Boys Soccer: Rebuilding Springfield determined to forge new identity

SPRINGFIELD >> The recipe for Springfield’s run to the PIAA semifinals last fall wasn’t difficult to decipher.

Fourteen seniors, 10 of them starters, represented a special generation, one that developed as the season progressed and exceeded even the loftiest of expectations coach Jason Piombino could’ve ascribed to them before the season.

For Piombino and assistant coach Rich Duffey, who has longstanding ties with the high school and youth programs in the town, the emphasis on development over the long haul means last year’s crop wasn’t an aberration. But while the next generation germinates, the comeuppance this season will be a team that must be replaced in total.

Only one starter returns from last year’s team: defender Ron Miller, a junior who steps into the sweeper role vacated by All-Delco Ryan Straube. Justin Eckard, a forward who split time up top last season, will slide into a deeper role in midfield to exert more control on the ball. And a pair of juniors, Jake Proctor and Thomas McCaffrey, saw limited minutes on varsity last season but nonetheless took the journey with varsity to within an extra-time goal of the state final.

The message of adapting youngsters to the rigors of varsity soccer is the most pertinent for Miller and Eckard to try and disseminate.

“We have a good selection of guys this year, and I think it’s all about teaching them the varsity intensity,” Eckard said. “It’s more about the game pace and how it’s going to get a lot faster now, and everyone has to get used to it as a team.”

The bright side is that Piombino sees many of the same characteristics in the current crop of freshmen and eighth graders as he saw in the class of 2016. He’ll start at least two freshmen, with Billy Smith and Steven East slotting into defense.

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