SPRINGFIELD - When the Central boys soccer team scored versus Commerce with 1:30 left in the fourth quarter Tuesday evening, coach Scott Arel motioned for his five seniors out on the pitch to head off Berte Field one final time.
Four of them, Antonio Centracchio, Gavin Holland, Jacob Bakowski and Luis Hernandez, walked off together with their arms around each other.
It was anything but a conventional senior night for the Golden Eagles, as the 14-1 win was more of an intrasquad scrimmage due to the Raiders' shortage on players and some of the Central players competing for Commerce.
However, it didn’t put a damper on the moment for Centracchio.
“It meant a ton to me,” he said. “I can speak for myself and my senior friends, the circumstances obviously weren’t how we wanted them to be, but I will say we made the most of our season.
“We went 5-0, it wasn’t as many games as we would’ve liked to play,” Centracchio added. “The competition was the best we could get, but I’m happy for all the guys, we made the most of it.”
In a season that consisted of an extended break between games due to the coronavirus pandemic, Arel acknowledged the sense of closure his program got from their season finale.
“Despite the circumstances, obviously giving (Commerce) players, no matter what they just wanted one more time out here on the field,” he said. “They’ve been playing for me for the past four years and it’s something that they’re gonna take away for the rest of their lives and something they’re gonna hold on to.”
Before the game even started, several of the Central players expressed their disappointment when they looked up at the scoreboard and saw they would be playing 15-minute quarters instead of 20.
The pleading for 20-minute periods worked, as it became increasingly evident just how much the Golden Eagles wanted to give their seniors a proper sendoff.
“It’s pride,” Arel said. “It’s pride in the school, pride in themselves. They’ve been playing soccer all their lives and I think by just playing to the very last minute and playing to the fullest that they possibly can, is something that means a lot to them as a group.”
Both Arel and Centracchio reflected on the brief hiatus that took place, with the latter recalling the moment he and his teammates got the text they had been waiting for.
“That was a great feeling because before that little break we had in the season, we had only played one game and then we were all waiting diligently for that last ‘Are we gonna play?’ text,” Centracchio said.
“Then we get that text to go get tested, and the emotions in my body, I was just so happy.”
Arel added: “It was a rough transition, we didn’t even get all of our players back but they were excited. As soon as they saw that window open for us, they were all about it and got right back into training mode and adjusted.”
When asked what he’ll miss most about playing for Central, Centracchio discussed the closeness he developed with his graduating class.
“I’m gonna miss my coaches, my teammates, everything," he said. Just the feeling of being out here is amazing. We’re really like a family ever since freshman year, three out of the five seniors from this year all played JV together and got moved up to varsity together. We’re as close as you can really get."
John Emmanuel, the fifth senior who joined the team last year, expressed his appreciation for the camaraderie between the team.
“I’ll miss the way we joked around and played around with each other, there’s a lot that I’ll miss,” he said. "It’s a good feeling playing with my friends, I’ve been playing with them since last year. It’s been a good time.”
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‘We’re as close as you can really get': Central boys soccer team reflects on unusual senior night - masslive.com
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