When the final whistle blew in the Class 5A state title game after a late onslaught of pressure from Lakeside, there was no doubt first-year head coach Ben Pettigrew and his players were hurting after a 1-0 defeat.
Now after he's had some time to reflect on his first season in charge of the Rams, Pettigrew said he is very pleased with how the season went as a whole.
"Really when I started to reflect, just really proud of everything we were able to accomplish this year," he said. "The guys won 18 games. They won conference. Were able to make it to the final. Set some pretty high marks this year moving forward. It's disappointing once you get there not to win the last one, but there's just so much to be proud of."
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After being an assistant in the program, Pettigrew took the helm of the Rams with the departure of Craig Moses, who was with the program for two decades.
Moses created a winning culture at Lakeside, but Pettigrew proved he could carry that on in his first year.
Pettigrew inherited a squad that graduated seven seniors from a quality team, and he led them to a state runner-up finish.
"Coach Mo had already set a really high bar here at Lakeside, but as a new coach it makes it easier to get more buy-in when you have success early on," Pettigrew said. "So winning conference and making it to the finals definitely helps in that regard of just getting the players to believe in you and the process to get back to that point."
Although next season is still far away in the future, it's not too early to look at how the Rams might shape up next year.
Once again, Lakeside will lose a core group of seniors including Leo Santillan, Caleb Rush, Connor Sims, Isaac Carroll and others.
"I think our expectations as a soccer program here are always the same," Pettigrew said. "We always want to win conference as the first goal and then make a run in state as the second goal. I think for the most part our expectations stay the same every year."
Pettigrew said he has plenty of faith in the current junior and sophomore classes to continue with success next season, and those players built tons of experience in important matches this year.
"They played in a lot of big games this year," Pettigrew said. "A lot of big moments and no bigger than on the biggest stage for the state championship. So the experience that they were able to gain from that no doubt will play a huge part in us being able to continue on our success next year."
Pettigrew learned a lot about the administrative side of being a high school soccer coach this season and handling things away from the pitch.
He also gained experience in how to schedule the move from offseason to preseason and other little things he can take into year two.
"Until you're really the head coach making all the final decisions, there's nothing that's really the same," Pettigrew said. "There's nothing that quite compares until you're actually calling the shots. So until you actually get that experience, it's tough."
Pettigrew's success in his first season did not end after the state final. The Arkansas Activities Association announced Pettigrew would be an assistant coach on the West team in this summer's All-Star soccer game.
"It was an honor," Pettigrew said. "I've been very, very blessed this year and just to be able to do that as well is really neat."
Santillan, a National Park College signee, will join his head coach as a player on the West squad.
"I think it's just a testament to Leo and how hard he's worked since his eighth grade year to get to this point," Pettigrew said. "I feel like a lot of coaches say it, but he's one of the hardest workers I've ever been around. He's worked for everything that he's earned. He's been a great example for those younger guys for something to strive for."
Garland County excelled in boys soccer once again this year. Lakeside, Hot Springs and Lake Hamilton made up the top three teams in the 5A-South, and Hot Springs' Juan Leos and Lake Hamilton's Andy Duran also made the All-Star squad.
Pettigrew coached all three players in club soccer, so getting to coach them all one last time makes the All-Star game even more special.
"I knew Juan and Andy and Leo would have a great shot to make it so I'm just really excited to spend some more time with those guys," Pettigrew said. "Those three are all very special to me. I'm really excited for the opportunity."