East Bladen Head Soccer Coach Jay Raynor brings experience.
ELIZABETHTOWN — East Bladen head soccer coach Jay Raynor has coached some talented players over the years and he has led the Eagles to several successful seasons. Raynor’s experience as a soccer coach has helped him guide some talented players over the years from East Bladen soccer greats of Maya McDonald to Malcolm Bolden and Acee Campbell.
He most recently led the Lady Eagles to a 15-4-1 season and they made it all the way to the third round of the state playoffs. “This is one of the best seasons we’ve had in program history,” says Raynor. The Lady Eagles lost their top scorer from the season in before Maya McDonald and were faced with the dilemma of goal production.
“Maya McDonald went on to become a Junior College All-American at Cape Fear so we were missing over 144 goals,” said Raynor. The Lady Eagles were forced to adjust their style of play and evolve into a different team from the season before. “Kudos to the girls on the team for being very selfless and the evolution of our system throughout the season showed in the end.” The Lady Eagles season started off slow in front of goal but they finished their last 11 games averaging 3.36 goals and held solid in the defensive area with 13 shutouts in the season.
“In high school soccer, you don’t see a lot of low-scoring games but this group won a lot of games 1-0,” said Raynor. “They toughed it out and I’m very proud of that; we have a great group of leaders in this team.” Raynor has been blessed with some talented players and six players from his girls’ team made the All-Region team this season. Senior center-midfielder Acee Campbell, junior center-midfielder Heidi Rebollar, junior right-back Molly Evans, junior goalkeeper Reese Hester, junior center-back Zoe Smith, sophomore forward Jackie Medina-Leal, and freshmen midfielder Gabby Rebollar were selected to the All-Region team. Rebollar also made the All-State team for an excellent season in the middle of the park for East Bladen as well.
“Anytime your players get chosen for those types of accolades to represent their school and community, you’re proud as a coach,” said Raynor. “It says we’re doing good things here and it says other people around us have noticed that.”
Looking ahead
The Lady Eagles will have the bulk of their starting 11 back next season and Raynor hopes to keep building upon the success from last season. “You’re excited for the future but you don’t want to put the cart before the horse,” said Raynor. “I think it can be a very special season but not because of what we did last season but because this group of players are special.” He believes his team’s selflessness is what makes them so special and he feels their unity can take them further than they went in the ‘22-23 season. “They play hard for each other and when you have a player-led team like this you can do anything.”
Raynor is proud of his girls but he’s now begun to shift his focus to his boys’ team with the fall season approaching in August. The Eagles finished their ‘22-23 season with an overall record 8-10 and they made an appearance in the first round of the NCHSAA 2A State playoffs. However, this upcoming season will be different for the Eagles as they drop down to 1A classification with new competition awaiting. “1A is going to definitely be different from 2A but there’s still going to be good competition there,” said Raynor. “We’re going to have to figure out who we are very early on.”
The Eagles have lost key players throughout their team and two-time All-State forward Malcolm Bolden is one of those players that won’t be easily replaced. Bolden was responsible for over 30 goals last season and his ability to create his own opportunities through his athleticism was unique to only him. “Each team and each year, you have to mold your system in different ways,” said Raynor. “Like with the girls replacing a top goal scorer; we had to change our system completely and go to more of a possession-based style.”
Boys’ soccer
Raynor plans to take the same approach with his boys’ team and emphasizes the importance of executing set pieces. “We have dynamic players but we don’t have a scorer,” said Raynor. “When I mean scorer, Malcolm could pick the ball up from 25 yards out and put the ball in the back of the net.” Raynor goes on to say, “We don’t have that, but we do have finishers in the team that have the ability to move the ball around and put the ball in front of the net.” The Eagles’ main concern isn’t the win/loss category at this moment but growing as a team is the ultimate goal.
An important player for the Eagles last season was midfielder Jamie Delgado and he’ll be returning for his senior season with an even bigger role to play. “Jamie will be huge for us next season and he has the most soccer experience for us,” said Raynor. “He’s what we need coming out of midfield and he’s one of those kids that can score.” Delgado recently participated at the Powerade State Games where he was the catalyst in a gold medal-winning squad.
Raynor will also have a large influx of incoming freshmen to deepen the talent pool of his team. Zachary Sholar, Andrew Musslewhite, and Tredon Scott are a few names coming up from the JV ranks that can improve the varsity team this upcoming season.
Family, on the field and off
The main goal Coach Raynor looks to accomplish while coaching young men and women is development. “First and foremost, it’s best to let them know that you care for them as people,” said Raynor. “Sometimes in sports and at this level, it gets lost in the whole winning thing.” He continues to say, “I’m not saying wins and losses don’t mean a lot to me but I put investing in people first.”
“We are all coming from different places and we might not all understand where we are in life,” said Raynor. “But if we respect each other, love each other, appreciate each other, and apply ourselves then anything is possible.” Raynor wants to make the environment around his team special with togetherness and he wants to create lasting memories that will withstand a lifetime.
Raynor recently was blessed with the birth of his second son and when he’s away from the field he’s focused on being there for his family. “I love the game but being around my two sons and wife is fun to me.”