CLARKSBURG -
Thursday night the Liberty High School boys soccer team will travel to Keyser for the Region II championship game against Berkeley Springs. The Mountaineers are led by a very talented senior, this week's MVB Athlete of the Week.
For the second year in a row, and just the second time in school history, Liberty boys soccer is one win away from a trip to the state tournament. A Region II championship will get them to Beckley and that has been Austin Trent's goal since day one.
"As soon as we started in the summer, eight o'clock in the morning practices, conditioning, and every single time at the end of practice we'd yell, 'Beckley on three'," said Trent. "It was never, 'Well we're just going to make it to regionals'. It was, 'We're going all the way to Beckely'. If we don't, the season was for nothing."
What is the Mountaineers most powerful weapon on their path to states? Definitely Trent, but add his best friend and fellow star athlete Brandon Franklin and a regional win is very possible.
"Everybody basically says if I'm doing it, Brandon is there. If Brandon's doing it, then most of the time, I'm there. I can't really score without him. A lot of goals I've scored are him," said Trent of his favorite teammate. "He kicks the ball so hard that the keeper can't stop it and I'm just there and I finish it, or he crosses it across and I just finish it. It's basically just team work."
"His footwork and speed are just amazing. Being around the ball, he knows where to be at. Him and Brandon work so well together. They've been together all four years, even longer than that. Those two just know, instantly, where the other one is going to be at," said Liberty Boys Soccer Coach Arthur Knight of his dynamic duo. "His footwork, and he sees the field well, that helps too. He's gotten the others in the direction of where they need to be at to help those to out. It's definitely these four years, we're seeing it now where the others are starting to pick it up. Hopefully, when they leave, they'll be able to continue."
Trent has scored countless goals during his time at Liberty but what he'll leave behind when he graduates is an impact on the younger players.
"He's always committed and then it's his determination as a competitor. Those things he's passed on to the younger ones," said Coach Knight. "It's so much easier to pull the reigns back on somebody that wants to go out there, and is ready to fight every night for you. It's a little bit harder to get them coached up to go out there and do those things if they're not used to it. That's rubbed off onto these guys, the effort he gives every night and his competitiveness. When he's determined, there's no one better when he's determined and I think they see that."
Of course finishing his senior season well is at the front of Trent's mind right now, but after that, it's college decisions.
"WVU, Navy and A-B have all been real good about getting back to me," said Trent of his future options. "They've been emailing me constantly and making sure I'm trying to send them video of me. Especially Navy, it's kind of far away so they can't come watch like A-B has. He's been able to come to quite a few games and it actually feels really good. It surprisingly doesn't make me nervous, it makes me play better."
Liberty has never made the trip to Beckley. We'll find out Thursday if this is the year.
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