When Nick Magdalinos stepped down from his post as Warren Central’s boys soccer coach last December, he expected that he’d be taking this season off.
Magdalinos was slated to undergo neck surgery, and between that recovery and his wife’s pregnancy — she’s due "any day now," he says — it seemed like a good year to take a little break.
Whiteland athletic director Ken Sears had other ideas, though.
"We had just planned on taking a season off," Magdalinos said, "but Kenny’s a good salesman."
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So Magdalinos accepted the task of coaching the Warriors’ girls team this fall. He had previously been the girls coach at Westfield before moving over to Warren Central.
Whiteland has had recent success, winning the Mid-State Conference championship just two years ago, but a perfect storm of graduations, injuries and other defections has left a mark. The Warriors were just 1-15-1 in 2018, and only two full-time varsity players from that team came back out this summer (though there are a handful of others who split time between varsity and JV).
Magdalinos isn’t concerned with anyone but the players who showed up, and his focus heading into the season is very simple — making improvements every day.
"The way they’re working, they’re getting better," the coach said. "People look at wins and losses, tangible results. We’re looking at just little things right now — are we getting better doing this, are we getting better doing that? And if we get better at all the little things, then winning will take care of itself later."
Getting around the field is a little bit easier than Magdalinos anticipated when he went in for repairs on his neck, getting a fusion cage and plate put in to create space between the C6 and C7 vertebrae. Having a smoother-than-expected recovery made it easier for him to take on the job this season — a fortunate break, Sears says, for Whiteland.
"We got lucky, because he’s got a lot of experience and he hit the ground running," Sears said. "Hopefully we’ll get some stability now and get the program headed in the right direction."
Right now, Magdalinos is content to build brick by brick, with the focus this preseason on getting organized and teaching the players to think more collectively and play as a cohesive unit.
He’s happy to be back working with girls, who he says need to be coached a bit differently than the boys do.
"Girls are more relationship based," Magdalinos said, "where you really have to build that bond with the players, and they have to build that bond with each other. That’s what kind of keeps them going."
As for expectations for this season, Magdalinos really only has one.
"We’re asking them all to do some different things that they’ve not done before," he said. "We’re just hoping they buy in to getting a little better every day, and they have. Already, we’ve made lots of progress."
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Center Grove Trojans
Coach: Mike Bishop
Last season: 19-4; lost to Carmel in Class 3A semistate
Key returnees: Elizabeth Andersen, Katelyn Jansen, Brianna Poore, Jostin Reeves and Kelti Wise, seniors; Macy Detty, Makensie Kramer and Paige Waskom, juniors; Lexi Glover and Peyton Murphy, sophomores
Outlook: The Trojans are again loaded, with numerous key contributors back from a squad that made a deep postseason run a year ago. With a proven netminder in Wise, a dominating midfielder in Waskom and depth at every position on the field, Bishop feels like his team has a chance to at least duplicate the success of 2018, saying that "on paper and in practice, we’re real solid."
Franklin Grizzly Cubs
Coach: Mari Weidman
Last season: 7-9-1; lost to Columbus North in Class 3A sectional semifinal
Key returnees: Mattie Arcand, senior; Addie Marshall and Kenzie West, sophomores
Newcomers to watch: Morgan Harvey and Emma Williams, freshman
Outlook: The Grizzly Cubs took some personnel losses, most notably Emilie Hill, who’s now suiting up for the University of Evansville. But while the team is very young, there’s a good amount of talent back. It starts with Marshall, who Weidman calls a "rock star" in goal. There isn’t an individual superstar in the field yet, but the coach says communication and cohesiveness should help make up the difference. Finishing above .500 and near the top of the Mid-State Conference are the goals going into the season.
Greenwood Woodmen
Coach: Joe Mushrush
Last season: 5-10-2; lost to Center Grove in first round of Class 3A sectional
Key returnees: Olivia Brawley, Kiley Hankenhoff and Isabella Zekalo, juniors; Tori Graber, sophomore
Newcomers to watch: Abbie Davis, Emily Metzger and Josie Ochsner, freshmen
Outlook: The Woodmen struggled through a mix of youth and injuries a year ago. They’re still young, but many of those players grew through last season’s experience. Mushrush knows there will be matches where his side isn’t as talented as the opposition, but he believes that toughness will be a strength. Greenwood may not be ready to contend for a sectional title, but this group should grow into one that’s competitive in Mid-State Conference play.
Greenwood Christian Cougars
Coach: Joanna List
Last season: 4-10-3; lost to International in Class A sectional semifinal
Key returnees: Cassie Bigelow, Andrea Cottongim, Alexis Mead and Cameron Northern, seniors; Savvanah Frye and Katie Potter, juniors; Ellie Bigelow, sophomore
Newcomer to watch: Adeline Jolley, freshman
Outlook: The Cougars return nearly all of their key pieces from a year ago, led by a 20-goal scorer in Northern, who put home six in a single game last season. List has plenty of talented athletes around her and another potential scorer in freshman Jolley, who should help right away up front. With a good deal of experience and more depth than the team has ever had, GCA may just have a chance at its first-ever sectional championship.
Whiteland Warriors
Coach: Nick Magdalinos
Last season: 1-15-1; lost to Columbus East in first round of Class 3A sectional
Key returnees: Sarah Turcotte and Julie Witherington, sophomores
Outlook: Unknowns abound at Whiteland, where only two full-time varsity players from last season are back with the team. Magdalinos isn’t worried about any graduation losses or other defections, focusing instead on helping the players he does have get better every time out. The Warriors will be young and could take some lumps early, but the season should at least produce valuable experience that will pay off down the line.
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