American Heritage’s Boone is the Broward 4A-1A Boys’ Soccer Player of the Year
Clayton Boone played a major role in a major turnaround this season for the American Heritage boys’ soccer team.
The Patriots went from winning only three games last season to coming within one victory of a state championship this season.
Boone’s comeback story started long before that, though, as he went from a seldom-used reserve on the bench to Heritage’s primary scorer.
“I dealt with a lot of adversity on the way up,” Boone said. “I wasn’t the biggest, fastest or strongest, but I never stopped believing in myself.”
Boone’s confidence led him to the forefront of Heritage’s march to the Class 4A state title game and 14 more victories than the prior season.
Boone, a senior, is the Miami Herald’s Broward County Boys’ Soccer Player of the Year for Classes 4A-1A.
Boone scored 18 goals and recorded six assists as Heritage scored several impressive wins on the way to its state runner-up finish.
“It was a true turnaround for us since last year after only winning three games,” Boone said. “This time, we won as many games as we played last year. It was truly amazing to watch. We all got together and took a stand and said we weren’t going to let this happen again and we just went to work.”
Boone, who has signed to play for St. Leo University, began his high school career on the bench, but continued to learn and hone his craft both at Heritage and in club ball at West Pines. He quickly became a more complete player and earned a role as a starter.
“I just learned how to play the game,” Boone said. “I had a coach at West Pines who helped me really play the game the right way. Play smart, fast and quick and that taught me how to elevate my game.”
