Woodruff Boys’ Soccer Program Building Success Through Advanced Performance Technology
By: Garrett Mitchell, Staff Writer
garrett@thewoodrufftimes.com
For the 2024 season, the Wolverines have embraced several advanced technologies to help improve their performance on the field, and the reigning region champions’ results have been immediate.
Through advances in physical monitoring and video analysis, Woodruff Soccer has utilized these advancements to its advantage in its effort to build a championship program. Community support has helped fund what can only be described as space-age tools, and through that support, the Wolverines are taking off in a big way.
“Really, it helps us see how far everybody runs, and by seeing how far everybody runs, we can adapt our game plan and our practices in between,” explained senior captain Cohen Perry. “We know we are doing something right when our miles are a little bit lower. We know we are working hard every game, and it’s a great tell, but really, what we want is lower mileage. That shows discipline and that we are playing as a team.”
One of the new technologies being used by the soccer team is a physical monitoring system called Catapult. Through a small device that can be worn by players during practice and games, physical conditions such as heart rate, oxygen levels, and distance ran can be tracked in real-time, which allows head coach Aaron Chappel to better allot playing time and keep players fresh.
It has allowed the Wolverines to maintain their stamina and outlast opponents over the course of grueling games. Chappel explained:
“So, Coach (Ryan) Thomas, our strength coach, who has been invaluable to Woodruff athletics, asked us to pilot Catapult this spring, so we obviously obliged,” Chappel said. “It’s been good for us because college programs are able to manage their athletes, track heart rate, distance, speeds, all kinds of metrics for the health of the athlete. We have been able to use that to really dial in these last few weeks in terms of when to pull kids back in training and when to really accelerate them. That way, everyone has fresh legs and ready to make it to the next game.
The effects are aimed to be long-term, he says.
“The ultimate goal is not just to have them fresh for the next game but for the last region match,” continued Chappel. “Have them fresh for the playoffs. If something is off numbers-wise, is it nutrition, sleep, or an injury? We can pinpoint that.”
Another of Woodruff’s senior captains, Brandon Hernandez, says getting used to the new, technologically advanced systems took some time but is now glad he and his teammates have them at their disposal.
“It shows who is giving their all and who isn’t,” said Hernandez. “How hard we are working, or not working, with that technology, we can see how we are doing. We had to get used to it, but we are glad to have these tools to help us.”
The sophisticated tech does not stop there. Woodruff is also using an advanced video system called Trace which helps coaches and players see themselves in real time during matches. Trace uses artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze games as they happen. It can track every touch chain, shot, and goal, as well as each player’s individual movements.
Players can get an evaluation of their performance in-game, as well as create highlight films, and the coaches can narrow their focus to certain points during film study on command.
“We could select Brandon (Hernandez) and only watch Brandon for the duration of the match,” said Woodruff assistant coach Clay Varner. “And that works with every player. So not only can each player select themselves from the recorded footage, we have the ability to create highlight reels for players directly from the camera after the game.
This has proven invaluable for studying film, but also gives us the ability to focus our film sessions on certain players and certain moments of the game with just the click of a button.”
The results, according to the players, have been amazing. Hernandez credits the new systems for helping improve performance. He personally has felt the difference, and he says his teammates do, too. The results speak for themselves as well. The Wolverines, who won the Region 4-3A championship last year, are off to a strong start again with victories over Travelers Rest and Landrum, with a down-to-the-wire match with Southside High School, one of the top teams in the state.
Entering spring break, Woodruff boasted an 8-4 overall record and is 4-0 in conference play. The Wolverines look very much like a team primed to defend its region title.
“Everyone is working hard, and we have had some big wins,” he added. “Even in losses, we have that next-play mindset. Our goal is to go as far as possible and win a championship.”
It is not just new technology that is helping Woodruff soccer stand out, either. The Wolverines have new, high quality practice gear and match uniforms and have also partnered with Nike and Lloyd’s Soccer from Greenville, along with generous community donations and sponsorships, to provide them with the new threads. The players agree that everyone wearing the same uniforms for practice and games has brought a greater sense of togetherness and cohesion to the team.
“It is really a part of our culture,” Perry said. “Nobody is different, nobody is worse, nobody is better. Really, being in practice kits, being in warm-ups, and having all these great things, it’s to make us feel like we are part of a great team. You can be a great team without having these things, but it definitely does help. The idea is to look the part and act the part.”
Cohen descends from Woodruff soccer royalty. His uncle was a member of the very first team in school history in 1996, and his dad joined the program a year later. Perry moved back to Woodruff from Virginia with his family before the school year, having spent much of his childhood moving with his family due to his father’s military duties.
Cohen says the difference between the program his uncle and dad helped get off the ground and the one he plays for is astronomical.
“Things have come very far,” he said. “I come from a 6A school in Virginia and I have to say the soccer program has more technology than we did there. They put in the work to get the funding, put in the work to be known by the community, and I think the community is what plays a big part in having all these great things.”
Coach Chappel, in his second season as the Wolverines’ head coach, has been amazed at the community support for his team and program and credits the excitement around Wolverine soccer for making these new assets possible. His goal is to build a championship-winning program at Woodruff High School, and these technological advances and support from the community are big parts of making that goal a reality.
“The support has been overwhelming,” Chappel said. “The amount of yesses we’ve gotten when we asked for things, it wasn’t a hard sell. It was, hey, anything for Woodruff soccer and Woodruff athletics. The community has been absolutely phenomenal.”
Author: Tracy Sanders
