EVERETT – Justin Flores’ first audible wasn’t the most well-liked one, however proved to be probably the most prudent plan of action.
The first-year Everett soccer coach debated whether or not to tempt destiny and maintain the group’s first apply outside as commonly scheduled or play it protected and transfer issues indoors within the occasion of rain. Flores opted for the latter and it turned out to be a sensible transfer because the skies opened up simply as apply started and rained for the higher a part of 45 minutes, flooding a number of the roads round Everett Memorial Stadium.
“It was 9:30 in the morning and I was thinking where to practice because of the weather,” mentioned Flores, who accepted the job in late June. “When I told the guys we were going to be in the gym, they weren’t happy because they wanted to practice outdoors, but I explained the situation and that we needed to reserve the gym then or someone else would take it.”
The opening day wasn’t as fluid as Flores would have preferred, however the 31-year-old Woburn native actually didn’t let that trouble him. As gamers flocked into the gymnasium, they had been greeted with a neatly printed one-page itinerary of the day’s scheduled occasions.
“(Coach) has fit in well, the kids really like him,” mentioned senior linebacker Dominic Papa. “Even though he’s not from Everett, he is a city kid (Woburn) like us and understands things.”
When Rob DiLoreto stepped down as head coach in late March, it was broadly assumed that his alternative would come from Everett. The final time the college went exterior town to rent a soccer coach was again in 1926 when Boston native Denny Gildea came to visit from Leominster High and spent the subsequent 28 years guiding the Crimson Tide to 167 wins.
That didn’t deter Flores, who beforehand served as an assistant coach on the University of Maine, from tossing his hat into the ring for the job. One member of the search committee was present Everett All-Scholastic large receiver Christian Zamor, who wished to ensure Flores wasn’t going to make use of the highly-sought-after job as a resume builder.
“I asked him if he wanted to be here and not look at this as a stepping stone,” mentioned Zamor, who has dedicated to play his school soccer at Boston College. “He said he wants to come here and help us become better players.”
Flores is totally conscious that he isn’t an Everett man, however he has wasted little time in making his presence felt across the group. In some methods, he sees a variety of benefits in studying on the fly.
“I found out that Everett isn’t as big as I thought. You can get around the city pretty quickly,” Flores mentioned. “I’ve reached out to the Pop Warner coaches and the younger kids in the programs so they can get to know me.”
As the gamers filed in for the opening apply of the Flores Era, all of them arrived with the identical objective in thoughts. It’s a objective that hasn’t modified one bit by means of the years.
“Coach has the same goal that we have.” Zamor mentioned. “He wants to win and we want to win.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com