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09/21/2017 12:00 AMAdrian Sperzel lives the sport of soccer. Adrian, a senior at Valley Regional, plays club soccer in the winter and spring and then competes for the Warriors’ boys’ soccer squad during the fall. This year, Adrian was entrusted with the role of team captain for Valley, because of his vast knowledge of soccer and ability to foster communication between his teammates and coaches. With a club that graduated 14 seniors and has moved up from Class S to Class M, Adrian knows that he has to help the Warriors function as a cohesive unit if they expect to be successful in 2017.
One of the main reasons Adrian was named Valley’s captain is because he’s so committed to soccer. The Ivoryton resident has played the sport for nearly his entire life. Adrian plays year-round and also enjoys watching the English Premier League on television.
“I don’t even remember when I started. Probably when I was about four years old. I’ve been playing as long as I can remember,” Adrian says. “I played baseball and basketball as a kid, but I’ve always liked soccer the best. I watch the Premier League every weekend, and my favorite team is Manchester United.”
Adrian’s allegiance to Manchester United leads to some good-natured ribbing between him and Warriors’ Head Coach Mick Fearon—a Liverpool native who roots for Everton—and the two have strengthened their rapport as a result. Adrian and Fearon already had a good rapport before Adrian came to Valley Regional. As a member of the Connecticut Southeast Soccer Club based out of New London, Adrian recognized how much Fearon’s coaching helped him develop his soccer skills and, ultimately, their team won a state championship and traveled to West Virginia to compete at regionals. Adrian was eager to compete for Coach Fearon once again as a member of the Warriors.
“Once I got to know [Coach Fearon], he got me really going in the sport of soccer,” says Adrian. “He coached my team for three years...There’s no doubt he has helped me succeed playing soccer. We’ve been successful no matter what team with him.”
Fearon also feels a lot of admiration for Adrian, who earned All-Shoreline Conference Second Team honors last season. Adrian has his sights set on once again going All-Conference this year, and Coach Fearon not only wants him to achieve that goal, but also flourish as a leader for the Warriors.
“We’re asking him to be a leader on the field, but also off the field with the boys. He brings things to my attention that they discuss at school. You’re always interested in what the players have to say in terms of formation,” says Fearon. “I think he’s developed into a person who can approach the coach and say, ‘We have these ideas, and is there any way that we can adapt them to the way we play?’ Sometimes the ideas are really good, but we don’t always have the personnel to do it. It’s nice to know that the kids are thinking about the game.”
The Warriors have an added wrinkle in their game-planning this fall as they move up from Class S to Class M. That may not matter much during the regular season, but come playoff time, the Warriors could potentially be facing stiffer competition that pulls from a larger talent pool. Adrian says the Warriors’ strategy when going up against strong opponents will be to move the ball around more than they have in the past.
“The best thing we can do against other teams is to pass the ball around them,” says Adrian. “Dribbling the ball up the field is not going to be the most effective. That’s definitely something Mick has been stressing a lot.”
As the captain of his team, Adrian knows that it’s his responsibility to communicate effectively with his fellow Warriors to make sure they’re all on the same page as their work toward the same goals. Adrian credits Valley’s previous senior captains for setting a great example for him.
“As I’ve come through high school, I’ve been blessed with really good captains. You do whatever it takes to carry the guys to win and make them want to be there every day,” he says. “We’ve made a list of things we want to keep as goals. Our main goal is to make the Shoreline Tournament and win it.”
More than just winning, though, Adrian wants his team to win while displaying the utmost class and composure.
“We won the Sportsmanship Award for getting no cards last season,” says Adrian. “We also don’t have any yet this season. Mick really prides us on our sportsmanship.”
Adrian thanks his family for supporting him by coming to all of his games, as well as Fearon for making him a better soccer player.
“I have to devote a lot of thanks to [Coach Fearon]. There’s no one else who pushed me and taught me the game of soccer than him. I learned so much tactically about the game from him,” says Adrian. “Also, my parents and my sister for coming to every game and always supporting me. They’re always there for me on the sidelines, and that’s a real boost for me when I play.”
As for the rest of this season, Adrian believes that Valley has a strong team that can once again reach the State Tournament, where anything can happen.
“We should make it into the tournament,” Adrian says. “If get a home game or two, our home-field advantage is huge for us. It’s not easy for away teams to play at Valley and, hopefully, that can lead to a deep run in the tournament.”