As the Kenmore East Bulldogs take the field Tuesday afternoon against their rival Kenmore West Blue Devils, they know they will be able to count on senior Dylan Guarino to have their backs.
He’s had their backs for three years now as starting goalkeeper for the Bulldogs, not only making big saves but also by helping to get them in the right position on the field. If you’ve ever been to a Kenmore East Boys Soccer game in the past few years, you can always hear Guarino telling his teammates where to be on the field.
Besides playing for Kenmore East, Guarino has played for some high end travel teams in the area. From all that experience, Head Coach Rolfe Freidenberg knows the goalie has a lot of soccer knowledge and expects him to share out on the field. “He knows where these guys need to be. I expect him to communicate that to other players” said Freidenberg.
Guarino not only leads by words but also by example. The senior takes his role as leader of the team seriously. “I feel like if I do well everyone else has some confidence and they all step up” said the goalie.
Guarino was told from a young age that if you make sure everyone knows where they need to be you won’t get scored on. The goalie took that to heart. “I hate getting scored on.”
But perhaps one of the biggest skills that the captain has according to Freidenberg is his ability to relieve the tension. “He’s a jokester” said the Head Coach, “There are days that we are all frustrated and he can come out and lighten practice.”
After going to CSAT for 9th grade, Guarino decided to come back to Ken-Ton and go to Kenmore East for 10th grade. However, when taking the field on the practice of his sophomore season, Freidenberg was already familiar with the goalie.
“I had coached Dylan for Empire when he was 13, 14 years old. I knew what kind of talent he had. So when I knew he was coming in, I knew that he was going to be a starter for the next three years. I was pretty excited,” Freidenberg said.
“(Freidenberg) was my first coach at Empire” said the goalkeeper. But Guarino knew he wasn’t going to be handed the job on the first day, “I knew they already had a goalkeeper so I knew I had to come in and show what I can do.”
Ever since he got the job, the Bulldogs have relied on Guarino the last three years according to Freidenberg. “Some of the saves he has made over the years are just top notch,” said the Head Coach “He’ll be at the top of my list of goalies to come out of Kenmore East.”
Dylan is excited to take the next step and has received some looks from colleges to play soccer at the next level. “It’s a big decision. I’m just excited to get out there and play. I’ve been going to UB games since I was a little kid” said Guarino.
Guarino will miss Kenmore East Soccer and all that came with it. “We’re a family” said the senior. “It’s a couple months of the year that I wish never ended.”