Mr. Paul Werner and Mr. Geoff Clarion aren’t just amazing science teachers, they also happen to be the Freshman Girls soccer coaches. In 2014, Rocklin High School’s soccer program introduced the Freshman Girls team. Werner and Clarion had been close long before the team was formed, but when the program was looking for teachers “Mr. Clarion and I jumped at the chance,” said Mr Werner.

The two don’t just coach, Mr. Clarion plays soccer three times a week and has been watching his son play ever since he was 4 or 5 years old.

“I watch soccer probably ten hours a week and I read about soccer all the time,” said Mr. Clarion.

His love and passion for the sport is no different from Mr. Werner, who has played since fourth grade until college when he got into an accident that prevented him from playing. When he moved to Rocklin, his cousin had connections with an indoor team and invited him to play with them. This expanded when he met Mr. Clarion, and they both started playing together. Mr. Werner still plays pick up games every Wednesday and adds that his soccer agenda is “just nonstop.”

Last year’s team was a great learning experience for the two coaches, but this year, they have their goals already set for this freshman season. Werner and Clarion want the girls to move up as they get older, and feel that some of the freshman are talented enough for JV. But with the number of sophomores trying out for JV, it’s harder for them.

The coaches want to work more on individual skills in order to prepare them for next year. Along with that, they want to add more conditioning. Last year, there wasn’t a lot of conditioning, and both Werner and Clarion think last year’s team could have benefited from it. Regardless, last year “was so much fun…and [they] have learned a lot from it”