For the first time in more than a decade, the Chardon Girls Soccer program will open a season in a new conference.
The Hilltoppers officially begin life in the Chagrin Valley Conference this fall after years competing in the Western Reserve Conference. While the league affiliation is changing, head coach Chad Johnston believes the transition won’t feel completely unfamiliar.
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“We’ve kind of been preparing for this the last couple of years because we knew it was coming,” Johnston said. “I think we’ve played every team we’re going to play at some point since I’ve been here. This is my 14th year, so we’re familiar with the opponents.”
That familiarity should ease the adjustment, but Johnston expects the CVC to present plenty of challenges.
“I think it should be a very competitive division,” he said.
New Opponents, New Routine
One of the biggest differences won’t necessarily be the opponents—it will be the schedule.
Last season, Chardon’s conference matches were played on Tuesdays. In the CVC, league contests shift to Thursdays, changing the rhythm of each week.
“Last year our conference games were always the first game of the week,” Johnston said. “This year we’ll usually play a non-conference game on Monday or Tuesday before our conference game on Thursday.”
The Hilltoppers also have some homework to do after several seasons away from some of their new conference rivals.
“We haven’t played Hawken in a little while. Harvey and Orange are teams we haven’t seen in a few years,” Johnston said. “We’re familiar with some of the schools, but we’ll have to get reacquainted with the teams we haven’t seen recently.”
Building Around a New Core
The move to the CVC also comes during a season of transition for the Hilltoppers.
Chardon graduated a talented senior class that included multiple four-year starters, leaving a younger roster that will need to develop quickly.
“We graduated a really solid senior class,” Johnston said. “We’ll have a younger team this year, but we’re excited to grow with them as we enter this new conference.”
Johnston isn’t married to one formation or style of play. Instead, he prefers to build his system around the personnel available each season.
“I like to get my best 11 players on the field,” he said. “Every year is different. Once the season starts, you want consistency, but from year to year we adjust based on the players we have.”
That evaluation process begins long before the regular season.
Chardon will once again travel to Genoa for its annual preseason tournament, where the Hilltoppers will play six matches against teams from northwest Ohio.
“It gives us a really good opportunity to sort things out,” Johnston said. “It’s great team bonding, and we get to play teams we normally wouldn’t see.”
Ready for the Next Chapter
Changing conferences always brings a measure of uncertainty, but Johnston sees more opportunity than concern.
The Hilltoppers already know many of the schools they’ll face. The biggest task now is developing a young roster capable of growing throughout the season while adjusting to a new league schedule and new conference race.
For Chardon, the logo on the conference standings may be different this fall.
The expectations, however, remain exactly the same.
