D’Astous joins the Jaguars: Cedar Shoals welcomes new head coach to the pitch

At the end of last season, co-head soccer coach Ben Adams left Cedar Shoals to coach at MOBA Soccer Academy in Fayetteville, Georgia. Once longtime co-head coach Conor Naughton and new co-head coach Benoit D’Astous got in touch, Naughton instantly knew that D’Astous would be the perfect fit for the team. 

“We have several mutual contacts in the soccer community around Athens. We eventually got put in touch, and we met up one day over the summer and talked for a really long time. I could tell, within minutes, that this was going to be the guy to come in and take the reins,” Naughton said. 

D’Astous started playing sports at 3 years old. Though he first started off with t-ball, he was too energetic for the start and stop that the sport entailed. He then picked up soccer at the age of 4 and hasn’t looked back since. After playing in multiple different semi-professional leagues such as the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) and with many different teams such as Ottawa Impact and Jacksonville FC, D’Astous got burned out from playing and wanted to spend more time with friends and family. Following his parents’ examples, D’Astous found that coaching and being in the educational realm was the next step in his soccer career.

“My dad is a coach. He coaches alongside USA Hockey. He was also a principal, and so he was a coach throughout his education. I just kind of always gravitated to that space; my parents are educators, they’re teachers. It just seemed natural in that sense,” D’Astous said.

D’Astous became familiar with the Cedar Shoals soccer program through a multitude of ways. Current  Barrow Arts and Sciences Academy (BAASA) head soccer coach Sam Perry was a coach on the Cedar Shoals staff from 2020-2022 and introduced D’Astous to previous Cedar head coaches Brian Lukasiewicz and Ben Adams. Additionally, D’Astous, who played soccer at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, played against the Cedar Shoals Jaguars and was familiar with the program. When the head coaching position opened up, D’Astous jumped at the opportunity.

“I played against Cedar in high school. I also know the history and the legacy that the two schools within the county hold, especially within the Eastside of Athens. Cedar is a really important program with the love that there is for soccer, and you can see it through the way that guys who have played in the past always return. It’s a real family environment, which I really appreciate,” D’Astous said.

Upon getting to know D’Astous, Naughton was impressed by his personality, drive, and determination. 

“He’s very kind, passionate and enthusiastic. He is (also) very energetic and proactive. He’s really excited to be here. I think he has an aura of calmness and composure about him that I think everybody responds really well to,” Naughton said. “He’s able to strike a good balance when he’s coaching, finding that level of intensity to push our guys while also being able to relay to them that he’s on their side, he’s there to support them and that he cares about them.”

Senior captain and striker Damon Davis notes that D’Astous made an immediate impact on the team by being relatable to the players and open to new ideas.

“Coach Ben takes charge of the team in different ways than usual but not in a bad way. He’s a young coach and player, and I feel like we respect him more than on a coach level. From a players’ perspective, we listen and learn,” Davis said.

Sophomore midfielder Joshua Malave agrees that D’Astous’ relatability made it easy for him to become comfortable with the team.

“I think coach Ben got confident with the team and started being friends with us as he got to know us. But I think it is great that when he needs to take serious moments we respect and listen,” Malave said. 

Since joining the program in the fall, D’Astous has immediately stepped up into the head coach role and taken charge of workouts, practices and developing players.

“He’s led most of our offseason workouts in the weight room in the morning before school. We call this our Breakfast Club workouts, and so that was kind of his introduction to a lot of the guys, getting to know them a little bit throughout the fall before the season started. He is developing most of our training sessions and tactics for games and all of that. So he’s really kind of taken a lead on training the team,” Naughton said.

Though D’Astous doesn’t want to put a timeline on the tenure of his position as Cedar Shoals head coach, he is excited for what lies ahead.

“I’m just taking it a moment at a time. I’m really enjoying the day to day. I think for right now this is all I’m focused on,” D’Astous said.