Clint Graham leads OCHS boys soccer with 12 goals this season. Miguel Rios is not far behind with 10.
And they are both hungry to score more.
Rios, a senior captain, dominates the field as a forward and a striker. Graham, a junior forward, scored five of his 12 goals in the past week, including two against Banks County, two more against Madison County and another against Athens Academy.
The other players have combined for one goal.
“They really feed well off of each other,” coach Josh Austin said. “Clint has a knack for scoring tough physical goals, while Miguel plays with a little more finesse and scores more opportunistically. Their relationship has a very healthy competitiveness that’s lots of fun to watch. I look forward to them finishing the season strong.”
Rios and Graham have set goals for the rest of the season for the Patriots, who were 2-8 overall and 0-4 in the region before Tuesday’s game at Jackson County.
Graham hopes to hit a milestone of 15 goals, earn another “assist or two” and win a region game while Rios hopes to finish as the team's top scorer, win MVP honors and, most importantly, lead Oglethorpe County to the playoffs.
As captain, Rios leads and by example. He has played since pre-K, calling soccer a place to let go of his problems.
“When you’re playing, you forget about everything else,” he said. “It’s just you and the ball.”
Rios’ journey to this point has been fueled by confidence, perseverance and a willingness to take chances.
“This year, I’ve just like, let go of that fear, what the crowd’s gonna think about messing up,” Rios said. “So I’ve been taking those shots, and I’ve missed more than I've made, but because of that, I’ve also been the one to score. I really think that it’s just because I gained confidence and let go of what other people are gonna think and just let go of that fear.”
Rios takes it upon himself to inspire his teammates, whether by delivering pregame talks in the locker room or pulling individual players aside to offer guidance.
Beyond their goal-scoring abilities, Rios and Graham play crucial roles as leaders.
"My coach told me that when I put my head down, my teammates do, too,” Rios said. “So no matter how hard the situation gets, I have to keep my head up and motivate them."
In past seasons, Rios admits that fear held him back.
"A lot of players play with fear because they’re too scared to mess up," Rios said. "Some people are too scared to take shots on goal because they’re scared to miss. But this year, I’ve let go of that fear."
Graham began his soccer journey at 6 years old. He went through the Oglethorpe County Middle School soccer program and transitioned to OCHS.
“The talent level from middle school to high school is so great that it took a few years to get the hang of it,” Graham said.
But now, he has gotten the hang of it and has been a consistent offensive force. He credits his success to coaching and teammates.
“I see myself as being like somebody who just brings energy for the team and everything and tries to keep everybody’s energy up throughout,” Graham said. “They’ve (his teammates) been supporting me, like, when I miss or anything, and telling me it’ll be all right.”