It was moments like those that made Reiser one of the top three offensive players De Soto’s ever had.
“I hit one of the best left-footed shots I’ve ever taken,” said Reiser, who was selected as the player of the year in the Jefferson County Activities Association.
Seven of Reiser’s 31 goals this season were game-winners. His 17 assists added up to 79 points and he holds the school record with 52 career assists. Reiser (182 career points) finished third among career goal leaders for the Dragons with 65 behind Clint Carder (82 goals, 36 assists, 200 points) and Gage Reichmuth (71, 29, 162).
“It takes a little hope, luck and a little skill as well,” Reiser said about his offensive production.
Reiser credited teammates Bradley Hunt (10 assists) and Chase Reichmuth (18 assists) for helping him enjoy so many scoring opportunities this year. Reiser was a freshman when he played with Chase’s older brother, Gage.
“They gave me the opportunities to find the back of the net,” Reiser said. “Having the right players around to make the right passes and play with a team-first mentality just led to all-around good soccer.”
After De Soto posted a record of 5-37 Reiser’s sophomore and junior years, the Dragons climbed back over the .500 mark at 10-9 this fall. Class 3 District 2 champion Windsor beat the Dragons 5-1 in the district semifinals. Despite never playing in a district final, Reiser got to play for his dad, De Soto head coach Nate Reiser, for four years.
“He enjoyed my input as a captain and player,” Nick said of his father. “The only thing on my mind was winning games. We had eight seniors this year who stayed all four years.”
Despite all of Reiser’s success, he’s played his last competitive game of soccer. He’s attending Harding University in Searcy, Ark. next year, and other than perhaps playing intramural soccer, won’t play at the collegiate level. Reiser said he’ll complete an associate’s degree from Jefferson College next spring and just wants to concentrate on his studies in college.
Earning two degrees at the same time took a lot of self-discipline.
“It was a lot of getting home late at night and working on homework until 1 a.m.,” Reiser said. “I decided it was time to concentrate on school.”
Three seniors on first team for Lancers
St. Pius X head coach Steve Smith said that 90 percent of the success senior Carter Easter has enjoyed on the soccer team was from his work in the offseason.
“All the work he puts in the weight room, playing club soccer, he can score a bunch of goals and assists because of that,” said Smith, who guided the Lancers to a record of 15-6 and was named coach of the year.
Easter had a knack for scoring goals in big moments. In the Class 2 District 1 tournament in 2017, Easter scored the only goals in both games as the Lancers captured the district crown. Easter scored 18 goals in each of the last two seasons and was picked for the Class 2 all-state first squad this year.
“Carter’s sophomore year he struggled for playing time and he had a chip on his shoulder,” Smith said.
Easter wants to play soccer in college, and Smith said he might start at a junior college.
“He might use JUCO as bridge to a bigger program,” Smith said. “He wants to go to a college and play; not just be on a team.”
Senior Dalton Coomes scored 27 goals and added 14 assists for 68 points the last two seasons and the wing midfielder made the JCAA first team and Class 2 second team.
Coomes scored both of the Lancers’ goals, including the game-winner in overtime in a 2-1 victory over Priory in September. The win was significant because the Rebels were the defending Class 2 state champions.
“If we don’t score there, I don’t think we win that game,” Smith said. “Dalton’s one of those guys who comes out of nowhere. His goals came in key moments when we needed to score a goal and push came to shove. He can turn and burn. The focus is on Carter being up top, then this tall redheaded guy (Coomes) comes out of nowhere and blasts you down the wings.”
About two years ago, Smith approached Brendan Otec about being the team’s goalkeeper. Otec agreed and turned into the top goalie in the JCAA this season after he made 126 saves and posted a 1.61 goals against average. Otec stood on his head and made 15 saves in the win over Priory.
“We’ll all remember that game because he kept us in it,” Smith said. “He told me this year that he was really happy he decided to play goal. Without him the last two seasons we don’t do what we do without him. I think he has pure athletic ability and the soccer IQ the way he reads the game.
“He’s a gamer who came up in big moments. He never seemed frazzled or looked nervous. He was a rock back there and we fed off of that.”
The Lancers ended Perryville’s five-year run as conference champions this season. Smith said play in the JCAA was as good as it’s been in years. St. Pius beat the Pirates 2-1 in Perryville and finished 5-0 in the conference.
“In a year or two, check out Festus,” Smith said. “They’re going to be a team to deal with. We were holding on for dear life (against Perryville).”
Berry turns in sweet season
Windsor has won the last two Class 3 District 2 titles and played for a district championship three straight years.
A big part of that success has been junior forward Tanner Berry and senior center back Jake Mahon, who were both selected to the all-conference first team this season.
The Owls (14-12-1) beat Hillsboro in the last two district finals before being shut out in both sectional contests. Berry and Mahon scored Windsor’s two goals in the 2-1 win over the Hawks in this year’s district championship.
Berry led the Owls with 16 goals and had five game-winners. He made two penalty kicks in a 4-2 win over Affton.
“Tanner was our leading scorer and everybody recognized that,” Windsor head coach Chris Krueger said. “He scored big goals and was our top PK guy. He wasn’t the flashiest player but he was a skill guy you had to account for at all times.
“He’s willing to give the ball up to get it back. When he took a shot, I felt like it was going to go in every time.”
Mahon came out of the backfield to score eight goals and his runs with the ball bordered on the spectacular. Mahon took the large percentage of the Owls’ free kicks and was a solid defensive player. A knee injury curtailed Mahon’s season as a junior.
“He was strong defensively, but he pushed up when he could,” Krueger said. “He knew when to attack the offensive player. He’s very vocal back there, setting up other guys the right way.”
The Owls’ entire midfield is graduating, but they could have 14 or 15 players coming back with varsity experience, including their two leading goal scorers and goalkeeper Jared Tanner, who was second-team in the conference.
Moore sets assist record
Junior midfielder Mark Moore set a Hillsboro record for assists in a season with 17, to go along with his team-leading 22 goals for the Hawks who finished 9-11-2.
Before losing to Windsor in districts, Moore had two goals and an assist against the Owls in a 4-1 JCAA victory. Moore starts at point guard on the basketball team and is a starter on the baseball team in the spring.
Hillsboro head coach Chris Schacht said Moore scored more goals than ever, but he often wasn’t the focal point of the offense.
“That gave him a different role,” Schacht said. “I was on him early to not take the whole team on his shoulders. Then his assists bumped up and he took pride in that. He moved from being the lone attacking midfielder when Sergio (Cruz) started playing. We asked Mark to start the transition more. We wanted him to be a second forward to the striker.”
Wing midfielder Isaac Readnour, a senior, was second on the team with 12 goals and Schacht called him a “difference-maker” for the Hawks. Readnour’s speed could cripple defenses.
“He started a lot of plays to get balls across for guys to knock in,” Schacht said. “The guy who received the ball and scored didn’t have to do a whole lot of work. Other teams couldn’t account for his speed. They’d drop a guy back as a safety valve to alter his path. It’s one of the hardest goals to defend against when he goes to the end line and puts the ball in front of the keeper five to 10 yards in front.”
Tigers ring with Bell
From the scrap heap of an 0-18 season in 2016, Festus has won nine games the past two years and has one of the top young players in the league to keep moving forward.
Sophomore Alec Bell rang up goalkeepers for 19 goals this fall and Bell has a bright future in the sport. He started the season up top but moved to the midfield and earned a spot on the first team because the other coaches in the JCAA admire his work ethic.
“Coming into this year, I think the coaches in the conference had a lot of respect for him because he’s a great player on and off the field,” said Festus head coach Austin Burgert, who wrapped up his first season. “I’m pleasantly happy and surprised because he’s capable of some great things.”
Many of Bell’s goals were scored on transition from the offensive third of the field. Others came off of dead balls and free kicks.
“He has the work ethic and the ability to play at the next level,” Burgert said. “The only downfall is his size, but he’s putting on muscle and getting taller. If his body keeps developing, his skill will take him a long way.”