Davis County's Sam Glover plans to play football at the collegiate level after signing with Auburn University-Montgomery. The forward played his final season of high school soccer this fall, earning much success and a silver medal with the Panthers.
Glover led DCHS with 16 goals, tied for the team-high with 11 assists and was named district player of the year. Glover not only led Davis County to its 10th straight district title, but also helped it win its 10th regional title before advancing to the Sweet 16 at the state tournament.
Playing soccer at the collegiate level means everything to Glover, he said. He said he considers himself blessed, acknowledging that not everyone can pursue an education while playing their favorite sport.
“It means everything to me to have the opportunity to play at the next level,” he said. “Not everyone is able to continue playing their sport at the next level or get an education while playing their sport, so I’m incredibly lucky to have this opportunity.”
Glover's choice to sign with Auburn University-Montgomery stems from his previous relationship with Warhawks coach Matthew Thorne. Glover attended an ID camp in Louisville, where he was placed in Thorne's group. The two took a liking to each other, and after Grover was invited to Thorne's ID camp in college, he decided AUM was his destination.
“The main reason I chose to play at AUM is because I liked the coaches and environment there,” he said. “I met Coach Matthew Thorne at the Louisville ID camp. During the two days I spent there, Coach Thorne was my group coach and we really liked each other. His coaching style and I thought his personality was great and felt I needed to keep in touch with him. I did, and he invited me to AUM's ID camp. Afterwards, I saw AUM in person. After that, I knew I wanted to go there.”
Training for his first college season will be different than training for high school soccer, he said. Gover will focus on conditioning as well as training with players who have experience at Owensboro United and the collegiate level.
“My preparation for college soccer is definitely going to be different than high school soccer,” he said. “I know that the conditioning at that level is much higher than what I’ve been through, and I’ve been doing my conditioning by running long distances, doing sprints, and doing match-like scenarios. , I also know that I need to focus on getting into shape for my game. When it comes to the soccer part, I'm excited about what it's like to train with my local Owensboro United team and play at the next level. I plan on training with older kids who are more experienced.”
I plan to study business, especially business marketing.
AUM is located in Montgomery, Alabama, so Grover is quite a distance from Owensboro. While attending university, I plan to study business with a focus on marketing. Being away from home is both exciting and nerve-wracking for him, he said. He's looking forward to the prospect of meeting new people in a new environment, but he also knows he will miss his friends and family here in Owensboro.
“I’m nervous and excited to be going so far away from home,” he said. “I'm nervous because I don't know anyone there and I know I'll miss seeing my family and friends. It's not easy to go see them, but I'm going to meet new people and be in a new environment. I'm excited to have a whole new experience.”
Glover said his time as a high school student is numbered and he will miss playing high school sports, as his time with the Panthers gave him fond memories of football.
“I loved high school sports and everything about it,” he said. “I really loved my time in D.C. I think those memories were probably some of my favorite soccer memories, and I'm going to miss it.”