Trask Middle School SRO builds special bond with soccer players

This story is about soccer, but more importantly it’s about relationships.

Dave Brown is the school resource officer (also known as a SRO) at Trask Middle School. For the past two seasons, he’s also served as the school’s assistant boys and girls soccer coach.

He spends a lot of time working with the goalkeepers, and this year four of the five had never played the position before.

“Dave has taken the challenge and turned a position that looked like a potential weak spot or question mark into a very reliable security blanket for the teams,” Trask coach Jamie Noble said. “Dave is an integral part of our school and soccer program, and his ability to build relationships with our students is really special. He’s not just there to do his job, he really cares about the kids.”

A great example of that is Brown’s relationship with eighth grader Demetrius Smith. One day during PE class, Noble and Brown saw Smith launch a punt about 50 yards. His natural athleticism sparked their interest.

The coaches called Smith over and asked if he had ever played soccer. 

“He told us soccer wasn’t his thing and he was more of a football and basketball guy,” Noble recalled.

With some persistent reminders from Brown, Smith decided to show up for soccer tryouts and eventually earned the spot as the Bears’ starting goalkeeper.

“Demetrius has been an inspiration,” Brown said. “His growth as a goalkeeper has been remarkable.  He is a super kid and a lot of fun to coach. He works hard, is eager to learn something new and he always keeps a positive attitude.”

Thanks to the support of his teammates and terrific coaching from Brown, Smith picked up the position quickly. He made seven saves in his first match to help Trask earn a 1-1 draw against Murray and he earned his first clean sheet in his fourth contest.

The Bears finished the shortened season with a 3-1-1 record.

“Coach Brown is very helpful and encouraging,” Smith said. “He’s also straightforward with his coaching and input.”

Even though the season is over, the friendship between Brown and Smith hasn’t ended and it likely won’t anytime soon.

“The two of them are kind of an odd pair in that they don’t have a lot of shared background or life experiences, but they have established a very solid relationship and mutual respect,” Noble said. “It’s just been a great match – a player willing to try something new way outside of his comfort zone and a coach willing to take on a developmental project because he sees the potential in a kid.”