Just a bit of belief: Byrnes boys soccer wins first-ever region title

Byrnes soccer captured its first region title in program history on April 23, defeating Boiling Springs by a score of 1-0.

Before Byrnes soccer began its season, first-year head coach Joe Campbell asked his players for one thing.

Belief.

That was all he needed from them. If his players could believe in themselves, Campbell said, there was no limit to what the Rebels could accomplish.

So far, that’s ringing true.

On April 23, Byrnes took down Boiling Springs 1-0 to capture the first region championship in program history.

“When we started the year, winning the region was one of our goals,” said Byrnes head coach Joe Campbell. “These seniors, they’ve gone through a lot of rough years of losing. To be able to stand here today is amazing.”

Tuesday’s region championship win was the Rebels’ 13th victory of the season.

The Rebels won six games in 2023, but from 2019-2022, they collected just six wins over three full seasons.

The remarkable turnaround, Campbell said, is a credit to his team’s work ethic and perseverance.

“You wouldn’t know it looking at our record but we’ve actually had some serious adversity,” said Campbell. “We lost our starting center back to a torn ACL a couple of games ago. We had guys step in this year to a bigger leadership role. We talked all season about trusting the process and these guys listened.”

Senior Jacob Coman has seen the ups and downs of Byrnes soccer over the past four years. Coming into the season, Coman said he wanted to do something special on his way out.

Now, he’s a part of history forever.

“When we won this game, that’s the only thing I was thinking about. This class, we just made history at Byrnes,” said Coman. “It’s something that, when you step back and look, it’s hard to believe. We actually did it. Our hard work—all our sweat and tears we poured out on that field—it paid off.”

Last year, the Rebels had a chance to win the region, again in the regular season finale against Boiling Springs. They lost that matchup, and it’s sat with them ever since. 

Coman’s family accidentally planned a trip to Disney World that overlapped with Tuesday’s game. The senior stayed behind an extra day. 

Coman missed out on Magic Kingdom. He didn’t mind.

He wasn’t missing Boiling Springs.

“I was going to be here no matter what. I’ll get down there tomorrow and go to Epcot,” said Coman, laughing. 

“All year long I had this game circled. And this week, that’s all that was on our mind. We practiced Boiling Springs. We sprinted Boiling Springs. We weren’t going to lose to them again.”

In this season’s 1-0 region-clinching win over the Bulldogs, freshman striker Tre’ Segarra scored the game’s only goal. Segarra broke through the defense in the seventh minute and fired a shot into the top netting.

Segarra’s up to 19 goals in 19 games for the Rebels so far this season.

“It’s all kind of surreal,” said Segarra. “This feels great. I’m still a freshman, so the biggest thing I’m thankful for is my teammates trusting me. People like Jacob Coman who always trust me to take the shot, people like [senior midfielder] Rex Shaver. Those are my guys, because they never doubted me for a second when I got here.”

The Rebels mobbed and dumped water on first-year head coach Joe Campbell post game.

“Tre’ is a special kid,” said Campbell. “He wants to be better. He wants Byrnes to be better… The kid’s got so much in front of him. And he puts in the work.”

Both Coman and Segarra praised Campbell for his first-year coaching job.

“Joe Campbell, he always brings the energy and believed in us from the start,” said Segarra. “He’s the kind of coach you want to play for.”

“Coach Campbell spends hours and hours working with us,” said Coman. “I think he spends more time with us than his actual family. And when you see that, you really take it to heart. He made us believe in ourselves and what we can do. That’s a true coach.”

As it turns out, a little belief can go a long way.

“Everyone needs someone to believe in them,” said Campbell. “Once they knew I believed in them, I think that’s when they started to believe in me. 

“Sometimes, that’s all it takes.”

Byrnes won its first-round Class 5-A playoff matchup against Rock Hill on April 29. The Rebels will take on Nation Ford at home in the second round on May 1.

GAME RECAP
Boiling Springs 0 0 - 0
Byrnes 1 0 - 1

SCORING SUMMARY
7’ | BYRNES - Tre’ Segarra (assisted by Rex Shaver)