Kenny Batt has never given a second thought about soccer and his top athletic priority. Through his commitment to the game, along with the development of an upbeat and hard-working mentality, he has developed into a sturdy stopper and even more steady leader for the Valley Regional boys’ soccer team.

Kenny has always been grounded to the pitch since kindergarten. He did try track for his two underclassmen years at Valley, but he decided to forego any future in that to focus on soccer full-time. His commitment to the game and his team has paid off in spades, as the senior netminder and captain helped the Warriors complete a huge turnaround with a 10-4-2 regular season following back-to-back 4-11-1 campaigns.

“Soccer never really stood out to me until middle school because everything felt more fun to me as I was getting the hang of it more,” says Kenny. “One thing that has helped me is having a good attitude. We had a couple of rough years the last few seasons, and I know I could not have gotten through those years without a positive mentality. Another thing that has been big for me is pushing myself and helping to push my teammates to be at their best.”

Being in the box, Kenny explains that he may have games where he sees scarce spots to show his stuff. Yet when his number is called upon, they are in crucial junctures that could change the complexion of a contest. He also discovered that overthinking can actually be a detriment more than a benefit to performance.

“I love being a goalie because you do not get too much action back there, but when you do, it is necessary and important. You may only see five shots at the net in a game, but those could be five goals,” Kenny says. “I have to always be ready to make saves. It does get scary at times because of all the pressure, but I have gotten better at relaxing. Once I got past the pressure of trying not to make a mistake, it became easier for me.”

As an underclassman, Kenny would perhaps get too timid and in his head when it came to taking on the tougher adversaries. Through a mental metamorphosis, he now pushes himself to the challenges while being a more well-rounded athlete and stopper.

“As a freshman and sophomore, I had a lot of struggle with my confidence, especially when we played the tougher teams,” Kenny says. “Yet now, I look forward to the big games. I think it is because of my growth in confidence and love of soccer. My whole life, I had been a shot stopper goalie. But I played on a club team, and I learned to play more with my feet. It has become one of my better attributes, and I have learned that as a keeper, you have to be one of the best players on the team with your feet.”

Stepping into a leadership role is something Kenny has coveted for quite some time. He explains that his corps of captains has been a strong source of the Warriors’ revitalization, and he takes immense pride in the momentum shift.

“I love being a captain; it is something I dreamed about for years,” says Kenny. “I think us as captains have helped make improvements to the team. This year, the whole attitude has changed, and we put in maximum effort the whole time. It is a great honor to be a leader in all of that.”

Speaking more to the 2024 fortunes of Valley, Kenny details that the seniors did not want to go out on a sour note. Running from the bitter taste of losing has driven a great sense of fortitude that trickles down to not only every person on the team, but every meeting on the field.

“Being on a losing team is rough, and the seniors did not want to finish their careers with another 4-11-1 year,” Kenny says. “We changed our whole mental state with the seniors and captains, and then it went from there. This year, even our huddles have way more passion than the last two. It is all in the mentality for us.”

Valley boys’ soccer Head Coach Mick Fearon explains that Kenny has had a knack to come up clutch with critical stops that have saved wins for the Warriors. He has also played an instrumental role in mentoring his understudy in the box.

“Over the last three seasons, Kenny has improved and become a more consistent starting varsity goalkeeper,” says Fearon. “His shot stopping and distribution have greatly gotten better in his time at Valley. He has made many important saves, which has kept us competitive in our games. Kenny this year has helped freshman Payton Riebold in many aspects of the art of being a better goalkeeper.”

The boys did also nab a berth to the Shoreline Conference draw. They did see an unfortunate early exit, though they are not concerned, thanks in large part to their body of work and are ready to redeem themselves in the bigger bracket.

“We made Shorelines and came off of a 4-1 loss in the quarterfinals, but we still kept a good mindset,” Kenny says. “We want to turn that around in states. We know we are a great team, and winning states this year would be huge.”