Mccabe reflects on 600th victory
Fort Ann coach credits the many good players in more than 40 years
Soccer seasons conducted in March are a new reality for six of the area’s eight high school leagues as scholastic sports continue to adjust to dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
Although there will be no sectional tournaments held during the Fall Season II campaign, it does not preclude meaningful victories from occurring. Fort Ann registered such a victory Friday afternoon in Adirondack League play with a 6-0 triumph against Granville in front of no spectators. It landed coach Rich Mccabe his 600th career win for a program he has guided since starting with the Cardinals as a 23-yearold in 1980.
“It says we’ve had a lot of great kids come through the program,” Mccabe said. “I tell this to people all the time. The year we won the state championship in 2015, we had 21 kids on the team and 12 of the 21 their father also played for me. We’ve had a lot of successful teams. When we won that state championship, it was a town-wide celebration. It meant a lot to a lot of people because they all played.”
“It is a special moment we will all cherish in our life,” said Fort Ann senior star Justin Zeh, who tallied three goals in the win against Granville. “To play for a great coach with that many wins is special.”
Mccabe joins Maple Hill coach Dan Gillespie as the only Section II boys’ soccer coaches to reach the 600-win plateau. In fact, Mccabe ranks third all-time in state history behind Gillespie (684 wins) and former Mt. Markham coach Charlie Engle (654 wins), who died in 2020.
When Mccabe took over coaching at Fort Ann, the Class D school had recently stopped playing football following the 1977 season because it became difficult to field enough players.
“It was a little rough at first. It was not very polished,” Mccabe said.
Mccabe, who played three sports at South Glens Falls and played soccer for coach Larry Smith, guided the Cardinals to their first league and sectional titles in 1985. Fort Ann won the Adirondack League 10 straight
years (1985-94) and has captured 17 sectional championships overall — including the past 10 contested in Class D (2010-19).
“We are following the footsteps of a lot of people before us,” Zeh said. “We have won 10 straight sectionals, although we can’t play it this year. It is a surreal feeling to be part of this.”
At a school where an exceptionally large portion of the male population must compete in athletics in order to field soccer, basketball and baseball teams, Mccabe has managed to establish a soccer program that consistently wins and competes for championships. He is currently coaching in his 41st season with the Cardinals (he left for one year in 1997 to coach at SUNY Adirondack) and also served as the school’s athletic director for 25 years.
When asked to describe what 600 career victories meant to him, Mccabe said, “It signifies long-term dedication. It is hard for me to say being on the inside looking out. I was excited to be able to do that.”
“It was a special moment for everybody. It is a great feeling for everyone involved,” said Zeh, who has scored six goals for the Cardinals (2-0 overall, 2-0 league). “He is an inspiring coach and a tough one to work for. He really makes you put in the maximum amount of effort and makes you feel part of the team. He makes sure everyone on the team improves.”