Before thrashing Irmo 6-0 in an April 21 home match, Airport’s girls soccer team and their fans paid tribute to their coach and his latest career milestone, though he didn’t seem all that interested in being celebrated.

The school unveiled a banner honoring Keith Morris, who earlier this season won his 300th career game. His tenure as head coach started in 2002 and has featured back-to-back region titles in 2007 and 2008. In total, his teams have outscored opponents by more than 300 goals (602-275).

The coach, who waved to the crowd as they cheered him while the public address announcer read off his accomplishments, tried to turn as quickly as he could to getting started with the day’s game. 

Because it’s not about him, he said.

“It’s about the team,” Morris told the Chronicle. "So it was a huge compliment for the program. That’s how I look at it. The girls are the ones out there playing. I try to do my part over here, but they’re the ones that are on the field that battle through it and that get the win. So I try to make it all about them.”

Out on the field with his players, the coach was heard joking that it took a while to get from 200 to 300 wins, with the COVID-19 pandemic wiping out most of a season.

“COVID year we actually probably had our best-talented team of probably our program and so it was a lot of excitement that year,” he said. “That really was a punch in the gut. And so it was tough, especially because you’re gonna have your ups and downs as a coach and as a program.”

As for pushing for 400 wins, Morris said he’ll coach as long as he remains the right fit.

“I’m getting old, I used to have a lot more darker hair,” he joked about how long he’ll keep coaching. “We’ll see. As long as I’m having fun and the kids are having fun and still have good rapport.”