The Alpharetta Raiders enter the final two games of the season with an area title and No. 1 seed already clinched, and second-year coach Alex Gavilla is hoping this is the beginning of a resurgence in a program that enjoyed perennial success early in the GHSA-era.
“We’re striving hard to bring the program back to old glory,” said Gavilla, who previously served as a high school assistant for schools in Cobb County and as coach for Kennesaw State’s club team. “For the alumni, the administration and the community, it means a lot.”
In Class 5A-6A’s four-team Area 3, the Raiders beat No. 5 North Forsyth, East Paulding and Lanier a combined 45-6 for their first area title since 2008, and qualified for the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time in a decade. When the Raiders reached the 6A-7A playoffs last year in Gavilla’s first season, it ended a seven year drought.
As the Raiders aim for their first playoff win since 2016, Gavilla draws inspiration from a stretch in 2006-12, when they reached the playoffs six times. In a 16-team field, they had a semifinals and three quarterfinals finishes during the run.
“We’re one of the oldest programs in the state,” Gavilla said. “We were in the Final Four or Great Eight every year. When you have such a historic program that’s had a lot of success in the past, we understand what’s at stake, and it all pushes everyone to be they best they can be.”
The Raiders are 12-1 and ranked No. 2. They’re led by three attackers, senior Holden Morrison (31 goals, 28 assists), junior Koen Rose (29, 22) and senior Charlie Howard (26, 17). Another attack, sophomore Charlie Morrison (17, 8), and senior midfielder Henry Bunarek (13 goals) point to the team’s depth, an area of strength for the Raiders.
Of the team’s 20 players, 17 have scored at least one goal.
“Even though we have a three-headed monster at attack, it’s not that they must score by design,” Gavilla said. “Getting everyone involved is what we want as coaches.”
Gavilla and his assistants, JV coach Chris Innis and defensive coordinator CJ Mucker, chose five team captains — senior midfielder Jake Biller, senior defender Patrick Jones, junior defender Brady Corkill, Holden Morrison and Rose — based on leadership on and off the field.
“Those are the players the team looks to as the example follow,” Gavilla said.
The Raiders have grown this season in both wins and their only loss, which came to 7A’s top-ranked West Forsyth, 11-6. The game was back-and-forth, with the score 6-5 in the first half before the Wolverines pulled away.
“Last year, it was a similar deal,” Gavilla said. “We were tied at halftime, and we felt like, ‘We can beat this team. We’re right here, in it.’ And when it slipped away again this year, we knew practice, the film room, workouts — they had to mean more.”
The Raiders have won 10 straight since West Forsyth, including ranked opponents North Forsyth, No. 9 Creekview and No. 6 Etowah. A day after their crucial area win over North Forsyth, they beat Cambridge 9-8 in overtime on March 9.
“We’d practiced so hard for North Forsyth because we didn’t want to be a two-seed, and we know they always give us their best,” Gavilla said. “They were ready for that game. As far as Cambridge, they’re a big-time rival, like Florida-Florida State, or Georgia-Georgia Tech. Everyone knows each other. Those two games, back-to-back, were a big moment in the season, because we had to dig deep and push, and now we know we can get over the hump.”
The Raiders’ area schedule concluded March 20, and they’ve played two games since, most recently beating Hillgrove 12-4 on Thursday. They play South Forsyth (7-9) Tuesday, and close the season on the road against 7A’s No. 5 North Gwinnett (12-4) Friday.
“We specifically wanted to end the season against a big-time 7A program,” Gavilla said. “We want to see what kind of team we have. Do we want to be another one-and done? Or do we want to play like we want to go to the second and third rounds and beyond?”
From a competitive balance standpoint, this will be the first season the Raiders won’t play in the sport’s highest classification. In addition, Gavilla is confident the team’s progress in his second year and he wants to see the Raiders take the next step.
“We’ve put ourselves in very good footing this year,” he said. “The way everything has come together has been almost seamless, but it’s because of everyone’s hard work. Our in-season success has put us in good position for the postseason, and that’s the season that matters.”
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