For CORE Butte senior Adrik Dyer, soccer has been a constant for as long as he can remember. Over the years, what started as a simple childhood hobby turned into a defining part of his high school experience.

“I started playing when I was five or six,” he said. “I’ve played every year I could, except during COVID.” When asked what made him fall in love with the sport, he laughed. It wasn’t something he ever had to “fall in love” with, he just liked it and kept showing up.

The start of high school wasn’t easy. “My first two years I was on the bench,” he said. “No playtime, nothing.” But instead of quitting, he stayed with it. “By junior year, I locked in,” he said. “That’s what I started improving and finally got a starting spot.”

There was a point where he almost gave it up. “After track season, I was thinking about just focusing on that,” he said. “But I decided to give soccer one more year, and that’s when I made the biggest jump.” That work paid off. “There was a scrimmage against Trinity [high school],” Adrik said, “I had a good game, and the coaches said I did really well.”

And indeed they did. By his senior year, Adrik earned the role of captain, leading the team alongside junior Sam Boian.

“He’s had the biggest progression of all the players last year,” said head coach Chris Spears. “He led by example. Our senior captain embodied everything you look for in a player. He gives his all. He’s humble, he’s apologetic, and he’s one of the nicest kids you’ll ever meet.”

Adrik’s story, like many others, is proof that anyone can achieve what they want if they truly wanted to. Let it guide the coming new players next season.