There is nothing constant in this world but inconsistency.” — Jonathan Swift
I’m In my preseason preview, Randolph was one of two teams I believed had the best chance to win the Public Championship. In my most recent Top 20, I ranked them 15th, largely because they’ve played a tough schedule to start the season. I still stand by that assessment.
That said, it’s still early, and Randolph has yet to play like one of the best teams in the state. At 5-4-2, they are barely above .500 and have not won more than two games in a row. Simply put, they are consistently inconsistent.
Defensively, the numbers are concerning. Randolph has allowed three or more goals in eight of its 11 games. In their most recent outing, they defeated Northern Highlands—one of the top public school teams in the state—by a 7-5 score. A win is a win, but no team wins a championship by trying to outscore every opponent.
No one knows that better than head coach Rich McLaughlin, who has over 400 career wins and four state championships, all built on strong defensive play. It has to be frustrating to see his team surrender goals at this rate. If Randolph doesn’t figure out how to defend more effectively, a state championship run will remain out of reach.
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