While the Wachusett Regional High School boys’ soccer team has historically been a force to be reckoned with, over the past five to seven years they have struggled. Three years ago, Rick Porter was brought on as head coach to start rebuilding the program and bring along the talent the school has coming up through the pipeline.

Porter has coached younger players in the area as well as at Assumption University.

“I had not only coached the kids but knew what was coming up on the horizon and felt that leaving Assumption for Wachusett was a good opportunity,” Porter explains. “My job was to build the team back up and into a competitor once again.”

Senior starting defender Damian Sporna is one athlete who the coach looks to as a leader for the team. Sporna is a talented competitor who will anchor the Wachusett defense once again this fall. Colby Chilton will also contribute on the defensive side of the field.

Damian Sporna will provide senior leadership to the team this year. Photo submitted

 In addition to the senior leadership that Sporna will provide, Porter noted that the Mountaineers will have a large number of younger players gracing their roster. This makes the team unique playing in the Mid-Wach A against a lot of talented top-notch players. 

Danny Graves started on the squad last year as a freshman, which is a rare occurrence. As a sophomore this year he should be a very dynamic player. 

“I will be looking for him to take on a more imposing role at midfield attack this year,” Porter says. “He is a goal scorer that is very smooth. As a freshman he had the size and skill to compete on the varsity level, but now that he has added muscle and confidence, I am expecting a really good year from him.”

With tryouts still on the horizon at the time of this writing, Porter makes it clear that there is a good chance that the Mountaineers will field a rather young squad for the 2025 season.

“It’s an interesting scenario as we may very well be one of the youngest teams in Division 1 in the state,” the coach explains. “Being young will bring its challenges, but I feel that we will be ready to take it on.”

Porter will not have such a young team set their sights or expectations on capturing a state championship. Instead, he wants them to work on getting back to being a strong overall team. If the squad can concentrate on that, then he can encourage the team to qualify for the state tournament down the road.

“Whoever makes the team, a lot of the kids will understand my system which will allow us to build for the future,” Porter says. “By working with them more, I’ll be able to give them the consistency of playing the same style of game that they are used to, and we can get to look better each and every year,”

If Porter’s projections are correct, the Mountaineers should be able to put their stamp on the Mid-Wach A within a few years. Then Wachusett will be well on its way to its former glory days on the boys’ soccer field.