For the past four years, Midlothian has reigned as a powerhouse in high school soccer. Much of this success can be attributed to the hard work of Finlay Wyatt, the talent of Matt Szucs, and the leadership of former head coach Ted Jones. However, one current player has all these attributes and more: senior Connor Rea.

At age five, Rea began playing soccer in a YMCA league. He says in his first game he ran around acting like an airplane, picking up rocks until his father came out on to the field to stop him. From then on, Connor quickly learned the game. At a young age of seven, his parents and coaches realized he had special talent, quickly putting him on a local club, FC Richmond.

After playing soccer at Midlothian Middle, he effortlessly made the varsity soccer team and even began starting as an outside back halfway through the season as a freshman. After playing on the team that made it all the way to state semis, Connor kept the mentality going and was named Captain, earning a starting role at center-mid. This talented team made it all the way to the state finals the next year until losing to Loudoun County High School.

Junior year Connor Rea, truly shined, scoring multiple goals a game and winning multiple awards, including; Conference and Regional Player of the Year, All-Conference, All-Region, and All-State Player and Runner-up for State Player of the Year. Rea’s soccer IQ puts him in a league of his own; he always manages to be in the right place at the right time and knows how to feed the ball to other open players. When asked how he manages this feat, Connor modestly said, “Soccer is played with your head. Your feet are just the tools.” He helped lead his team to an astounding 13-4 record, placing them as the number 1 seed in the playoffs. However, they sadly lost to Nansemond River High School in the first round of regionals and lost their head coach Ted Jones, who announced his retirement.

For his senior year, Rea is determined to finish his season and high school career strong by bringing home a State Championship trophy. New head coach Chad Porter has provided new techniques and a different style of play, which may help Connor achieve his goal. Connor has had the honor of being named captain twice, and from an early start, this season could be seen as special with other players like, Taylor Vest, Ian Connor, and Noah Dubiel entering their senior season as well and coming together to complete achieve their goal. This quad core of seniors quickly took control of the team, becoming an unstoppable force around the county. In October, Connor was offered a chance to further his career, receiving his first college offer to Longwood. On Wednesday, February 1st, also known as National Signing Day, Connor Rea signed his letter of intent to play at Longwood, with fellow teammate Finley Wyatt from freshman year.

Besides his amazing talent on the field, off the field Rea enjoys hanging out with friends, going to the James River, and can be found rollerblading or ice skating on any given Friday and Saturday night at venues all across Midlothian. Come out and watch Connor and the rest of the Midlothian Varsity Boys Soccer team as they go into the playoffs and try to bring home a state championship.