TOLEDO, Ohio — A new head coach and a new league didn't seem to bother the St. John's Jesuit soccer program in 2023. In fact, the season turned out to be one of the school's most successful.
Claudio Cabrera took over the Titans after serving three years as an assistant and junior varsity coach. Following an inaugural campaign that led to an abundance of success, he's now eager to help his team grow this fall.
"We graduate 13 seniors. So, we pretty much have a new roster with some young talent up and coming," Cabrera said. "There are a couple of seniors that remain from last year and now we have a new group of freshmen that are showing really interesting things. So. I'm really confident."
Among the returners for SJJ is senior defenseman Adam Kashk who earned All-CHSL (Catholic High School League) honors a season ago. Development will be a factor early on in the season, but no matter the age of the players, they know the standard to uphold.
"When you are wearing the jersey with SJJ, you are representing the school. That should be enough fuel in the engine to go to the max," Cabrera said. "When we started believing in that mentality, a belief that we can do it, that's when we started seeing those results. That's the one thing, personally as a coach, I wanted to keep working on with my kids."
A native of South America, the sport of soccer has been a part of Cabrera's entire life. Knowledge of the game didn't change all that much with a leadership role yet experiencing triumph very quickly did enhance his desire to reach the ultimate goal.
"My idea is to win the CHSL again, then go to sectionals, regionals and tournament," Cabrera said. "I always say I want to get to final four again."
St. John's came up one game short of that quest a year ago, falling to five-time state champion St. Ignatius in overtime 2-1. Now, that postseason took hold in Division I which will not be the path in 2024 for SJJ.
"I don't see many differences between Division I and Division II, St. John's will be in Division II this year which is okay," Cabrera said. "I think it's fair what the OHSAA is doing with the different divisions and also you can get a lot of surprises."
The last time the Titans appeared in the OHSAA State Tournament was in 2015. Of course, there are two months of regular season preparation before thoughts of a deep run can take place. St. John's opens its Fall slate against Whitmer on Aug. 16.
"We are ready, we are mentally ready and prepared," Cabrera said. "We've been working all summer and we just want to start."