After eight very successful seasons, Boys’ Soccer coach Jon Fadely announced his resignation this offseason in order to take over as LM’s Assistant Athletic Director next year. This left LM looking for a new soccer coach, and after several months, LM selected Nicholas Severini, an LM Spanish teacher and head boys’ soccer coach at Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School, whose 10-5-2 record last season was the best season in 15 years. Severini said that while it was difficult to leave the surging Plymouth-Whitemarsh program, he took the LM job because he wanted to coach where he teaches and also, “looks forward to the challenge of continuing the legacy of such a historic program.”
Photo by Madeline Berger/Staff
Whenever a coach leaves a team, especially one as successful as Fadely, it hits both parties hard. From a coaching standpoint, Fadely expressed that that it will be difficult to simply be an observer of the team, saying, “It’s not going to be a great feeling— I’m anticipating a little emptiness inside watching them from the stands”
The feeling is also very difficult for the players to swallow. Junior Michael Lemonick said that, “I will certainly miss Coach Fadely, who was not only a soccer coach to me but also a mentor.” Still, the team hopes to remain dedicated and focused. As Junior Garrett Baker put it, “Though it was a shock for all of us to hear that Fadely was resigning, we knew that we would have to play next season regardless of who our coach is.” Also, despite Fadely being widely respected by his players, several members of the team appear to be looking forward to a change in pace. Junior Mark Krantz said, “He gives the program a breath of fresh air that will help us down the road.”
While Severini has already distinguished himself as a very solid coach in his time at Plymouth-Whitemarsh, his players are also very impressed with his credentials as a player, which include being an All-State player at Haverford High School, and playing professionally in Spain and Argentina. Rosenfeld was looking forward to learning from, “A coach that has played at the highest levels of soccer and knows what we need to do as a team to play at that level.”
While Jon Fadely’s mark on LM Soccer is one that will last for a very long time, the team now has no choice but to move on without him, and with Nicholas Severini, LM may have a coach who will not only continue Fadely’s legacy but also take the program to remarkable new heights.
By Danny Kane
Class of 2012
