Unfortunately for Hunter Reid, his game Friday night in the Class 3A, District 7 boys soccer final reflected his team’s performance.
It was Reid, a freshman forward for Nature Coast, who twice tied the game with a pair of goals in the first half. But by the final whistle he was on the bench in pain, having suffered an injury to his left knee, while the Sharks had fallen to Pasco, 6-3. “I’m a little disappointed that we lost, because we’re a good team. We could have won the game. We definitely had the potential to win that game and we didn’t execute like we’re supposed to,” Reid said. “I just did what I had to do. I put the ball in the back of the net.”
His first goal came in the 15th minute, when he rebounded a shot by Gil Delgado that deflected off the keeper. He scored again 11 minutes later, off a throw-in by Vinny Stulec. That gave him five goals across three district tournament contests this past week, impressive for anyone but even more so for someone participating in his first prep postseason. “It was a little different than what I’m used to, but it was very exciting,” Reid said. “I thought I performed pretty well in this tournament. As a freshman it felt good to make an impact on those games.”
“Hunter’s been resilient,” Nature Coast head coach Ian Wald said. “He’s gone through some growing as a freshman, getting used to the high school game and getting used to our system of play. He’s adapted as the year went on, and that really paid off this tournament. I thought he’d been playing his best ball this tournament.” Not that Reid hasn’t played well throughout the season. In fact, with his production in districts he set a new school record for goals in a single season with 19, to go along with five assists.
The record belonged to Frank Villaizan, with 17, though fellow freshman Stulec also has 17 this season. He and Reid both tied Villaizan in the 2-0 district semifinal win over Springstead on Wednesday. “My season went well,” Reid said. “I broke the school record for most goals as a freshman, that was good. As a team I would like to beat Sunlake (in the regional quarterfinals) Thursday so we can continue. I’d like to get that win and move on and perform like I know I can perform.”
However, there’s a chance he won’t suit up against the Seahawks. While clearing a ball against Pasco, somebody went into his leg, forcing him to the sideline. He’ll wait to see how his knee recovers over the next few days. “I’m pretty determined,” said Reid, before adding, “I don’t want to risk anything.”
Regardless, it’s been a banner season on the pitch for the Reid family. His sister is senior Chelsea Reid, one of the top scorers in the county on the girls side with 32 goals this season. Initially a baseball player, he followed his sister into soccer at 6 years old. “Me and my sister get along in soccer really well,” Hunter Reid said. “We both want to keep getting better and challenging ourselves and challenging each other.
“She’s a great player. She has a really good shot. She can find the net from anywhere. She can turn a situation where there’s nothing into something and she’s just a good player.”
Reid draws from watching his sister, when she came up late in the season as a freshman and was a key piece as the Lady Sharks advanced to the Elite Eight. “I wanted to do the same for my team when I went to high school,” Hunter Reid said.
He joined a Sharks team that won its first district title a year ago, and along with Stulec and senior Morgan Vraspir helped Nature Coast go 16-5-1 to this point while getting to a third straight district final. “He’s a hard-working kid on the pitch. He doesn’t give up and he’s not afraid to shoot,” Wald said. “I’m excited for him and Vinny and Chris (Reckner). All three of them are freshmen and all three have played good this year.”
Indeed the future is bright for the Sharks and Reid, who would like to keep setting new records but is more concerned with team goals. “My outlook for the next three seasons, I want to go to the district final again and win,” Hunter Reid said. “I don’t want to go out without a district championship.
“Definitely next year I want our team to do better than this year. I want to get better as a player myself and overall be a better player for my team.”
Follow Chris Bernhardt Jr. on Twitter @cpbernhardtjr.