HS Soccer Stop: at Charlotte Latin, Kyle Searles tries to replace a soccer legend
How do you go about replacing a coaching legend?
“Well, in my case, I didn’t have to change a lot of things,” says Kyle Searles, first-year head coach of the boys’ soccer team at Charlotte Latin.
Not that Searles is a rookie himself.
He was an assistant at Charlotte Latin for four years, then became head coach at Butler High for two years and earned Southwestern 4A Conference coach of the year honors along the way.
But his predecessor at Latin was Lee Horton, who guided the Hawks’ varsity for 25 years and coached more than 1,000 matches at the school.
Year 1 at Charlotte Latin under Searles has started well. The Hawks did themselves no favors by assembling a rugged schedule, yet they’ll enter CISAA conference play this week with a 5-3-1 record.
“A lot of things were already in place when I came back here,” Searles says. “We’re implementing a few changes, and we’ve made some changes in our style.”
He has the advantage of being able to talk regularly with his predecessor.
“He (Horton) and I talk regularly,” Searles says. “He’s given me the space to do my own thing, but I know he’s always there to communicate with.”
The Hawks’ new head coach is also familiar with some of the players.
“I coached this year’s seniors when they were in seventh grade,” says Searles, who headed Latin’s middle school soccer program in his first stint at the school. “So they know how I work, and that’s helped us to make some adjustments.”
Searles’ leading scorer, though, is a sophomore — Parker Rubinacci, who has scored on seven of his 13 shots on goal and has three game-winning goals. Third is a junior, Edward Guggenheimer, with three goals. Senior Ryan Mitchell (four goals) is second.
The Hawks’ head coach says the school’s tough schedule, which included matches against Greenville’s D.H. Conley, Charlotte Catholic and High Point Wesleyan, has taught him to expect the unexpected this season.
“We’ve found out very quickly that anybody can beat anybody,” he says. “It’s such a tight gradient between the top teams and all the others.”
Most importantly, Searles says, he has felt plenty of support.
“The Charlotte Latin administration, the rest of the staff, and everyone else have been very welcoming,” he says. “Charlotte Latin has so many resources, but the support of the community has been the biggest thing.”
Big matches this week
MONDAY
East Lincoln (4-2-2) at No. 10 Hickory (5-0-2), 6 p.m. The 10th-rated Red Tornadoes face a Western Foothills 3A opponent that can score goals in a hurry.
No. 11 Hibriten (5-1-2) at C.D. Owen (5-1-1), 7 p.m. Hibriten is averaging four goals a match and faces a rugged defensive opponent.
Hickory Ridge (5-0-2) at Sun Valley (5-1-2), 7 p.m. Hickory Ridge faces possibly its toughest opponent so far.
Jay M. Robinson (8-0) at Union Academy (5-0), 7 p.m. It’s a meeting of the Yadkin Valley 1A-2A’s top two teams, and they both unbeaten.
No. 2 Providence (8-0-1) at No. 5 Weddington (5-2), 7 p.m. The Panthers take a break from conference play and visit Weddington, which is coming off a narrow loss to top-rated Myers Park.
West Davidson (6-1) at Salisbury (5-2), 6 p.m. First place in the Central Carolina 1A-2A is at stake.
TUESDAY
Charlotte Country Day (8-2) at No. 7 Charlotte Latin (5-3-1), 7 p.m. Two of the CISAA’s top teams square off on the opening night of conference play.
No. 4 Cox Mill (6-0-3) at No. 8 Mooresville (6-2-2), 7 p.m. It seems like everyone in the Greater Metro 4 4A is a powerhouse this season. Both of these teams feature superb defenses.
WEDNESDAY
No. 8 Mooresville (6-2-2) at Hickory Ridge (5-0-2), 7 p.m. One night after facing Cox Mill, Mooresville must come back against another tough Greater Metro 4 4A opponent.
Sun Valley (5-1-2) at Community School of Davidson (4-2-1), 7 p.m. Both teams are off to strong starts and can add a highlight to their postseason resume here.
THURSDAY
No. 7 Charlotte Latin (5-3-1) at Providence Day (3-4-1), 7 p.m. Don’t let the record fool you. Providence Day is the only team to beat No. 12 Carmel Christian this season.
Concord Academy (6-3) at No. 16 Gaston Day (6-2), 5:15 p.m. Area scoring leader Marco Wright leads Gaston Day against a tough Metrolina Athletic Conference foe.
No. 4 Cox Mill (6-0-3) at West Cabarrus (8-1), 7 p.m. The host Wolverines, a second-year program, are off to a big start. This match will be a measuring stick of the team’s growth.
FRIDAY
Charlotte Country Day (8-2) at High Point Wesleyan (10-1), 7 p.m. Wesleyan Christian might be the state’s top private school team this season and owns a 5-0 rout of Charlotte Latin.
Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle
Observer’s Sweet 16 poll
| Rk. | Team | Record | Class | Prvs |
| 1. | Myers Park | 5-1 | 4A | 2 |
| 2. | Providence | 8-0-1 | 4A | 1 |
| 3. | Concord | 4-1-2 | 3A | 4 |
| 4. | Cox Mill | 6-0-3 | 4A | 8 |
| 5. | Weddington | 5-2 | 4A | 3 |
| 6. | Lake Norman | 5-1-4 | 4A | 5 |
| 7. | Charlotte Latin | 5-3-1 | IND | 7 |
| 8. | Mooresville | 6-2-2 | 4A | 11 |
| 9. | Hough | 4-3-1 | 4A | 6 |
| 10. | Hickory | 5-0-2 | 3A | 12 |
| 11. | Hibriten | 5-1-2 | 3A | 13 |
| 12. | Carmel Christian | 5-1 | IND | NR |
| 13. | Christ The King | 4-2-4 | 1A | 10 |
| 14. | Butler | 6-1-1 | 4A | NR |
| 15. | Garinger | 6-2 | 4A | 9 |
| 16. | Gaston Day | 6-2 | IND | 16 |
Dropped out: South Mecklenburg (4A); Charlotte Country Day (Ind.). On The Bubble: Sun Valley (4A, 5-1-2); Charlotte Country Day (8-2, Ind.); South Mecklenburg (3-3-2, 4A); Piedmont (7-0-2, 4A); Salisbury (5-2, 2A); Hopewell (4-1-2, 4A); Jay M. Robinson (8-0, 2A); Union Academy (5-0, 1A).