The hunt for the State Championship is well underway yet again and things are looking optimistic already. For the third time in four years, the boys’ soccer team is deeply entrenched in preparations for defending the state title. After losing an unprecedented ten seniors from last year’s championship squad, second-year coach Art Iwanicki is busy rebuilding the young team around a small, but experienced core of proven veterans.

The men’s soccer program at Mason High is one that is long storied in tradition and excellence. It is by far the most successful facet of the athletic program at Mason, surpassing even that of women’s basketball, men’s tennis and this year’s edition of men’s basketball. Over the past six years, the program has accumulated an astonishing record of 80-16-10.

For years, the team consistently was a preseason favorite in the Washington Post prep rankings, oftentimes placing higher than many distinguished private schools. Year after year the team fielded an extremely competitive squad that contended with countless schools that had larger populations and more esteemed talent. The program was also constantly forced to overcome some form of adversity it seemed. Whether it was on or off the field, a dilemma, controversy, or hardship of some sort regularly afflicted the team.

Losing two top-notch coaches in two years was the end of an era for Mason High soccer. The program was subsequently switched to the spring season in order to compete in the V.H.S.L. - as every other team at Mason does - and compete for a state championship.

Jimmy Carrosquillo - an assistant from AAA powerhouse Wakefield High - was tapped to lead the team to its first state championship. Led by a strong core of seniors, the squad took the Bull Run district, the region, and the state by storm. With an exciting and aggressive style of play, the team brought home Masons first state title on its first attempt. After this memorable season however, controversy ravaged the program and Carrosquillo was forced to resign. Assistant and junior varsity coach Byron Wood was named the new coach, but with a young team and little talent, Mason sputtered through a .500 season and an uncharacteristic early exit from the Regional playoffs.

Due to another controversy, Wood was forced to suddenly and unexpectedly resign. Athletic Director Tom Horn was left scrambling to find a replacement. After much toil and struggle, Horn hired Art Iwanicki, a 32 year coaching veteran. Following a mediocre season and with the uncertainty surrounding the team, many thought the golden era of Mason soccer was over and overlooked the team, including some of their opponents.

Iwanicki stepped into his new role with ease and instilled a system completely different from the attacking style traditionally employed by Mason. Using unusual but unique tools to motivate his players and relying on a blue-collar, defense-first philosophy, Iwanicki inspired the team like no one thought possible.

The team marched through the playoffs with passion, stamina, and focus. An already tenacious defense was complimented by a blossoming potent offensive attack and Iwanicki guided the team to a state championship over Madison County, with whom Mason has developed a fierce rivalry. This feat did not go unnoticed by the school or the community. Many students and faculty members skipped school to make the four-hour trip to Salem and support the squad.

"I’ll admit, the guys soccer team is definitely the pride of our school," said senior tennis player Hunter Gray.

After having to adjust to five coaches in as many seasons, it seems that the program has finally met its perfect match in Iwanicki. Without the benefit of having a talented load of vaunted players, as previous coaches did, Iwanicki tweaked the team, built some much-needed chemistry, and managed to get more talent out of his players than was expected. The ability to do that might be his greatest asset.

"Coach I does an amazing job of getting more out of his players than anyone thought possible. He leads and inspires this team with confidence, integrity, and intelligence," said senior goaltender/defender Guy Robert Penland, a three year starter. Penland’s teammates seem to share his sentiments.

"I’ve definitely learned more about the finer points of the game than I ever have before. He is simply an amazing teacher," said junior goaltender Brian Coleman.

Iwanicki also preached to his team the importance of good attitude and discipline, both on and off the field. His players recall him always saying, "No matter how talented you think you are, talent is meaningless if you haven’t the proper attitude or maturity. We will win with discipline more than anything else." The team adopted this mantra as their slogan and the phrase "Attitude…Maturity…Discipline" adorned their t-shirts.

"[Coach Iwanicki] motivates us to make ourselves - and each other - better soccer players and better people, both in-season and during the off-season," said Penland.

The players have taken Iwanicki’s philosophy and guidance to heart. During this past off-season, co-captains Penland and senior midfielder Ben Dietz initiated a pre-season strength and conditioning program for the team to get in shape. Included in the training regimen was weight lifting, and agility, speed, and endurance work.

After losing an unprecedented ten seniors to graduation last year, the co-captains, along with senior striker Michael Bracken and senior sweeper Thomas Bracken, have stepped up to lead a very young and unproven squad.

"We feel that these pre-season training sessions were an excellent opportunity for us to both bond as a team and improve our skill level. We needed to take it upon ourselves to prepare as well as we can for the upcoming season and I think we did just that," said Dietz.

"This program has a remarkably distinguished tradition of excellence. We are simply doing what we need to do to uphold this tradition and maintain the program’s standing as the best in the school," said Coleman.

Despite losing so many seniors, the team is confident it will remain on top. Even with the lofty expectations and the pressure to repeat their feat, the team is remaining focused on the task of simply preparing for the season.

For leadership, the team will look to its seniors: goaltender/defender Guy Robert Penland, midfielder Ben Dietz, striker Michael Bracken and sweeper Thomas Bracken. In addition, Iwanicki will also look to junior forward Ben Griffin for some offensive output, senior defender Ian Florance and junior goalkeeper Brian Coleman for some defensive support, and sophomore Grant Sabatier for support in the midfield and transition game.

The team has already gotten off to a resounding start, with a 5-2 defeat of AAA George Marshall high on Friday March 23 and a 4-0 victory over Manassas Park on Monday. Dietz led in both victories as he sparked the defense and orchestrated the offense with control in the midfield, precise service to his teammates as well as a nice scoring touch.

Look for the team to resurrect its blue-collar, defense-first style of play. Although it’s not the exciting, attacking style of 1997 and 1998, the team will certainly be a force to be reckoned with in the Bull Run District. Intense rivalries have blossomed with the likes of Madison County, in addition to the already potent contention with Brentsville District High School of Nokesville.

"We haven’t really done anything yet. Last season is over. This is a new season. We’re not even thinking about what people are saying about us and what we can do because that doesn’t matter. We know that in order to succeed, we must dig deep within ourselves, lean on each other, and continue to play our hearts out. This is a resilient team and we’re going to win some ball games, but we haven’t done anything yet," said Michael Bracken.

The players have been using the maxim "anything less than excellence will not be tolerated" to motivate them in their preparation. But at the same time, they realize that winning is not everything. The standards of yesteryear still apply, only now the values of the team have improved dramatically. Playing with pride, maturity, and discipline is far more important to them than winning. Playing this way is the only way they will be able to bring home another championship.