Change is inevitable.

For nine years coach Cary Davidson guided both the boys and girls soccer programs at Auburn Mountainview High School.

In that time, Davidson took the boys to state tourney appearances in 2009 and 2010.

This year, however, with Davidson turning his full attention to the girls program, the boys teams began the season with a new coach for the first time in the program’s history.

Cue the Jimmy Fioretti era.

Fioretti is no stranger to soccer in Auburn.

“I was born and raised in Auburn, graduated from Auburn High School in 1999,” said Fioretti, 32. “I played soccer. We were 0-12-4 my freshman year, then as a senior we won the SPSL.”

Post graduation Fioretti played collegiate soccer for the University of San Diego and the University of Puget Sound.

In 2003, he began his prep coaching career with his alma mater, helping out longtime Trojan coach John Yorke. He also began coaching two club teams for the Washington Premiere F.C.

To pay the bills, Fioretti worked construction until three years ago, when he was laid off. Looking to the future, he returned to college and earned his teaching certificate.

This year, all that hard work paid off when the AMHS offered him the boys coaching job, as well as a spot teaching math.

So far, Fioretti and his players say, it’s been a smooth transition.

“Cary has been great,” Fioretti said. “He helped at tryouts, watched a number of the games and gives his point of view on what’s going on. He’s helped me schedule all the non-league games and he’s helped me with the budget. He’s made the transition very easy. He’s been a big help.”

Manny Maya-Mendoza, a senior captain, said the coaching change surprised him, but he welcomed it.

“I guess we needed a new coach,” Maya-Mendoza said. “Change is good. We can learn from (Fioretti’s) experience as a coach and player.”

Fioretti said the biggest challenge to date has been ensuring that his players take care of business off the pitch.

“The biggest issues when I took over were scholastic and citizenship issues,” Fioretti said. “So I’ve done a lot of work making sure the kids are doing well in school and not getting in trouble. We’ve got a decent amount of players, but the trick is getting them to behave.”

Fioretti said being at the school and around his players all day helps keep them on track.

“It’s very important,” Fioretti said. “The first thing I did was get access to their Skyward accounts so I could see their grades,  and their attendance and watch every move around school, to make sure they’re behaving themselves.”

Although he admits he’s a bit of a mother hen when it comes to his players off the field, on the field he prefers to leave his players to their own devices.

“I would say I’m a tactical coach,” Fioretti said. “But I leave a lot of the discipline, the warm-ups, to them. The kids run a lot. They get five minutes of their own at the half to work things out and make changes during the games. They have a lot of responsibility for their own team. I usually make the plans and draw the Xs and Os, but I like to give them the run of the show.”

As Maya-Mendoza and the other two captains, senior Brandon Henderson and junior Alex Fausko, see it, Fioretti’s confidence has translated to a better team on the pitch.

“The confidence he brings out in us makes us a way better team,” Maya-Mendoza said.

“He has a different style than Davidson did,” Henderson said. “It’s more fluid, it keeps us going better and is more positive. There are three of us captains, and I think it’s good that we have a say in carrying out what he tells us. I think it makes the team closer, rather than having just one person yelling at you.”

Fausko agreed:

“I would have to say it’s a totally different style of strategy,” Fausko said. “Fioretti has more of an attacking mindset. Davidson was more of a defensive play. Both are good, but I feel like Fioretti’s style is working better for us now. He gives us the training, but lets us go and figure it out ourselves.”

Now, said Fausko, it’s all about knuckling down, getting through the South Puget Sound League 3A and making good on their preseason goal.

“We want to make the playoffs and make it out to state,” he said.