COLLINSVILLE — Usually, a new head coach means an adjustment period during the coach’s first year on the job.

For West Lauderdale boys soccer coach Matthew Castleberry, there hasn’t been much of an adjustment. When he took over the team this past spring, Castleberry was familiar with much of the roster, whether it was from coaching them in the Meridian Youth Soccer Organization or Alliance Futbol Club, or from coaching against them as Northeast Lauderdale’s former boys soccer coach. 

The Knights are currently 12-3-2 (2-0 in divisional play) heading into next Tuesday’s game against Newton County, and Castleberry said his familiarity with the players has made the transition almost seamless and allowed them to have early success.

“There weren’t a lot of kids that I didn’t already know,” Castleberry said. “It is easier knowing a lot of the kids and having a background with them.”

The team’s roster consists of 39 junior varsity and varsity players, ranging from seven seniors to 14 middle schoolers. Each of the seven seniors — Joseph Aviles, Luke Lott, Tyler Lank, Jack Green, Cameron McClinton, Brooks Hull and Cade Johnson — played for Castleberry previously in either MYSO or AFC.

“It wasn’t (a difficult adjustment) at all,” Hull said. “We’ve all practiced with him before, so we know how he coaches.”

West Lauderdale’s three losses include a 6-0 defeat against Madison Central, which is ranked No. 1 in Mississippi by MaxPreps, a 5-0 loss against Sacred Heart, which is ranked No. 3 in Classes 1-3A on MaxPreps, and a 3-0 loss to Northwest Rankin, which is ranked No. 5 in the state by MaxPreps.

“We’ve played well overall,” Castleberry said. “We’ve moved the ball well, shown good teamwork and used our talent well. When we don’t do all of those things, we tend to have bad results, but we’ve also lost to some good teams.”

The seniors have provided both good skills and good leadership, Castleberry said, and he’s also been pleased with how well the depth has developed so far.

“We have a good group,” Castleberry said. “It’s a really deep class, which has been challenging at times, especially for the juniors that don’t automatically get playing time, but that’s part of the perks of having depth.”

Green said he’s been impressed with how the underclassmen and middle schoolers have performed.

“We’ve had a lot of younger players step up,” Green said. “We’ve improved as a team instead of as individuals.”

Said Lott, “Effort-wise, they’ve given 100 percent just like any other player, and they’ve developed the same way — and when we get tired, we have one or two guys that can come in, and we don’t lose much when they do.”

Most of the seniors grew up playing soccer together, and the seven of them have been teammates so long they’ve developed a strong chemistry on the field.

“We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and that helps a lot,” Lank said.

Overall, it’s a good group of players who have bought into Castleberry’s vision for the program, he said.

“They work hard, they have fun, and none of their parents have complained or created drama,” Castleberry said. “They understand the culture we’re trying to create is one of winning.”

The playoffs are more than two months away, but Castleberry said if everything goes right, the year’s Knights team has the chance to make a run in the postseason.

“I think we can be very good,” he said. “We have a chance to be as good as anyone if they continue to work hard and execute the little things we work on in practice.”

The seven seniors were a little more specific when discussing how good they can potentially be.

“State champions,” they all said in unison.