But here, you can’t really see it. That first walk up, first home scrimmage tomorrow under the lights, it’s going to be amazing.”
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Steve Craig reports primarily about Maine’s active high school sports scene and, more recently, the Portland Hearts of Pine men's professional soccer team. His first newspaper job was covering Maine. More by Steve Craig
