Central Kitsap boys soccer enjoying fast start under new head coach

Patrick Leonard recently took a break from everyday life to spend four months in exploration mode overseas. During his first-ever solo trip to Glasgow, Scotland, where his father was born, Leonard made frequent trips to Celtic Park as a supporter of Celtic Football Club.

Upon returning to Kitsap County following his trip of a lifetime, Leonard began preparing for another first: his inaugural season as varsity boys soccer coach at Central Kitsap.

The early-season results have been promising for the Cougars.

Central Kitsap finished off its first full week of the spring season with a 2-0 home victory over Gig Harbor. Junior Jake Mackenzie and senior Ryan Falana supplied the goals as the Cougars improved to 3-0 overall and 2-0 in South Sound Conference 3A play.

Central Kitsap snapped a five-game winless streak against Gig Harbor dating back to the 2017 season.

"I'm so proud of these guys," Leonard said. "These guys have bought into everything I've asked of them."

Leonard absolutely knows what it takes for Central Kitsap to be one of the best boys soccer programs in the state.

A decade ago, Leonard was a starter on the 2012 Central Kitsap team that made a run to the Class 4A championship game under former head coach Christopher Floro. The Cougars suffered their only defeat of the season in the title game, falling 3-2 against Skyview.

Leonard began coaching at Central Kitsap in 2016, serving as a volunteer under Floro. When Keith Sargent replaced Floro in 2017, Leonard took on junior varsity head coach/varsity assistant responsibilities.

Now Leonard is calling the shots. At 28 years old, he's one of the youngest coaches in the state. Working as a substitute teacher in Central Kitsap School District, Leonard admitted there have been head coaching opportunities at other local schools in recent years. He passed on them for a specific reason: he's a Cougar at heart.

"It was a matter of wanting to stay in this program," Leonard said. "I wanted to be here."

Joining Leonard on the sidelines are a pair of former Cougar teammates: Miles Nilsen and Cameron Watson. Former Kingston player Cody Sweeney and JV coach Mark Nowak round out the coaching staff, which averages 27 years of age.

"It's a little bit different than what you see in most setups," Leonard said. "We view the game the same way, so we are trying to accomplish the same goals."

Goals are what wins soccer games and Central Kitsap scored one in each half against Gig Harbor. The Cougars went ahead 1-0 in the 18th minute when senior captain Kolby Juarez played a long through-ball to Mackenzie, who got a step on Gig Harbor's two center backs and dribbled around goalkeeper Aidan Bartlett before tapping the ball into an empty net. It was Mackenzie's sixth goal of the year. He had a hat trick in the Cougars' 8-1 win over Yelm on Tuesday.

In the 63rd minute, Falana curled a left-footed corner kick into the net — CK's Aiden Brown tapped the ball in for good measure — for a 2-0 Central Kitsap lead. The insurance goal proved important as Gig Harbor hit the crossbar on a free kick in the 78th minute and Central Kitsap goalkeeper Elijah Akins tipped another dangerous shot over the goal a minute later.

The Cougars savored the win over the Tides, who won the South Sound Conference title in 2019. Leonard called it a "state playoff" type of game, one that could go a long way toward determining the league championship. The last time Central Kitsap won a league title was 2015 when the Cougars were members of the now-defunct Narrows League.

"We knew coming in that it could go either way," Leonard said. "I think if you asked most people looking at this league, they probably would have thought (Gig Harbor) would walk away the winner of this game."

Central Kitsap didn't dominate possession like it had it in its previous two wins against Sequim and Yelm, but it didn't matter. Junior midfielder Hunter Milbrot said it was important for the Cougars to defend as a team and keep Gig Harbor from generating high-quality scoring opportunities.

"We were OK with not having the ball the whole time," Milbrot said.

With nine seniors on the roster, Central Kitsap gives the impression of a team that has serious postseason aspirations, but could the Cougars actually contend for a state title with a first-year head coach?

It's not out of the question. Michael Krug pulled that off that feat with South Kitsap in 2009. The Wolves won the 4A title in Krug's one and only season in Port Orchard.

From his perspective, Leonard said his players aren't afraid of shooting high this spring. Neither is he.

"I feel like I'm in a position here, at this age, that people might not really get often and I want to make the most of it," Leonard said. "This is an opportunity for me to come in and put my stamp on it."

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Central Kitsap boys soccer enjoying fast start under new head coach