How important was Cody Bass to Columbia’s success this season?
“Oh man, that’s easy. We definitely don’t go 10-4-3 without him,” Columbia coach Ed Turner said.
Turner isn’t lying.
When the Tigers scored a goal this season, Bass usually played a part in it. The senior midfielder led Columbia with 13 goals and four assists, having a hand in 17 of his team’s 31 goals that included three multiple-goal performances.
As a result of Bass’ stellar play, the Tigers weren’t shut out in a single match as they put together their best campaign since making the playoffs with a 13-6-1 mark during the 2020-21 season. It’s why Bass is the LCR’s Boys Soccer Player of the Year.
“Going into the season I had the mindset of, ‘it’s my senior year. I can’t go out like the last couple of senior years my friends have had,’” said Bass, who was part of two .500 teams as a sophomore and junior. “Going off of two not even winning records, my main goal was to at least a winning record and stay positive. And I set a higher goal of getting double-digit wins. I really just set my mind to that and tried my best to make it happen.”
Bass’ goal scoring more than tripled from his junior year when he netted four. It appeared right from the jump that this year would be different as he scored one goal in Columbia’s season opener against Chiles and then another two matches later against Eastside.
But then came a four-match drought until Lafayette came to town. That’s when Bass put together a four-goal performance, starting a stretch where he’d score 11 goals the rest of the season.
“I want to say I took more shots, but I had more confidence also in taking my shots,” Bass said. “To be honest, once you score your first couple of goals it’s like a rhythm almost. You kind of just get used to it and starting to score becomes a lot easier after you get your first couple.”
Bass, who was a team captain, was sticking shots into the back of the net despite being a little undersized for a midfielder. But what Bass lacked in size he made up for with his heart, according to Turner.
It’s one of the reasons Bass raised his game to another level this year.
“Even though a lot of people will say he’s undersized — he’s kind of a really small guy — but when it comes to soccer, if you have the right heart and you can grind and you can get some skill, soccer is one of those sports where you can really make a difference despite your size on the field,” Turner said. “His dribbling is definitely top tier for high school players at his age. His shooting ability really took off this year, from set pieces to even just live play. He really stepped up his shooting and finishing ability.”
The Lafayette match was especially memorable for Bass and Turner, not just because Bass scored four goals but also because he did so with the Tigers undermanned. Three starters were out that night, prompting Bass to play his best match of the season.
It took Bass less than eight minutes into the match to score his first goal. He’d have a hat trick, and an assist, by halftime.
“Going into it I knew I really had to give it my best,” Bass said. “I couldn’t have an off game.”
Bass then finished off a 5-2 win with a penalty kick in the second half.
“He literally took the team on his back,” Turner said. “He really just turned up another notch. He doesn’t really say too much but you can kind of read the player’s body language when you’ve been around him a certain amount of time. It was really one of those games that I would love to go back and watch, keep it downloaded somewhere and when the memory comes up go back and watch the game because that kid really went off. That’s just really the player he can be.”
Bass remembers being challenged by Turner prior to his junior season to score 10 goals. When he didn’t even hit five, he made it a point to meet his coach’s expectation in his final high school season.
By the 13th match of the year, Bass did.
“I was setting a goal of myself to get 10 (goals) because me and coach Eddie were talking one day and he asked me as a center-attacking midfielder how many goals did I think I should score?” Bass recalled. “Going into my junior year I told him five and he told me that he wanted his attacking midfielder scoring at least 10 goals. So going into this year I really wanted to meet his expectation of team goals and play my part as a center-attacking midfielder that he wanted me to.”
Turner says he had been waiting for a player to step up and lead the team since taking over as coach prior to the 2022-23 season, and he said Bass was finally that guy this year. Not only did Bass lead with his play on the field, but Turner noted he went through the program the correct way, such as learning what he’s being taught, applying those teachings and making sure he’s upholding that standard.
He’ll be sorely missed next year.
“The kid’s got heart,” Turner said. “He was really the glue that we needed, and we knew that we needed. Don’t get me wrong, those guys are all young players and teenagers and like to have fun and kick around, but at the end of the day, there is still somebody that has to step up and make things a little bit serious and that was definitely Cody Bass.”
ALL-AREA TEAM
F: Nathan Matsubara
Columbia, senior
Scored six goals and had two assists for the 10-4-3 Tigers.
F/MF: Carlos Contreras
Branford, junior
Scored a team-high 18 goals and had four assists in leading the 10-8-1 Buccaneers to their first district title and playoff appearance.
F/MF: Victor Hernandez
Branford, junior
Scored nine goals and had five assists.
F/MF: Alan McGriff III
Branford, freshman
Led the area with 11 assists and also scored six goals.
F/MF: Rember Alonso
Suwannee, sophomore
Led the Bulldogs with nine goals while also dishing out two assists.
MF: Cody Bass
Columbia, senior
The LCR’s Boys Soccer Player of the Year led the team with 13 goals and four assists.
MF: Jonathan Pineda
Columbia, senior
A key piece in the midfield, helping limit teams offensively while also chipping in offensively with two goals and an assist.
DEF: Diego Garcia
Columbia, senior
Helped limit opposing teams to 1.2 goals per match.
DEF: Brendan Schwartz
Columbia, junior
Helped limit opposing teams to 1.2 goals per match.
DEF: David Gomez
Columbia, freshman
Helped limit opposing teams to 1.2 goals per match.
GK: Logan Wheeldon
Columbia, sophomore
Only allowed 17 goals in 16 matches, making 65 saves and posting seven shutouts.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Ed Turner, Columbia
Led the Tigers to a 10-4-3 record— their best season since making the playoffs in 2020-21. That included a season sweep over rival Suwannee with a pair of shutouts. Columbia also finished as the highest ranked team in the area by more than 200 spots in the FHSAA rankings.