For high school athletes, senior night is a right of passage. Seniors hope to take the field of their respective sports and win. For the CHHS Trojans soccer team, the boys were victorious 6-1 against Jefferson Davis High School.

The team said “goodbye” to six seniors during Tuesday’s festivities, and Bailey said he was proud of the effort and leadership the six had shown.

“The two biggest things that have changed with them was when they started out when I came in,” said assistant coach Will Bailey. “A lot of those guys were timid, even Ben, a 6-foot guy. They were timid, but this season especially I’ve seen a lot of difference in how aggressive we are.”

Bailey said the newfound aggression had really started with the six seniors on the team this season.

“Seniors kind of lead, and everyone else follows in suit,” Bailey said. “I’ve seen them grow in their aggression and in their touch. The biggest aspect that’s sometimes hard to judge is leadership. I’ve seen players like Taylor not playing very much, move into a leadership role where he’s a center midfielder. Ben, it’s been his job to score this season especially. He has 32 goals this season.”

In the 6-1 victory over Jefferson Davis, Jaron Knox scored one goal, Will Young scored a goal, Ben Salmon scored two goals for the Trojans, Perry Bunn scored a goal for the Trojans and Taylor Montgomery scored a goal. Ulises Linares also had one assist for the Trojans on a Salmon score.

Salmon, who has played for the Trojans for six years, said after the game he thought the aspect he would miss the most of soccer was being able to grow up with his teammates.

“I think what I’ll miss the most is just growing up with these guys coming out every day to play soccer with them,” Salmon said. “It’s been fun. I think I learned to not yell at people so much on the field and learned to encourage them more. If I didn’t have anything good to say, I shut my mouth.”

Taylor Montgomery, another six-year senior, said he had been drawn into the support after watching friends and their brothers playing the sport he’s come to love so much.

“I played soccer as a kid,” Montgomery said. “I was just drawn into it by my friend and their brothers I just loved playing soccer and that’s what drew me in. Probably just playing with the guys and the camaraderie of the team.”

Starting goalie for the Trojans’ match against JDHS Connor Adler has played for the team for two years and said he proud of the hard work the team had put in to get in to get to where they are now.

“I’m proud of how far we’ve come as a team compared to last year,” Adler said. “Especially the work we’ve put in. Just to see it pay off every game is great. I would have to say our Mobile Tournament that we go to every year is always really fun. We really bond as a team and we get to know each other better.”

Young, who had a beautiful goal during the Trojans’ match up, has been playing for the team all four years of his high school career and said he encouraged anyone interested in the sport to come out and try it.

“It’s a fun sport, it really is,” Young said. “As long as you work hard and give your best every game and practice there’s no reason you can’t be great.”

Ryley Williamson has played for the team only two years, but said he had been drawn into the sport by watching others play. He said he would miss the bus rides home after wins most.

“Bus rides on the way back form wins we have the most fun bus rides I’ve ever had,” Williamson said. “Rap battles in the back of the bus are always fun, and when we beat any team in Dothan, we go to Cici’s and that’s a reward on its own.”

Rhett Outlaw, who has played for the team for three years, said he had been drawn into the sport by friends and family and had grown to love his teammates as if they were family.

“I tried ever other sport and soccer just kind of stuck with me,” Outlaw said. “I love these guy like my family.”

Bailey said this season hadn’t been that great for the team, but was glad to be able to see the seniors out on their senior night with a 6-1 win. Bailey said the advice he wanted to give the six seniors was that it wasn’t the end of a journey but the beginning of another one.

“This is not and ending, but a new beginning,” Bailey said. “Take everything they’ve learned, the lessons they’ve learned from soccer the hard work the work behind scenes, the leadership, the extra you have to put in to be successful take that from soccer season into life with them. Go into life with a tenacious approach and do your best. If you do your best it doesn’t matter the score on the scoreboard.”