Senior Jacob Lockman shoots a volley in practice at CHS on March 26. Lockman is the only CHS boys soccer player entering this season with varsity experience.
Columbia High School’s new boys soccer coach Daniel Mangum said he hopes to lay the foundation of a winning culture this season, expecting his team to make the most of its eight-game schedule.
Senior Jacob Lockman shoots a volley in practice at CHS on March 26. Lockman is the only CHS boys soccer player entering this season with varsity experience.
Walker Sacon photo
He said the community of White Salmon has enough soccer talent to field perennial 1A state tournament contenders. He hopes to coach the team “for a long time.”
Junior Oscar Robles-Nunez saves a shot.
Walker Sacon photo
Walker Sacon photo
Mangum said his team – and its competitors – will be relatively inexperienced this year. The last time a full season was played, this year’s seniors were sophomores.
“Guys who would’ve had time to develop on JV are now varsity starters,” he said.
One of those seniors is star Jacob Lockman, who has been playing with the Westside Timbers Soccer Club in Beaverton, OR., to prepare for the season. Both of the team’s goalkeepers, Seth Miller and Oscar Robles-Nunez, hadn’t played the position until high school, Mangum said. He said both stuck to keeping after trying it in practice and have shown promise.
Mangum took over the program 12 days before the pandemic cancelled what he said could have been a deep playoff run with a large and talented group of seniors. He said not fielding a JV team and COVID-19 precautions mean some players won’t travel with the team this year. Those players, who Mangum said would have been high quality JV players, have opted to continue practicing and attending home games, which he said reflects their commitment.
Commented