It will be a special morning on The Hill Saturday, when the Staples High School boys soccer team hosts Stamford, one of the highlights of a two-day celebration commemorating the 50th anniversary of the program.
When it comes to tradition, the Wreckers are in select company. Heading into Wednesday night’s game with Fairfield Ludlowe, the program has produced 687 wins, 145 losses, 85 ties, 11 state and 24 league titles. Alumni have made their way into professional soccer and to the highest levels of their professions.
As a matter of full disclosure, I am a Staples graduate and played on the sophomore team, where I am pretty certain I still hold the record for the most blown scoring opportunities in a year. It got so bad that in the final game, as he tried to get everyone in the game, Chris Keneally, the coach, in a move of unparalleled compassion, kept me in the contest almost the entire second half in the hope I would finally find the back of the net. As was the case all season, I did come close.
For the next two years I spent many autumn days on The Hill rooting on my much more talented friends. And for the last 26 years I have had the honor to continue to cover the team at one of the most scenic settings in Connecticut high school athletics.
I did get to spend a year in Albie Loeffler’s locker room. Loeffler, the program’s patriarch, was the personification of class, someone who could get a point across with a few soft words and a look. To everyone associated with Staples soccer, he will always be Mr. Loeffler.
No one knows more about the importance of Staples soccer than Dan Woog, Class of ’71, who played on the team, wrote about the team for The Westport News and now coaches the team. He will be the first to tell you it is a dream job.
Like everyone, he is looking forward to this weekend, which will include a cocktail party Friday night and a wine tasting Saturday evening, as well as an alumni game.
“It’s very, very cool,” Woog said. “And the excitement is coming from the alums. I’m getting several emails each day.”
What the returning players will see Saturday morning is a skilled Staples team that is 5-0 and a legitimate threat for league and state titles.
Asked if his current players were aware of what this weekend is all about, Woog said, “They don’t know how big it is going to be. They don’t know what I think will be a real electric atmosphere.
“They don’t know the history, but they know they are a part of something.”
A very special something.
