Brothership. That is what members of the varsity boys soccer team call the bond for one another, and some claim that it was because of this bond that the team achieved three titles and competed in the MHSAA Division II State semi-final game, the farthest in Fenton boys soccer history.

“The time that I spent with my teammates was awesome,” senior Justin Beemer said. “Last season was great but I think we, as a team, had something special this year. Those bonds really showed when we were on the field and were huge in getting us so far.”

Beemer said that a few of the team’s goals were to get the Metro and district titles; the Metro title was last obtained by the team in 2009, and the district title in 2003. They achieved both goals by beating their rival team Linden with a score of 1-0 for the League title. They also played against Fowlerville, winning with a score of 3-0, to achieve the district title.

“When we got into later games against the Metro teams, our rallying cry was “Spirit of ‘09” as a tribute to the team who had last earned the Metro title,” Beemer said. “Then it turned into “Spirit of ‘03” when we moved onto districts. When we moved on to regionals and won the regional title, the rallying cry became “Spirit of ‘16” because the team set a whole new precedent and we were setting a whole new standard for Fenton boys soccer.”

Seeing the games through the eyes of varsity boys soccer coach Matt Sullivan displays the team in another perspective. Sullivan said that throughout the 20 years he has been coaching soccer at Fenton, he has not had a team quite as unique as the team for the 2016 season.

“This year’s group of boys was just special because the boys were so close with one another and that really showed on the field with their playing and how comfortable and confident they were out there,” Sullivan said. “We beat Linden twice, and that’s always special. And we also beat Cranbrook-Kingswood and Notre Dame Prep in both regional games; these games were a major highlight of the season because they were upset games, where a lot of people did not expect us to win against those teams. We won against them on our home field, in front of our crowd, and that is what made it truly memorable; it’s something that the boys will never forget.”

The team ended the season with a Metro League record of 6-1-1 and an overall season record of 11-4-6.