All you need to know about how much joy the Brush boys side is exuding this fall could be found in a Sept. 23 nonconference match against visiting Garrett Morgan. Match well in hand, leading scorer Stephen Forges took over from a freshman as the ball retriever in the final 10 minutes, serving as a supportive assistant coach of sorts from the touchline for the reserves on the pitch in the process. Those reserves, as longtime Arcs coach Michael DiMatteo went deep into his bench, drew enthusiastic support from those who had already logged their minutes for the night. A ballboy in the opening 40 was even lightly scolded by a linesman for running onto the pitch to celebrate with Brush captain Geofferson Betts after he scored. Brush junior defender & captain Geofferson Betts discusses his side's 8-2-2 start following a 5-0 win over Garrett Morgan(match story will be shared shortly) pic.twitter.com/d9ZHNFkSlF — Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) September 24, 2024 Indeed, mood is on an upswing in Lyndhurst — and after some lean years, the side wouldn’t have it any other way. On this night, the Arcs rolled to a 5-0 win, getting strikes from standout senior attackers Noah Boyd and Forges in the first 80 seconds that set the side well on its way to the result. Brush is basking in an 8-2-2 start, already surpassing its win total for all of last season and following a three-year stretch during which the Arcs had just 14 wins combined. “I think our seniors really stepped up this year,” DiMatteo said. “At the beginning of the year, we were a little hesitant with where we’re playing certain guys. We moved Dominick (Taylor) to keeper, and I think he has eight shutouts for us. So that’s been really good. And obviously, Stephen and Noah have been clicking up top, which really made us score goals this year. “I think Noah has come a long way. He played a little bit in the offseason with the Croatian team, and I think that really helped his development. I thought Stephen has done a really nice job. We were kind of debating whether to play him at forward or midfield, and he’s kind of grown into that role as a center midfielder to help control the ball for us. I think that’s really helped our offense go.” Boyd and Forges have been the staples in the attack, combining for 27 goals and 12 assists to date. Forges found Boyd with a pacey through ball for the account opener just 17 seconds into the match, before Forges struck 63 seconds later. Brush already up 2-0 2nd minStephen Forges here on the 2ndBasically here more in feature mode vs match mode – of course if this disparity continues, I'll be largely quiet for this 80 pic.twitter.com/CWmvXSW13s — Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) September 23, 2024 “Just a lot of teamwork around,” Boyd said. “The practices have been really good. It’s a really young group, so we’re just trying to build them up for the next couple years. A lot of coming together as a team. We come together, have fun at these games, try hard and get the results we want. “We really wanted to do great. This is our senior year, so we just wanted to go out with a bang and just have fun. That’s really it. It’s really tight. We’re pretty much like a family in this organization at Brush. All thanks to the coaching staff as well — Coaches DiMatteo (and assistants Joe DiPio and Jacob Longino). They do a great job here.” Brush 3-0Geofferson Betts 26th min pic.twitter.com/yaaP7gnqJC — Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) September 23, 2024 Betts, moved into the attack from his usual role as a defender, snuck in a near-post strike in the 26th, his second goal of the fall and of his high school career to make it 3-0. Most of DiMatteo’s usual starting 11 took a seat for much of the rest of the match, affording reserves more extended minutes than usual. Defensive-third play, to complement the skill and understanding Boyd and Forges have developed in the attack, has been sturdy as well. Brush has conceded 10 goals, half of which came in a 5-0 loss to Twinsburg on Sept. 7, and recorded eight clean sheets, including four straight. The Arcs have some tests coming up, including hosting a high-flying Chardon side Sept. 26. As far as the fun factor, though, this side has already aced that test, as the nuance found Sept. 23 would indicate. “I don’t do it for the wins and losses,” DiMatteo said. “I do it for the kids. They’re a great group of guys that I’ve enjoyed coaching. I’ve been around for a long time. To still have the joy of doing it with them has been a great feeling. You saw that today, that they really root for each other and they push each other.”