Soccer coach presents challenge to Bulldog fans

In my 10 years at the helm of our Bulldog boys soccer team we have faced many challenges. We have been blessed with success and memories that every Bulldog soccer family holds dear.

A successful season for me doesn’t necessarily mean holding that trophy up in late October. Success is working with your teammates to achieve personal, family, and/or group goals; the kind of goals that many view as impossible to accomplish.

Four years ago our coaching staff began challenging this particular fine group of young men to accomplish what most teams in the state might deem impossible — a challenge to play a brand of soccer that reaches beyond their individual capabilities. It’s a standard set so high that we failed to find success in ALL of our goals as each season came to an end.

Regardless we continued to challenge our young men, and the coaches continued to challenge themselves.

This Saturday, Oct. 27 at 1:30 p.m., our Bulldogs take the field against a very determined Billings Central team. Thomas Clark, Addison Clark, Sean Janni, Sam Donaldson, Brandon Fuehrer, Iaian Cameron, Curran Edland, and Michael Reimer are my devoted seniors that have dedicated the last four years to our program. Those four seasons have included three state championship final appearances.

Saturday, in our own backyard, these young men will defend their state title with the kind of effort that will make this community swell with pride. What this group has accomplished over the last four years has been amazing and they have worked INCREDIBLY hard to meet this ultimate goal. These Bulldogs have accepted MY challenge to represent their program at the highest possible level.

I challenge the community themselves to come out and support what these young men have fought so hard to achieve. Let’s turn the sidelines into a foaming sea of green and gold on Saturday. Will you accept my challenge?

— O’Brien Byrd is the Whitefish boys soccer coach