As the DCHS boys' soccer team kicks off the 2013 season, the Tigers look to continue the upward climb that the program has witnessed in the 11 seasons of existence. Head Coach Dylan Kleparek or "Coach K" and his assistants have this team ready to take a run at a third consecutive district 8-AA championship and before season's end, should hit the 100-win mark.
After practice Friday, the Smithville Review sat down with Coach K to talk about his team.
The Smithville Review: Talk a little bit about the history of your program.
DCHS Soccer Head Coach Dylan Kleparek: Our program started in 2002-2003. We started with basically nothing. I had just started as a brand new teacher, and I started the soccer program because they asked me to. We had a list of a bunch of guys that were interested in trying out. We had people come out, actually a pretty big group in the beginning of guys that really worked hard and tried to build up the program. We always preached that there was going to be a program that we would build from year to year. It really has grown in the past 10 years. We've gone from having a few balls and homemade goals to having our own practice field and two sets of goals, a golf cart, full equipment. For our size school, we have one of the largest soccer programs around in Middle Tennessee.
Review: After back-to-back district championships, do you think your team will be able to pull off a three-peat?
Kleparek: We definitely have the potential. We lost our entire defense last year, so that makes it tough for us to really be confident in ourselves early on. The defense is coming around. It's getting better. We had several injuries early on in the season. We are beginning to get over those. Things are starting to click. We really started clicking pretty well in Cumberland County. We had some goal opportunities that we didn't get, but it seems that we have cleaned that area up a little bit. Yesterday, we scored six on York and played our JV for half the game. The passing was really coming together. The shots were there when we needed them. We definitely have the potential to do that. However, with that being said, our district opponents are pretty strong. We have Central Magnet, who is ranked number two in the state right now, and they are playing really solid. Of course, Livingston and Friendship Christian are always tough matches. The other teams in the district could always pop up and get us. Last year we came from fourth in the district and then won the championship. The key is to really max out at the right time, keep working and keep improving. So far, I am seeing that improvement. I am feeling pretty positive.
Review: You have quite a few seniors this year and a large group of players. Would you like to talk about them?
Kleparek: We have 25 players and that is pretty standard for us. We try to stay between 22 and 26. We have a good group of seniors this year that are good leaders. We have some juniors that are solid as well. We have a really good group of young players. I see a lot of potential there. They are kind of rough around the edges, but our rec league is getting better and better at preparing players. We have a lot of natural talent coming in. We have probably got the largest Hispanic group that we have ever had. They have the culture behind them, having grown up with soccer in their culture. We have several players that are soccer-minded and some really good athletes in general. We picked up Rickey Spare and Jason Judkins from the football team, and they are good athletes. They have really worked hard and came in with the attitude that they are determined to learn. They are going to get better and improving daily. We have a good wide range of players. There is strength from the top to the bottom. Yesterday we were playing a district match against York and probably the last 20 minutes of the game was only freshmen and sophomores, and we still dominated their starters. The future looks bright.
Review: With that being said about your first-and second-year players, is it hard bringing them in, not having played the sport before?
Kleparek: I think it is the job of the coaches to teach the players how to play the game. You can't teach a person how to be an athlete. They are either an athlete or they are not. They either have natural skill or they don't. It's the coaches job to develop them. I feel that if any athlete comes out to play soccer, then it is my job to teach them how to play the game of soccer. How fast they learn and how fast their skills play into that learning, that varies from player to player. As a coach, I think you should be able to take any athlete and develop them into your sport. More sports are more specific. With baseball, you have to have certain skills that a strong football player may not possess, despite their athleticism. A sport like soccer, where it is straight up athleticism, it's just finding who wants to go the hardest. We just build skill on top of that. I find that I can pretty much take any athlete and turn them into a soccer player quickly.
Review: The Rec League Soccer program has been successful, bringing several young players into the sport. How has this league helped your program?
Kleparek: The Rec League Soccer program is developing very well. For the most part it really is seeking to prepare players for high school. That's kind of their goal. Because the league has that focus, they have really intensified by staying in touch with me. They pay attention, listen, learn, ask questions about our expectations and what they are developing on, improving in areas that need that extra attention. They are really building upon that at a higher level in their league. They are doing a great job of sending us players that are ready. I feel that I need to get some of my former players and encourage them to assist with coaching in that league, so that players have an even better idea about what is going on here. At the same time, the coaches that are there are all volunteers. It is hard to say anything negative about a dedicated volunteer. I think they are doing a great job. I am impressed with the players that are coming up. I am really looking forward to getting a middle school team and then the rec league feeding into that level and then entering ours.
Review: Though your fan base is small, this program has a strong fan base. Aside from winning, what do you think will bring more fans to the games?
Kleparek: Our booster club is really working on better advertisement and getting the word about the games out. They have been offering other incentives for people to come out. We are going to have a raffle one night. In general, the development of it all, we need a fan base that is truly interested in soccer. That's a group of people that have grown up around soccer and experienced soccer. Most of our adults in the community now, have very little experience with soccer or soccer knowledge. So, the game is not as interesting to them. However, this team has been here for 11 years so there are former players that are in their late 20s that are living here. I think that it will help us develop, especially as they bring their children into the league to play. These people have been fans of soccer. I think the fans will start coming more and more. I think it will continue to grow. 
We have a big mile stone coming up for the team. It's probably little known, but this is our 11th season and we are pretty close to 100 wins, which is pretty remarkable in that little time. We were only allowed to play 14 games per season when we started. Now we are allowed to play 16 games per season, generally getting about 15 in. After our win Thursday night, we are sitting at 94 wins, six away from 100. We are hoping to put that one away against one of our upcoming district opponent games. Our guys have put in such hard work and dedication to make this 100 wins happen.