Paul Curtis' 300th win as the boys head coach of Acalanes (Calif.) was met with little fanfare, and that's just how he wanted it.
When the whistle blew on the 4-0 victory over College Park on Saturday night, a soft round of applause rose from an unaware crowd. It wasn't until Curtis' former player and current assistant coach, Drew Wondolowski, mentioned it to the team after the game that people became aware.
"For us, building the program is represented by the coaches on the touch line," Curtis said. "All the coaches have played in the program, they come back, the alumni show up."
Curtis, in his 22 seasons, has never made coaching about himself. It has always been about the players, making them better young men and preparing them for college, and for adulthood.
"It's about representing the Acalanes program, our motto of tradition of excellence and we try to hold that up," Curtis said. "We work really hard in the classroom. We do a lot of stuff outside of the soccer field like community service, supporting kids by making sure they are on top of their academics. It's the whole package and for me that's what success is all about."
"We happen to win more than we lose, and that's a positive. For me, I love to do it, I love being around kids, always have and it's the most energized part of my day and that's a great thing."
Curtis fell into the job at Acalanes, showing up to help out with practice in 1999 and leaving that practice as the head coach in a strange turn of events. Since then, he's taught his players more than just how to play the game. He's taught them to be good people.
"It's just exciting because as a coach he's changed my life and coming out and getting to play a high school season with him is just super exciting," Acalanes senior defender Jacob Hill said. "He's the greatest guy on the field and off the field. He teaches you life lessons and he's a pretty inspirational guy. Helping him get his 300th win, well I think that's pretty damned cool."
Curtis' players see how dedicated he is to them and how selfless he is with his time and commitment.
"He puts in so much work on the field and behind the scenes, he puts in a crazy amount of work," senior striker/midfielder Aidan Nelson said. "He just does so much that we don't even see. He's a great guy and a great coach."
And if you're wondering if Curtis has always been this kind of guy, the answer is yes. He attended high school at Las Lomas (Calif.) with current Las Lomas coach Kurt Adkins and was a year ahead of Adkins. When Adkins was a senior, Curtis had graduated, he attended Adkins' U18 State Cup final. When Adkins missed a penalty that would have tied the match and was hanging his head after the loss, Curtis went and lifted his head up and told him to always keep his head up.
Curtis is the kind of guy who reaches out to you when a family member passes and the kind of guy who will come visit people in the hospital, whether he knows them well or not.
"I first met Paul in the fall of 1973. We played on the soccer team that season and were voted the two captains by our teammates," Adkins said. "Make no mistake, however, Paul was in charge. He became the first person to influence me, outside of my parents, and to a very large degree, he helped to mold me into the person I am today. He helped me find direction when I was a wandering 16-year old and he was a wonderful role model."
Other established coaches, at big-time programs, have also been influenced by Curtis and they include Derricke Brown at De La Salle who has had tremendous success with the Spartans and can point to Curtis as someone who has helped him get there.
"I've had the pleasure of competing with Paul and working with him at WC Surf the past three years," Brown said. "He is truly a leader of men, young and old. I've learned a lot from Paul and appreciate sharing his experience and wisdom with me. It seems a coach can only survive for the long term by being genuine and consistent with his or her messages and Paul definitely fits that criteria. He's had a positive impact on a countless number of lives during his tenure."
Seven of those lives that he is currently impacting played a huge role in a comprehensive win over College Park to help him pick up that 300th win.
<strong>Daniel Adri, Senior, Central Defender</strong>
Adri is a big 6-2 presence in the Dons back line, and was a force against College Park. He consistently cleared the lines, was a brick wall that attackers could not get through and also scored a goal in the 51st minute on a header to put Acalanes up 3-0 and seal the 300th win.
<strong>Riley Bonner, Junior, Attacking Midfielder</strong>
Bonner was a catalyst for the Dons in this one, and is so on a regular basis for them. He showed great pace and creativity in the midfield, and despite not being the biggest player, consistently won challenges and started the attack for Acalanes.
<strong>Jacob Hill, Senior, Outside Defender</strong>
Hill is every coach's dream. He lives up to being a captain by being very vocal on the field and is not afraid to get on his teammates, but does so in a way that is encouraging and commands respect. He gives 100 percent effort all the time when on the pitch.
"He helps keep our energy up all the time," Nelson said. "He pushes us and encourages us, whenever we are slacking a little bit he will let us know and that really gets us going."
<strong>Jimmy Hutson, Senior, Striker</strong>
Hutson moved into the striker position when Nelson had to move into the holding midfield spot after the Dons suffered an injury. Hutson has responded by banging in goals, and did so again, scoring the game's second goal in the 49th minute with a very cool, calm finish.
<strong>Aidan Nelson, Senior, Holding Midfielder</strong>
As mentioned above, Nelson moved from the striker position when there was an injury, has dropped back into the holding midfield spot and has been great in connecting the attack with the back line, and is another player who just gives effort at all times. He had the assist on the game's first goal that really got Acalanes running.
"He's a really unique player, I've played with him for a really long time and he started out as center back, he was out at right wing and for the last year, he's been a striker. He's been all over," Hill said. "We had an injury and we had to huck him back into that holding mid and he does a great job there and holds it down. I just think he's an amazing player, he knows the game well and he does great anywhere on the field."
<strong>Eli Roth, Junior, Central Midfielder</strong>
Roth scored the game's fourth goal, erasing any doubt about the outcome if there was any doubt. He's a solid, strong, and stout midfielder who is very commanding in the air and when on the ball.
<strong>Jonathan Roth, Freshman, Striker</strong>
This Roth, a freshman, scored the game's first goal. The Dons had been knocking on the door for some time but could not break through until Roth's 28th-minute goal. He made a perfect run from the right side and was on the end of Nelson's cross, finishing it very deftly and cooly.
