CHENEY — It’s time for Noah Prophet to get back to the other half of his life — the portion that is not soccer.
With the Cheney boys’ season finished following a 1-0 District 8 playoff loss at Southridge of the Mid-Columbia Conference on May 5, Prophet will get back to helping his father in the business they own.
“My father and I run a small construction company that does home accessibility work,” Prophet explained. They install wheelchair ramps, zero entry showers, do door widening and install grab bars, all things to help people get in, out and around their home easier.
The first-year head coach guided Cheney to a 6-10 overall record, including a 2-6 finish and eighth place in the Greater Spokane League.
“It may not go down in the books as the most successful season, (but) it certainly will be one that I will look back at and recognize in the future,” Prophet said.
Not only was the former Blackhawks player a new face to the team it was visa-versa for Prophet.
“When I first came in at the beginning of the season there was a lot of new faces for me,” he said. Adding he could count on one hand the ones he knew out of nearly 40 in the turnout.
Prophet’s initial take, however, was one that came to fruition at the end. “This was a really good group of guys.”
That was particularly true with the seniors, nine of them that made a notable impact on their coach.
“As the first senior class I am graduating I cannot be more proud of who these gentlemen are, and I cannot wait to watch from the sidelines as they lead their lives forward,” Prophet wrote and delivered in a senior day message.
The seniors were part of the foundation and culture Prophet is working to establish with the program.
That will be on the shoulders of an expected 15 returnees to the varsity in 2025.
Names aside, Prophet suggested that the most notable element coming back next season is an intangible.
“A big strength that’s going to be returning is the culture,” he said. “This group of guys really, really likes each other, which is special.”
Drilling down a bit, Prophet pointed to the atmosphere.
“I haven’t had to deal with any sort of two players bashing heads, having to pull them aside and constantly break up any disputes,” Prophet said. “Or I haven’t really had any parents talking to me saying, ‘Hey, this kid is doing this to my kid.’”
Another difference Prophet saw was the level of camaraderie.
Despite the disappointment of the close loss in the playoffs, Prophet sensed the real takeaway was, “They really felt like they want to and could have accomplished more,” he said.
“We’re gonna’ have a fire for next season instead of just being frustrated the season was over,” Prophet said.
Prophet suggested that the biggest weakness — or perhaps even a strength — might be the youngness of the team.
“We’re going to need a lot of help from this year’s freshmen and sophomore class,” Prophet said. Seven seniors depart and six of those “Got a lot of minutes.”
Cheney began the season with five of those wins in non-league play but went 1-10 after.
That’s a testament to the strength of the GSL and something Cheney has battled in most sports since joining the group in 2020.
“I would say that Cheney is definitely suffering some of what I would call growing pains,” with the transition from 2A to 3A competition.
Prophet’s observation is that the top tier of GSL teams are generally older across the board.
“It’s not necessarily that those teams are so severely over skilled,” he said. “It’s just they have the experience and age, especially for boys’ sports,” which plays a large difference.
Just another check-off on the construction punch-list for next season.
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