Being captain of the boys varsity soccer team takes an abundance of time, dedication, and hard work – and senior Jacob Thomas has proven that he can handle all of the above.

Thomas began playing soccer at a young age and currently participates in leagues outside of school when he’s not playing with his team at school.

During the soccer offseason of August to December, he also participates in the Beaumont Youth Soccer Club (BYSC) with some of his teammates from the school team to prepare for the spring season.

According to Thomas, being a member of the soccer team has always been one of his goals since freshman year and now as a senior, he acknowledges the responsibility that rests on his shoulders, but said it is nothing he can’t handle.

“Knowing I’m captain motivates me to play my hardest every game, to just be a leader to my team, and to be the best I can be on and off the field,” Thomas said.

As the captain, Thomas said he has a multitude of responsibilities such as motivating the team in hard times, keeping the focus, leading them in warm-ups, and communicating on the field. He also puts forth an effort to build up his teammates when they’re down or when they make a mistake.

“I try my best to be a leader but also be friends with everyone,” Thomas said. “I respect all of them.”

Thomas also has the pleasure of sharing his position with one of his best friends, senior Skyler Lovelace.

“I couldn’t be happier to be co-captains with him,” Thomas said. “Not a lot of people get to say they were captains of their sports team with one of their best friends.”

Thomas said the team has many strong players and there are not really any weak points on the field, which will benefit the team going into district play.

“Everybody has their own weaknesses, including me, but each day we’re growing closer as a team and we’re getting better every day and I’d say that everyone that steps on that field is a strong player,” he said.

Thomas said his favorite thing about playing soccer and being a captain is helping his teammates become better at what they do and being able to help bring the team closer together. He loves encouraging them to play their hardest and to get a win no matter how good their opponent may be.

“The team has a lot of potential and we can be unbeatable when we play together and want it bad enough,” he said.

According to Thomas, his biggest inspiration is his sister, who played soccer at West Orange-Stark as a varsity player all four years of high school. He claims that she was so good the Mustang football team asked her to be their kicker, which she declined. She was even recruited by Lamar University several times, but declined their offers as well.

“She gave that up after high school because she wanted to focus on school,” Thomas said. “She was just so good at soccer and I always wanted to be as good at soccer as she was.”

Thomas’ goals for this season are to win district and make it as far as possible into the playoffs. Despite the challenges that lie ahead, he knows the team is capable.

“I really believe in my team and I know we can do it if we play as hard as we can every game,” Thomas said.

Since he has played for many years, Thomas said he has made countless memories over the years but perhaps his favorite is when the Bears won the district championship last season. He said the guys put so much hard work into the season that when it paid off, that was a special moment for the team.

“I can’t tell you any other time that I have been happier than that night when we beat Liberty 4-0 to win district for the first time in LCM soccer history,” Thomas said.

Every team is different in their own way and this year’s plans to progress each day and put in the work that it takes to go far. According to Thomas, a unique factor about this year’s team is that they are all talented and everyone has noticeable potential.

“Every position is strong,” Thomas said. “We don’t have a single weak point which is something we haven’t heard the past few years and is the reason why I believe we can win this district.”