KINNIKINNICK — Zane Trace boys soccer is well aware of the struggles it went through last season.
The Pioneers, who were once a formidable threat in the Southeast District, hobbled out of the gates with six straight losses before ending their season with just a single victory.
It wasn’t ideal, it wasn’t expected, and it wasn’t fun.
Andrew Ramsey is well-aware of all of the above, and it’s exactly why he’s trying to bring the program back to relevance.
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After coaching in an assistant role over the past three seasons, the 24-year-old was named the program’s next head coach during the offseason.
He graduated from Zane Trace in 2020 and was the Pioneers’ goalkeeper throughout most of his high school career. He then played for a season at the University of Findlay.
“I’ve been around this program since I was in junior high,” Ramsey said. “I was able to watch a couple of my buddies’ older brothers play. Then, I remember in my freshman year, we won the Gold Ball and how much I enjoyed that season. That’s when I knew that soccer was going to be my sport. Being the assistant over the past three years, under some great head coaches, when I found out that this was an opportunity, I immediately said yes. There was no question.”
When Ramsey received the invitation to help his alma mater as an assistant, it was a no-brainer.
It didn’t take long for his words to resonate within the program, either, which has carried over into his head coaching duties. He’s a player-friendly leader with a glass-half-full approach.
“Even with me being younger, the kids have always responded very well to what I’ve been saying,” Ramsey said. “I’m naturally just an optimistic person, and I try to keep a positive outlook about everything. I know that makes me a little different in today’s world. But I’ve noticed that the kids look up to that. And, the senior class, this year, because my little brother [Aaden Gigley] is a part of it, I’ve been watching those guys since they were kids. It makes it mean more.”
One of the glaring differences between last year’s team and this year’s is its numbers.
Last summer, the Pioneers had seven players working out. Even in early August, they weren’t sure if they were going to be able to field a team at all.
But a team effort to recruit classmates saved the ship from sinking.
“All seven of those kids were amazing every step of the way,” Ramsey said. “But it got to the point where we were still trying to recruit players one week before our first game. So, at Meet the Team Night, I gave a speech and said that we needed players and that we didn’t care if they’d ever touched a soccer ball or not. We’d teach them. And on Back to School Night, [then-senior] Austin Singer, Aaden Gigley and Alex Karwatske set up a table and that’s where a bunch of our signatures came from.”
The inexperience, however, showed quickly.
Zane Trace took its lumps, scoring just 16 goals throughout the course of the year before finishing 1-16-2 overall.
But that cast of players also learned valuable lessons.
“Going from last year to this year, where we have 15 guys every session, it makes a huge difference,” Ramsey said. “We had 21 players last year when our first game started. A lot of them had never played soccer. Now, this year, they’ve got some experience. And the incoming freshmen have played their entire lives. So it’s more experience through the door.”
Ramsey will make his head coaching debut on Tuesday night when his Pioneers host South Webster, a program that reached a Division V regional semifinal last fall.
Home dates against McClain and New Boston will follow before Zane Trace hits the road for matchups against Portsmouth West and Alexander.
“I’ve said this multiple times to the guys and it’s, ‘Guys, we don’t need any extra motivation from the outside. We won one game last year,’” Ramsey said. “Why should other teams respect us? This group is better than a one-win team. But they have to earn that. We have to remind our area what this program is about. We’re excited for our opening game against South Webster, who is one of the better programs in all of Southern Ohio.”
This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: First-year head coach Andrew Ramsey is right at home in Kinnikinnick