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By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
Blake Bacchus has watched both of his brothers score goals in state championship games for Western Alamance.
Yet he has been part of not one, but two dramatic championships.
Earlier this fall, Bacchus wrote an essay as part of a college application. He mentioned – what he hoped for at the time – “the full-circle moment” that he could experience in conjunction with his brothers.
It turned out just that way. The Bacchus family has been at the core of two Western Alamance state championships in a four-year span.
Blake was a freshman on the 2021 championship team, with senior brother Ian Bacchus. This year, Blake was a senior captain on a team that received clutch contributions from freshman brother Grant Bacchus.
“They’re all competing with one another,” Western coach Camden Brooks said. “They’re kind of chasing after the other one all the time.”
The Bacchus boys, who are sons of Rob and Mindy Bacchus, have found themselves right in the middle of some of the biggest moments. The latest drama came in Western’s 4-3 overtime victory against Asheboro in the Class 3-A final last month.
Grant was a spectator during the Warriors’ stunning, upset-filled run to the 2021 championship.
“I went to their entire playoffs,” Grant said. “Watching those games and just sitting on the sideline and waiting for when I’m going to get up there.”
Three years ago, Ian was one of the heroes. He scored on a second-half penalty kick in the 1-0 victory against Hickory and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
Blake played sparingly in the 2021 final. He and Noah Barrett, who was this year’s MVP, were freshmen on that team.
“That’s very cool just experiencing that,” Blake said. “Then for me and Noah, we got to earn one. We got to get one our senior year. We already have one. Now we got to earn one.”
While Barrett scored three goals in the November 23 game, the two youngest Bacchus brothers had major roles.
Blake was largely responsible for holding Asheboro’s Cam Letterlough, the state’s leading scorer, to one goal. Blake missed a few weeks late in the season with an ankle injury.
“We needed him big-time,” Brooks said.
Grant scored Western’s second goal early in the second half in the historic comeback from a three-goal deficit.
“He scored a lot of goals this season,” Blake said. “I think that was definitely the most important one. That goal was a game changer for us. We got two goals in five minutes, which really set the pace for the second half. If we didn’t get those two goals real quickly, I don’t think we would have carried on like we did.”
Grant, who sat out with an injury early in the season, provided 20 goals and seven assists in 18 games.
“He has always been a goal scorer,” Blake said. “I wouldn’t say it was expected, but I wouldn’t say it was unexpected.”
What a moment for Grant.
“It was a surreal feeling,” he said. “Playing such a big game as a freshman and drawing a foul and scoring the goal – the biggest moment of my season.”
And it was an even better sensation than what he had witnessed a few years earlier.
“Being able to do it and win the state playoffs, too,” he said. “That’s just kind of a dream I had when I was younger. I feel like I could do that when I get up there. That was going through my head all season.”
About the brothers
Brooks has coached the Bacchus trio.
“They’re all so different, but they’re super, super talented kids,” he said. “Ian was the quietest. (After taking the job) I had heard of him and knew he was kind of the main guy on the team.”
Ian now attends North Carolina State, where he has been involved with intramurals. The Bacchus family impact at Western was far from finished.
“Blake was like the body, he had the athleticism, but he had to grow as a soccer player,” Brooks said.
Blake has been a defender. Like Ian, Grant is a right winger.
“Grant is the most technical of all of them,” Brooks said. “Ian was the quickest. Blake the biggest, strongest. Grant, the best straight-up soccer player of the three. Blake is more vocal than the rest.”
Blake figures he might have been blessed with the best situation, teaming with both brothers for championships. He also drives Grant to school, so that’s a different type of assist from what shows up on the scoresheet.
“It’s cool playing on the same field as him,” Grant said. “Being able to have him pass the ball to me and I take it up the field. We have some kind of chemistry on that field that I don’t think many other players can have and share with their family.”
Certainly, there’s the common thread.
“All three have a ring now,” Brooks said.
Grant, though, is keeping track of the specifics.
“Blake has two,” he said.
