Boys soccer: Kevin Bickley adjusting to double duty at Sycamore

SYCAMORE – The Sycamore boys soccer team that won the Class 2A Belvidere Regional last season lost 13 seniors to graduation along with eight-year head coach David Bachta.

Taking over the head coaching duties for what he called a solid senior class whose leadership has been on display all summer for the new year is Kevin Bickley – who also will coach the Sycamore girls.

“It’s been a good group out here, working hard,” Bickley said. “There’s been a lot of good leaders out here, getting the word out about practices, a good group of freshmen coming in. We’re super excited. We’ve got a challenging schedule, so we’re excited to get ready for it.”

Bickley said a group of seniors including Cameron Kruskol, Will Donahoe and Nick Doering have spearheaded captains’ practice to help supplement the twice-weekly practices Bickley has been holding.

And throughout all the training, Bickley said the numbers have been very high, which gives the team a head start on the fall.

“Just being able to have these practices throughout the summer, these scrimmages we’ve got scheduled for the summer, anytime we can get a look at these kids and these numbers, it’s been helpful these last few weeks,” Bickley said. “By the time tryouts come around, you’ve seen them that many more times. Maybe with the girls in the spring you don’t get that luxury with the weather, you get stuck inside.”

Donahoe said things have been different under Bickley but he and the team are adjusting.

“I had coach Bachta since I was going into freshman year,” Donahoe said. “Having him as my coach, then this change, it’s been kind of difficult, but I feel each practice we get closer to understanding what he wants and how we’re going to play different throughout the season.”

Donahoe said he’s also looking forward to the young players coming in and seeing how the lineup shakes out.

It was something fellow senior Kevin Munoz echoed.

“It’s been hard but the new group is really interesting,” Munoz said. “It’s good to see changes, new players, new playing styles. I think we’re adjusting pretty nicely to that, so I’m pretty excited.”

Bickley has been adjusting to handling being the head coach of both Sycamore soccer programs. He said aside from a little overlap in early June, it hasn’t been too bad.

He said the girls’ team will start practicing in mid-July.

“There was a few weeks where it was pretty challenging,” Bickley said. “I was trying to wrap up the girls season, get the awards night set up and we had camp overlapping there at the end. DIdn’t really have much of a break.”