Boys Soccer: High’s departure ends an era for Herscher, begins another

When the 2025 high school boys soccer season kicks off in the fall, a familiar face will be missing from the sidelines.

After 17 years as the head coach at Herscher, Alan High announced in November that he would be stepping down from the role.

In those 17 years, High’s Tigers earned 306 victories, won 11 IHSA Class 1A Regional titles, claimed four sectional crowns and made two trips to state, placing second in 2013 and third in 2014.

While he said he truly valued his time leading the program, there was one important factor that led to his decision to step down.

“It was just one of those things where I’m seeing my kids’ soccer careers starting to materialize and making sure they are able to get to everything they need to get to,” he said. “It’s taking a step back from one job coaching wise and stepping into the dad role for the foreseeable future.”

High’s son Dom is in fifth grade, playing youth soccer and drawing nearer to the start of a high school soccer career. His daughter Gianna is a sophomore at Herscher and part of the girls soccer program and cross country team.

High will still be able to have a direct impact on Gianna’s soccer career. He is staying in his role as an assistant to head coach Chris Longtin with the girls soccer program.

And with his fall season now more open, High said he is excited to be more present for Gianna’s cross country career as well, having only been able to see her run twice this past season.

Another factor that has made High’s decision to step down a bit easier is his belief that the program is going to be in good hands.

Former Kankakee assistant coach Hugo Hernandez will be taking over for High, stepping into his first head coaching gig at the varsity level after seven seasons with the Kays, in addition to various roles with youth and club teams.

Hernandez and High have known each other for a little over a decade, dating back to Hernandez’s time playing on club teams with several members of High’s state-bound 2013 team.

Through Hernandez’s work at Evolution Soccer Club, where he coached High’s son Dom in the past, High had a chance to see Hernandez coach up close. He liked what he saw.

“You watch him coach, and he’s got ‘it,’” High said. “It’s not just about winning for him. It’s about player development. It’s about character development and holding players accountable for how they act on the field, but also how they act off the field.

“If I was going to pick someone to take over for me, he was it. Looking down the road, he’s going to be the guy that I hope is going to coach my son.”

Hernandez said he is grateful to Kankakee head coach Vincent Mkhwanazi, who got the job in 2018 and brought Hernandez on as an assistant. But when the Herscher job became a possibility, he decided it was time to take the next step.

“I’m very excited to continue Alan’s legacy with what he’s built in his time at Herscher,” Hernandez said. “When he approached me, I felt like it was the right time for me to part ways with Kankakee and continue my growth in my coaching career. What he’s done at Herscher resonated with me and this is where I wanted to begin that next chapter in my coaching career.”

Hernandez added that he expects to use High as a valuable resource as he steps into his new role, and the vote of confidence he received from High after taking over meant a lot.

“I told him that he’s going to be hearing a lot from me because this is the first time I’ll be the head coach of a varsity program,” Hernandez said. “I said I was excited but nervous, and he told me not to be. He said I’d do great and he’d have my back no matter what… He just said, ‘go out there and do what you do best.”

For High, the stress of leading a varsity program may be off his shoulders but that does not mean it is gone for good.

With his kids getting older, and his opportunity to be around a bit more often, he said he expects the stress to take on a bit of a different form.

“It’s a lot less stress, but a lot more stress at the same time,” he said. “It’s a lot less stress from the tactical standpoint, but it seems like there’s more stress cheering for your kids than there is coaching. You always want the best for them, and to watch them do what they love is a lot of fun.”

While he is excited to watch Gianna and Dom continue to grow and improve, High said he is also looking forward to seeing his former players at Herscher continue to play the game they love.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun watching these boys come out and play in the fall as well,” he said. “We’ve got some great guys that are coming back, and it’s going to be awesome to watch them blossom under Hugo.”

Looking back, now as a fan of the program he helmed for nearly two decades, High said it is not the wins, the regional and sectional titles or the trips to state that stand out the most to him.

When he announced he was stepping down, the texts and calls from former players and colleagues both past and present started pouring in. High said it is that part of the job that he cherishes above everything else.

“It’s the relationships that I look back on the most,” he said. “The relationships that I’ve built, not only with the players, but with other coaches that have been there for a majority of the years I’ve been there. Even the officials. I’ve gotten to be really good friends with some of the officials, and it’ll be different seeing them from the other sideline from coaching games.”

Coaching has been a part of High’s life since childhood. He grew up as the child of a coach, going to practices and games with his dad Jim throughout his youth. He then was promoted to head coach at Herscher at 25 years old.

Coaching will still be a part of his life, of course, through his work with the girls soccer program, but also in the classroom. High said he views his role of teaching as an extension of coaching, where he is able to continue helping kids navigate life.

“Coaching is not completely done,” he said. “I still look at it teaching-wise that you’re coaching every day in the classroom. I’m not coaching the game of soccer, but I’m helping kids get through the game of life and be prepared for that.

“That aspect of it is never going to change — helping kids get somewhere they want to be and helping them develop passions.”

https://daily-journal.com/sports/boys-soccer-highs-departure-ends-an-era-for-herscher-begins-another/article_5679a25c-c0c5-11ef-bc56-67cab3ce9087.html