Kickers prepare for their first round of districts with their last games of the season this week.
They start with Holly on Wednesday and continue with Lahser the next day.
“They are definitely games we can play at a high level in,” said Clarkston Boys Varsity Soccer Coach Chuck Lawhorn. “We can definitely come out on top but we need to keep our focus and make sure we do that for 80 minutes.”
He added the key is to make sure they stay competitive against both teams.
They head into their first round of the MHSAA Districts against Carman-Ainsworth.
“We don’t know a lot about them but we do know soccer is not their top sport,” said Lawhorn. “They have been struggling this season. I am expecting some of our younger guys to step up. They have been playing well and is time for those guys to come into their own and make a difference.”
He added the focus for Clarkston is to play hard and to play good defense to win the game and make it to the next round of playoffs.
The boys lost three games last week, Stoney Creek, 2-1; Brother Rice, 4-1; and Lapeer East, 2-1. Conor Bright scored against Stoney Creek and Lapeer East and Nick Dahl scored the lone goal against Brother Rice.
“We had a tough week,” said Lawhorn. “We didn’t play up to our potential in any of the games. Against Stoney Creek I thought our guys played hard. Unfortunately we came out on the down side of that one.”
Dahl scored his goal against Brother Rice on Oct. 6 to tied the game going into the second half.
“We held our own,” said Lawhorn. “Then, we had a bit of a let down and Brother Rice was able to score a couple of goals on us. We weren’t able to come back.”
The Wolves kept Lapeer East scoreless in the first half on Friday night and out shot them, 3-1. Bright scored in the second half and Lapeer East came back to tie the game.
Before the game ended, Lapeer East scored on a free kick to win, 2-1.
“They can’t let the losses linger in their mind,” said Lawhorn. “We have to move forward and work on the basic fundamentals and keep our concentration on the games ahead.”
JV hosts Lahser at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, varsity follows. Varsity hosts Carman-Ainsworth on Monday, 7 p.m.