After the Whistle: Sussex Academy’s Chase Ballinger

GEORGETOWN, Del. – As a forward for Sussex Academy boy’s soccer, Chase Ballinger played fearless in 2024.

“Don’t be afraid to take that risk, you know, like, take that shot. Go at somebody,” Ballinger said of his mentality on the field. “If it doesn’t work out, then it doesn’t work out. But don’t be afraid.”

Ballinger, along with his teammate Andres Romero-Nieto, led the Seahawks in points during the 2024 season, with 27 points on 10 goals and six assists. The rising senior credited some of his success–especially in the development of his physical play–to his multi-sport discipline: “I joined the lacrosse team freshman year and ever since, I’ve seen that help me on the soccer field, like, physically-wise, I’ve gotten more stuck in on tackles and more aggressive on the field,” he said. “There’s nothing more scary as a defender than seeing someone go directly at you.”

2024 culminated in a second straight Delaware State championship for the Seahawks, a feat that Ballinger felt was more impressive the second time around with the weight of expectations and the undivided focus of every opponent.

“When we first won it, no one expected us to be what we were. So I think definitely there was a lot of pressure on us [the next year]. A lot of teams had it out for us, but I think we handled it well and we only had two losses.  So it was a really, really good season especially, you know, handling that pressure in those big moments.”

But even with back-to-back state titles under his and the team’s belt, Ballinger still finds a chip on his shoulder ahead of his senior campaign. “A lot of people, I think, are underestimating what we’re going to be. A lot of people will see that we lost seven seniors and they think we’re not going to be anything…They’re going to underestimate us all season,” he said.