Photo by Erin Nelson.
The Patriots celebrate after defeating McGill-Toolen in the AHSAA Class 6A boys State Championship game at John Hunt Park in Huntsville in 2021. The Patriots defeated McGill-Toolen 2-1.
When Homewood High School boys soccer coach Julian Kersh and his team came home with a state championship trophy after beating McGIll-Toolen last May, it was a trip down memory lane.
A year ago this month, he enjoyed the state title victory as the coach of his alma mater, leading Homewood to an 18-3-3 record in 2021. Kersh was on the Patriots squads that won it all in 2005 and 2006.
“I told them at the banquet that that was one of the proudest moments of my life, honestly,” Kersh said. “Being a part of this program through most of my life and being able to help those boys achieve this experience that I got to share with my best friends way back in the day, and now they’re getting to do that — it was a great moment of pride for me, honestly.”
When the battle was fought and won by the Patriots, he turned around and ran to his former coach, Sean McBride, after shaking the other coach’s hand.
McBride led the Patriots to those back-to-back championships when Kersh was in high school and now coaches the girls program.
“I just owe so much to him, and he really can be credited for building up this program to where it is now,” Kersh said. “He took it over in the really early 2000s. Without him, we would not be the program to reckon with that we are, and I think we’re a program that can compete with anyone, regardless of school classification. He was definitely on my mind as soon as I got that out of the way, being a good sport and shaking hands with the other coach. Running over to him and just celebrating with him first was also a pretty important moment for me.”
Current seniors Youssef Nasser and Luke Keown both played pivotal roles in last year’s state championship run as well. Nasser was named MVP of the state tournament for his performance, and Kersh said Keown helped the team sustain its lead early in the final.
The boys team has done well in the 2022 season despite a series of “odd and serious” injuries and losing 12 seniors from last year, Kersh said.
“We’re performing quite well, and we know there are a lot of really strong teams around us, so we’re going to have to continue to improve,” Kersh said. “The season’s far from over.”
The Patriots have a record of 11-4-1 so far this season and were the No. 2 team in Class 6A, according to the statewide coaches poll.
“I’m definitely happy with the way my boys are playing,” Kersh said.