Eagles boys soccer incorporates middle schoolers to high school camps

by Michael Smith


Grain Valley head boys soccer coach Brett Lewis wanted to make a change to his annual soccer camp he holds in the summer.

In previous years, there were three sessions – one for high school boys, one for high school girls, and one for all players in Kindergarten through eight grade.

In 2024, Lewis decided to have the seventh and eighth graders join the high school sessions for the boys and girls, respectively, while having the one for kindergartners through sixth graders.

The change had a positive impact on numbers for the high school camps, especially on the boys side as the Eagles have seen 65-70 athletes attend every day this week.

Not only have the numbers increased, the change has helped Lewis prepare middle-school aged children to play at the high school level early. The seventh and eighth grade players got to scrimmage and practice with the junior varsity and varsity players and learn from them.

It’s something that Lewis and his varsity players agreed was a benefit to the high school team.

“I just knew there were several good players at those levels (seventh and eighth grade),” Lewis said. “I thought they would benefit from getting to play with some of the guys at the upper level. They have something to look forward to. When we had kindergarten through eighth grade players together the last few years. There have been some players held back by the level when they were paired with players who weren’t quite as experienced.”

“We wanted to get the seventh and eighth graders plugged into being a Grain Valley Eagle earlier. It helps them stay committed and know what they have in front of them.”

And the high school players have served as mentors and coaches on the field for the middle schoolers.

“The told some of our high school guys, ‘Hey, you’re going to have some seventh and eighth graders with you at this camp,’” Lewis said. “Make sure you guys are on your best behavior and show them what it means to work hard and compete and what it means to be a Grain Valley Eagle. The high school guys have been great influences.”

Sophomore Cooper Bousselot agreed.

“I think everyone on the high school team helps fill that role (of being a mentor),” Bousselot said. “The seventh and eighth graders look up to everyone and are like, ‘I want to be like him!’ I think everyone is doing a good job of helping them.”

Lewis has even had some alumni come back and participate in the camps including recent graduates like Isaiah Johnson, Chase Simpson and Campbell Childers.

“Those guys show the progression of going from a freshman to a senior and a graduate,” Lewis said of his former players who graduated this year. “They still love coming out here and playing.”

The camps not only benefit the middle school players, but it helps the high schoolers prepare for the upcoming fall season and gets them into shape for tryouts, which happen in early August.

The camps are especially important for the Eagles this year as Lewis anticipates seniors who didn’t get a lot of varsity playing time in year’s past, will likely see minutes in regular season games this fall. The Eagles also will welcome about 13 freshmen, with some of them expected to crack the varsity lineup.

On Monday and Tuesday this week, the Eagles worked on dribbling and one-on-one situations; on Wednesday, the campers work on passing and receiving passes; and on Thursday and Friday, Lewis has his players play in 6-on-6 and 7-on-7 scrimmages that he calls the World Cup Tournament.

Each team picks a country to represent, and they play each team in a round-robin style format. The nets are set up on the east and west sides of the field at Moody Murry Memorial Field. The winning team earns doughnuts as the prize.

“We have quite a few people showing up of all ages. I say my favorite part is scrimmaging so I can get more touches on the ball,” senior Brayden Warren said. “And it helps you get used to play with everyone and allows you to get to know everyone batter.”

​Added Bousselot: “I like the atmosphere, but I also like he competition. We have good competition when we are playing.”

Grain Valley sophomore Cooper Bousselot, left, and Brayden Warren are two returning varsity players on the boys soccer team that are helping mentor the seventh and eight graders who are now participating in the high school camps this summer. Photo credit: Michael Smith