Durango High School has announced Sean Ackerman is the new boys soccer coach. Ackerman will replace Danny Suits who coached the Demons for the past two seasons.
“It’s an exciting opportunity,” Ackerman said. “I’ve been looking forward to this position for a few years now and I’ve worked with almost every kid that’s in this entire program, whether it’s been through the high school itself or through clubs in previous years. I’m really looking forward to just being able to coach all of them.”
A former player and 2014 graduate from Durango High School, Ackerman has extensive coaching experience from the college level down to the under-nine division. He has coached club soccer in Fort Collins and for the Rio Rapids in Durango.
“It’s evident just hearing him talk about the game how much he cares not only about doing it right and the process but also the values that soccer gave him that he hopes to pass along,” Durango High School Athletic Director Ryan Knorr said.
Knorr said he’s thrilled to be able to bring alumni back like Ackerman who have lived in the students’ shoes.
Ackerman said his philosophy revolves around a high work ethic and he expects his players to outwork their opponents. On the field, Ackerman likes his teams to control possession and build possessions out of the back. He wants his teams to dictate the tempo of the game and when the Demons do lose the ball, Ackerman wants the Demons to press and win the ball back right away.
“The expectation is to win the league,” Ackerman said. “That’s not a goal. That’s just something that the program should do every single year. Then from there, I’d like to make a good run in the playoffs. Every year the idea is to go for the state championship. We’re not just here to show up in playoffs and say, ‘Oh, we made playoffs.’ We’re trying to get that long-awaited state championship.”
Summer sessions will start in June and Ackerman said the main focus will be building camaraderie. He wants to work on some fitness and Ackerman wants the freshmen to get to know the program. Ackerman wants to have a community from the seniors down to the freshmen. Tryouts will begin in the second week of August.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
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