Morganton's Taylor wins state Coach of Year honor

At just 24 years old, Morganton resident Brad Taylor is already on the map as one of the best soccer coaches in the state.

And it’s largely due to his tireless work ethic.

Taylor, a 2006 Freedom High graduate, was recently named North Carolina Youth Soccer Association Coach of the Year for the Classic Division, thanks to his work with the under-12 Burke Blast travel team.

The Blast recently completed its first-ever undefeated regular season at 8-0, winning one tournament and finishing runner-up at another.

Taylor will travel to Greensboro to receive his award at a ceremony on Sunday. Headlining a prestigious list of former winners of the award is Elmar Bolowich, long-time North Carolina head coach whose team won the 2001 NCAA title.

In addition to coaching the U12 squad, Taylor’s busy fall included coaching a U10 team, working 35 hours per week at Harris Teeter, taking 15 hours of online classes towards earning a degree from Lees-McRae University and serving as Patton High’s JV coach.

“My normal day was start work at 5 a.m., get off by 3 p.m., get to Patton for practice or a game, then (college) at night,” Taylor said. “And the two youth teams on odd days.”

Scott Scoggins, vice president of the Burke Soccer Association (BSA), has two sons — Bridger and Evan — who play for Taylor’s U12 team. He said Taylor’s work with the kids and the results that ensued have been nothing short of incredible.

“That team he coaches advanced to the highest rank in the state,” Scoggins said, “And he’s basically playing with 12 kids in that age group. A city like Charlotte we’re up against can pick their best 12 of what, 300 or more kids interested in playing.

“From four or five years ago, he’s molded those kids into a great team.”

Taylor said Scoggins was the one who first told him he’d won the award.

“He called me up and had some of the guys on the team yell over the phone,” Taylor said. “I was shell-shocked. It’s a big honor.”

Taylor’s father, Larry, is the current BSA president.

“It’s unbelievable for Burke soccer to even be mentioned at the state level, in this awards ceremony,” Larry said, “let alone to be for winning this kind of award.”

Brad’s younger brother, Collin, recently finished his playing career as a goalkeeer at Appalachian State. Both played for Freedom coach David Fletcher after the family moved to Morganton in the summer of 2004.

“He was always so tough and smart,” Fletcher said. “And he was our vocal leader. His teammates followed and respected him. … I could see in his personality and knowledge of the game that he’d make a great coach.”

Ironically, Fletcher will also be in Greensboro this weekend to receive his own state Coach of the Year award, presented by the North Carolina Soccer Coaches Association.

“I think it’s well-deserved for Brad,” Fletcher said. “He’s one of the most natural coaches I’ve seen. He’s helped us out with (summer) camps, and he’s great with little kids or middle school/high school age. He just really knows how to teach fundamentals.”

After his time at FHS, Taylor briefly played at Montreat College before a rare muscular disease in his legs cut his time on the field short. Taylor said he first began noticing symptoms around age 14.

“You could tell it was probably painful for him just to be moving around at times,” Fletcher said. “But he never missed a game.”

Taylor said doctors told him the condition would get progressively worse, but that he won’t let it slow him down.

“I still roll my ankles all the time,” he said, “but I’ve done it so many times now, I think it’d take a lot to break them.”

Needless to say, Taylor’s fighting spirit appears unbreakable too.

“Instead of trying to get on disability, he’s been even more active,” Scoggins noted. “He’s just an inspiring guy with a nice, understated positive energy.”