John Cordia, a new Freshman at Burroughs this year, is currently the leading scorer on the Boys Varsity Soccer team. Cordia is leading the offensive charge as a midfielder with 12 goals and 2 assists.

Cordia transferred from Sacred Heart School this fall and the Athletic Department is lucky that he did. When asked about why he decided to make this switch he replied, “My cousin went to John Burroughs and said really great things about it. My cousin convinced me to tour Burroughs and I really liked it. My family and I decided it was a great fit so I made the switch.”

In hopes of making the varsity team as a freshman, Cordia says he “showed up and worked his hardest” this past August during the preseason. His efforts clearly paid off and he is recognized as a determined and hardworking player by many of his teammates.

So far, Cordia is loving his first few months at Burroughs. “I’m having a great time at Burroughs so far. Soccer has helped me get to know kids in other grades and my grade especially,” he said when asked how he thinks soccer has affected his assimilation into the Burroughs community. Teammate Ben Cummings ‘19 said of Cordia Cordia: “It’s easy to look at Cordia and see him as the small new freshman soccer phenom that he is. And although he is an incredibly talented and hardworking working player, he’s much more than just the new soccer guy. Cordia is a great kid and in a lot of ways reminds me of Pete Davidson or Rihanna because of the type of energy he gives off. In simpler terms, he’s a guy you want to be around. Cordia is beloved by the soccer team and from what I hear, he seems to be fitting in perfectly with his classmates and the JBS community. I think it’s safe to say [admissions director] Mrs. LaVigne picked a good one.”

Playing on the club team Scott Gallagher, one of the best in the state, is much different than the dynamic of the boys’ soccer team at Burroughs. He says that“the soccer team at Burroughs has a lot more team spirit than my club. It feels almost like a family to me.”

Although he is having a successful season, being a freshman on a varsity sport does not come without its hardships. When asked about the challenges he has faced so far he replied, “At first, going up against kids that are much bigger and older than me was intimidating… but now I am used to it.” Relating to this issue, Josh Magare, ‘21, who was once in the same boat as Cordia as a freshman on varsity soccer said that Cordia has, “not only confidently earned a role on the varsity soccer team, he also never faltered in his path to becoming the leading scorer.”

The soccer team is now entering post-season and is expecting big things. When asked about his feelings going into this stressful tournament, he said that he feels “confident because we have played against some very good teams and we have put up good results against those teams. Also, we know we are capable to go all the way.”

Update as of 11/3/18: The Soccer team won their quarterfinal match against Notre Dame High School and will play Monett on November 9th at 12 pm.