Rage on the Rise

LAKEWOOD RANCH — Sam Leavy dribbled across the field in search of a familiar face. The then 9-year-old midfielder eventually crossed paths with Braden River Soccer Club teammate forward Timmy Sheredy. 

But Sheredy ran in one direction while the ball sailed off in the opposite direction. The scene would continually replay itself throughout the season as the boys, along with the rest of their teammates, struggled to adjust to one another’s playing. 

The boys failed to win a single game that season.  

“It’s hard to pass the ball when you don’t know them,” Sheredy says. “You don’t know how they play, so it’s frustrating when you’re trying to get the ball.” 

Seeking to bring a sense of consistency to the team, the club asked Nic Leduc, who had previously coached a BRSC team, to coach the rising U10 team. 

Leduc accepted and brought some organization to the team. The boys were divided into three teams, based on skill level, and began repeating the same drills in practice. The idea was to provide the boys with the structure needed to play at a competitive level. 

“We always do the same thing so there are no surprises,” Leduc says. 

The team returned to the field the following season ranked No. 212 in the state out of approximately 300 teams. At the end of the 18-game season, the boys had posted a 15-0-3 record — a special feat for a team that once simply hoped to finish with more wins than losses. 

By the end of the season, the team had risen to No. 147 in the state. 

“We started working better together,” Leavy says. 

This season, the Rage, who anticipated finishing in the middle of the pack, finished 17-0-1 and won its last two tournaments, including the eighth annual March Madness Shootout and the Bradenton Cup. In the Bradenton Cup championship, the Rage beat the Clearwater Chargers 2-1, who are ranked No. 4 in the state. 

The boys, who will move up to U12 this fall, will spend the summer practicing and fundraising in hopes of raising money for tournaments, which is where the boys earn points toward their state and national ranking. 

The Rage, who recently held tryouts for the fall season, competed in five tournaments this past season and are hoping to compete in eight to 10 tournaments next year. Additionally, the boys, who have been ranked as high as No. 9 in the state, have a new goal: a No. 1 state ranking. 

“It would be really cool,” Leavy says. “We would know we are the best team in the state and one of the best teams in the nation.” 

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].