MANSFIELD — The game is five-man indoor soccer and when played within the cramped confines of the Mansfield Christian elementary school gym, it’s soccer after three doubleshot espressos from Starbucks.
It is fast, loud and chaotic.
The pace is furious as members of Mansfield Christian’s state-ranked boys soccer team race from end to end and rocket point-blank shots at steely-nerved goal keepers, who somehow turn away just about everything launched in their direction.
Standing in the center of the bedlam is first-year coach and 2002 MCS graduate Jesse Rider. The 29-year-old Rider holds his own against athletes who are at the very minimum 11 years his junior.
This exercise is intended to help the Flames prepare for the faster tempo of the postseason, which began with a 13-0 win over Tiffin Calvert in a Division III sectional championship match at Mansfield Christian’s Comstock Field over the weekend.
“I can keep up with them for a minute or two,” said Rider, who scored one of just a handful of goals during last week’s intense practice session. “After that, I’m winded.
“We do it to maintain our fitness level and because everything in the postseason happens a little faster. It’s healthy competition for the kids, which is good because we will have had a two-week layoff by the time we play Saturday.”
The Flames (16-1) put the finishing touches on a remarkable regular season with a 6-0 win over Columbus Tree of Life on Oct. 5. It was Mansfield Christian’s 13th consecutive victory.
Considering all that has changed since last fall, these Flames have overachieved.
Mansfield Christian lost 13 seniors to graduation from last year’s Elite Eight squad. Then longtime coach Ben Stauffer stepped down to take a teaching position at a private Christian school in Jacksonville, Fla.
A longtime Stauffer assistant, Rider slid into the new role and the Flames haven’t missed a beat. MCS finished second in Division III in the final Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association state poll.
“I wouldn’t say I was worried, but I wasn’t sure what it would look like when (Stauffer) left,” said senior captain Josh Cochran, one of the few holdovers from last year. “There are some little differences, but that is to be expected. For the most part, it has been a smooth transition.”
A former head coach at Ontario, Rider played for the highly-regarded Lambert Sommers before coaching under Stauffer for more than five seasons. He readily admits his coaching philosophy is highly influenced by his two mentors.
“I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel here, just tweak it a little,” Rider said. “I learned so much outside of soccer from Lambert and Ben. They taught me the importance of bringing the guys together as a family.”
That lesson was on display recently when Stauffer returned to Richland County from Florida.
“We have been in Florida for a while, but we were just able to move into our house this past week,” Stauffer said. “I had to come back to Mansfield to pick up some stuff and U-Haul it back to Florida. When I got there, a good chunk of the team and a lot of the players’ fathers were there to meet me and pack me up.”
Stauffer never had any reservations about turning over the program to his trusted lieutenant.
“I knew Jesse would be great,” Stauffer said. “In fact, the last couple of years it was a situation where he was more of a co-head coach than an assistant. He is a great teacher of the game and he cares for the kids.”
In terms of style, Rider is a little more offensive minded. The Flames scored three or more goals in all 15 of their regular season wins and scored five or more nine times. Cochran, leads the way with 23 goals and 14 assists.
“Coach Rider is a little more attack-oriented,” said senior Matt Millard, a four-year letterman with four goals and three assists this fall. “He is a little more strict when it comes to fitness. He has worked us hard all season, but you can’t argue with the results.”
Another extended postseason run — MCS advanced to the Final Four in 2011 — could be just around the corner.
“I’m pleased with how quickly this team has come together,” Rider said. “I said early in the year that we had a lot of soccer experience, just not a lot of varsity experience.”
And if the Flames are fortunate enough to advance to the Final Four again, they will likely have a fan driving north from Florida.
“If they make it to the state tournament, that would be awfully hard to miss,” Stauffer said. “I still care a lot about the program, the coaches and those kids.
“I don’t know how I would do sitting up in the stands, though. I would be a nervous wreck.”
Follow Curt Conrad on Twitter @curtjconrad.
“I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel here, just tweak it a little,” Jesse Rider said. “I learned so much outside of soccer from Lambert and Ben. They taught me the importance of bringing the guys together as a family.”
