Jerry Fulton knows all about working in the summer heat.
The 60-year-old Perryville businessman owns a window-and-siding company and directs his installment crews through one heat wave after another. But later on work days, he leaves the office and dons a whistle as head coach of the Perryville High boys soccer team.
“I run a construction company and know if my guys are acclimated when it gets hot,” said Fulton, who has overseen both the boys and girls soccer programs at Perryville since 2014.
Practice began for the Pirate boys on Monday at 3:30 p.m., and the weather forecast for the week was mild for August.
“It’s my philosophy that these (athletes) have to acclimate themselves to that time (3:30 p.m.) they play,” Fulton said. “I don’t know if it makes us more prepared than the other teams, it just makes us ready for that late-August, early-September heat. We’ve worked this summer in the heat.”
Heat is what the five other boys soccer teams in the Jefferson County Activities Association have felt from the Pirates, who have won the conference four straight years, going 20-0 in that time. And they haven’t stopped there. Fulton guided them to the Class 2 state championship in 2014 and the runner-up trophy in 2021, when his fellow coaches named him the Class 2 coach of the year.
Last year, Perryville lost 2-1 to regional rival Saxony Lutheran in the District 1 semifinals in a game that came down to penalty kicks. Saxony finished fourth in Class 2.
“Hopefully that game taught us something,” Fulton said. “We had the lead, made a defensive mistake, the game ended up in PKs and we lost.
“You never know who’s going to be in your district because of the championship factor (for private schools), but I like our chances this year.”
The Perryville community supports a robust youth soccer program that keeps players together from a very early age, and as players grow, they gravitate to club teams that play year-round. Another factor in the Pirates’ success is coaching; in 2018, Fulton hired Dwayne Hadler as an assistant coach to help maintain the program at a high level.
“He does a great job of getting our guys ready and I was more than happy to give him that opportunity,” Fulton said. “It was the right time. He brought in a fresh way to train and play.
“Most of our guys play club. In 2012 (the school) asked me what to do to get better. I told them I couldn’t get them ready in the three months of a high school season and be successful. What’s happening is more and more teams are going club and the kids have been together since kindergarten. This year we have more seniors (10) than ever.”
One of Fulton’s former players, Luke Schlichting, is the new men’s and women’s head coach at Jefferson College. Schlichting was the boys and girls head coach at De Soto for the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Fulton said he recommended Schlichting, a member of the 2014 state champion team, for the Jeffco job.
“I’m very happy for Luke and wish him nothing but success,” he said.
At an age when thoughts of retirement are more frequent, Fulton said he’s already had that conversation with his wife about the business they own and the teams he coaches.
“I own my business and come and go as I please, but don’t get me wrong, I’m getting older and it’s not easy sometimes,” he said. “But I’ll know when it’s time and I haven’t had that feeling yet.
“I have a great crew that keeps me off the working job so I can manage both. God has blessed me. My wife tells me every year, ‘You’ll know when it’s time,’ and she’s correct because every year I think about it.
“I took this job because no boys in Perryville were getting opportunities to play college soccer, and we’ve put a lot of boys into college since then.”
After pummeling Hillsboro 6-1 in their conference match last year, the Pirates clipped the Hawks 2-1 in the final of the Hillsboro Tournament. Nick Marchetti, who scored the Hawks goal, led Hillsboro with 33 goals last year.
“I want to beat them so bad and end their (JCAA) streak,” said Marchetti, a senior forward. “I just want to win the conference. They just need to be taken down.”
Hillsboro head coach Sam Nansel said Perryville always seems to quickly replace its graduating players.
“Perryville has the youth system to make that happen,” Nansel said. “When you think Perryville, you don’t think football, necessarily. Soccer dominates that area. It’s a combination of coaching style and players who know what they’re doing.”
Since Schlichting played and coached in the JCAA, he’s got a big head start in recruiting the area players. Schlichting said youth soccer in Perryville is as strong as ever.
“It’s incredible, with some very good youth coaching,” he said. “As (they) get older, the kids travel and play for high-level club teams and that plays a big role.
“Once you get momentum, it’s hard to stop. We went down there last year (with De Soto) and we gave them a good game, but there was a feeling that the Perryville boys were never worried.”
Schlichting replaced Nate Reiser two years ago, and now Reiser returns to coach his 10th season at De Soto, which was 23-18 under Schlichting. The Dragons won two district games under him, including a 1-0 squeaker over Hillsboro in the Class 3 District 1 tournament last year.
De Soto senior Sam Lawson is replacing Hunter Guertzgen in goal, where Guertzgen stood tall for the Dragons through thick and thin for four years.
“(Lawson) was ready for varsity play last year and I am very excited to see this young man get some quality time in the net,” Reiser said.
Senior midfielders Connor Kisner and Macklin Blanchard were all-JCAA performers for De Soto last season. They’re joined in the midfield by juniors Hunter Adams, Bode Burke and Brendan Young. Starters in the backfield are senior Carter Trombly and juniors Will Weber, Liam Modrosic and Josh Phipps.
The Dragons, 10-10 a year ago, lost 10-goal midfielder Ethan Patterson to graduation but return top scorer George Odquist, a senior midfielder, who netted 16 goals in 2022. Senior Blake Christian and sophomores Wyatt Wolf and Tristan Duepner are the strikers this season.
“We are going to play a very free-flowing type of game,” Reiser said. “I want to allow the boys the chance to tap into each of their strengths and utilize them. We will strive to play offensive, fast-paced soccer without burning ourselves out defensively.
“I have always been a coach of development. I want to see us progress every game so that we can play our best game on the field at districts and beyond. I am alright if we are not our best in the first few games. In fact, I expect it. These guys are getting a new coach with a new approach. It will take time to adapt.”
Marchetti shoots for scoring record at Hillsboro
Nick the kick is back.
Hillsboro’s Nick Marchetti scored 33 goals for the Hillsboro soccer team, the fifth-most tallies in the St. Louis area.
He also handled the placekicking duties for the Hawk football team and drilled 57 extra points for the district champions.
Almost as an afterthought, he also played basketball, averaging nearly five points per game in 21 outings, and finished sixth in the 300-meter hurdles to help the Hillsboro boys finish second at the state Class 4 track and field championships in late May.
Now the calendar has reset and Marchetti is heading back to the soccer pitch, taking aim at the school career scoring record of 73 set by another highly versatile Hawk, Mark Moore, in 2019. Marchetti needs 22 goals to top Moore. If he does, his team has a good chance to improve on last year’s 13-10 record, Hillsboro’s first winning season since Sam Nansel took over as head coach in 2020. The Hawks finished 4-1 in the Jefferson County Activities Association, one game behind four-time defending champion Perryville.
“We’re all expecting big things; hopefully (Marchetti) can live up to those expectations,” said Nansel as the team got ready to start preseason practice this week. “He looks to be in an attacking role again, but I’m not exactly sure where.”
Marchetti plays club soccer for Lou Fusz, and Nansel said he’s drawn attention from two local colleges. That number is likely to grow as the season progresses.
“It’s his speed and physicality that leads to the goals,” Nansel said. “If there’s one thing he can do, it’s clean up his finishing ability, as weird as that sounds. Being the kicker with the football team, he works out with them and he’s gotten stronger and faster. The football training is more focused on getting bigger and stronger, (while) for us (in soccer) you’ve got to be able to run.”
With Marchetti applying pressure up front, the Hawks are just as solid on the back end with a pair of senior goalkeepers and a veteran backfield.
Gabe Perry was Hillsboro’s primary starter in goal last season, playing 1,631 minutes and posting a goals against average of 1.91. Jason Hettel registered a goals-against of 1.40 in 170 minutes. Nansel said Perry has been playing goalie most of his life and the two have distinct styles of play.
“Gabe is technically sound; Jason is the fearless WWE-type of goalie,” Nansel said. “In a summer scrimmage against Windsor, Jason must have saved four or five one-on-ones.
“We were beating Rolla 2-0 last year when Gabe got a red card and Jason came in halfway through the first half. We were down a player the rest of the game.”
Seniors Alex Lee and Alex Hodge return at center back. Lee is good in the air and will keep the back line organized. Hodge has more speed.
On the outside defensively are senior backs Owen Andeline and Tommy Heine, both of whom started last year. Senior Vince Vorachack plays center midfield and Nansel said he’s been a constant presence during offseason work.
Identical twins Matthew and Andrew Carey are part of a talented class of sophomores looking to break into varsity play. Nansel has to whittle down 23 tryouts for 18 roster spots this month. He said there were 30 players during summer work.
Hillsboro’s new JV coach is Steve Bettlach, who comes over from Bishop DuBourg in St. Louis, where he was the activities director and boys soccer head coach.
The first day of fall competition across all sports is Aug. 25, and Hillsboro begins the season that day against Ritenour in the Alton Redbird Tournament in Illinois.
“I did some research and felt we could compete (at Alton) and it was a chance to get the season going in the right direction,” Nansel said.
Darden leaves huge hole on in Festus attack
Stephen Darden took more than a diploma across the stage when he graduated from Festus High in May.
Also exiting were his school-record 177 points, on 77 goals and 23 assists in four years.
You don’t replace players like that; you simply rebuild in their wake.
“With our underclassmen stepping up, I think we’ll be OK,” said head coach Austin Burgert, who enters his seventh season. “Along with Alec Bell a few years ago, some of these guys have played alongside the best scorers in our program’s history, so you hope they try to make it their own.”
The Tigers finished 4-16 last season, giving up more than twice as many goals (88) as they scored (32). Of those 32, Darden had 19 and speedy forward Reese Johnson, another 2023 graduate, scored eight. The good news is, Burgert has numbers to work with if last year’s 19 underclassmen all return and continue to develop.
“We’re in a rebuilding phase after losing a big, productive class of seniors,” Burgert said. “It’s an optimistic rebuild. We have talented players on the field and are looking down to the kids in our middle school.”
Burgert has senior winger Steven Rogoz plugged into the midfield; he played through some back issues last year. Junior Logan Bohn will anchor the defense alongside two other juniors, Wyatt Johnson and Owyn Daugherty. Junior Cole Vogel can float between midfield and striker.
The goalkeeper is to be determined, but a leading candidate is senior Cody Evans, who was the starter two years ago, replacing all-conference goalie Jack Uskiwich. Evans logged 1,580 minutes in 2021, but didn’t play last year. As of the Leader deadline on Tuesday, it was unclear whether last year’s starting goalie, senior Matt Martin, was playing.
Festus hasn’t won a conference game since beating Hillsboro 2-1 in late October 2020. Ending that losing streak is high on the agenda for Burgert’s squad.
“I’m not just saying (this) because we play in it, but this is one of the strongest conferences on this side of the state in this class,” Burgert said. “Looking across the conference, it’s always competitive. Perryville year in and year out churns out (JCAA) champions and makes deep playoff runs into late October and early November. We do the best we can (over what we) control, building a solid team, and you hope you can be competitive against teams like that.”
Owls look to snap losing streak to cross-town rivals
The first item on the Windsor boys soccer team’s 2023 to-do list is blunt and to the point.
Beat Seckman.
Seckman has defeated its neighbor to the east 10 times in a row. The teams will renew their non-conference rivalry Sept. 6 at Seckman. By then we’ll have some indication of the Owls’ prospects for improving on a disappointing 6-15 season a year ago – their fourth straight negative ledger since going 14-12-1 in 2018.
Windsor will bring some assets to the pitch, starting with the team co-captains, speedy senior defenders Noah Harman and Alex Sullivan. Both run track in the spring and Harman qualified for the state Class 4 meet back in May in the 200-meter dash. The pair were named to the all-conference (Jefferson County Activities Association) first team last year.
“They are some of the fastest guys in the state,” said Windsor head coach Mike Alvarado, who begins his third year. “They will anchor our defense. Noah does a great job of anticipating and stopping opposing teams’ offensive transitions. Alex does a great job of tracking back if a team does break through.”
The Owls also return their top two offensive players. Senior midfielder Garret Mulder led the 2022 team in assists with seven and junior striker Ryan Eskridge was tops in goals with nine.
“We are looking at them to lead our offensive attack,” Alvarado said.
Seniors Zach Wurm and Nate Saeger return in the backfield; Saeger also plays midfield.
Seniors Max Steighorst (midfield) and Clayton Jones (midfield, forward) are both solid two-way players who combined for 26 points last year on 10 goals and six assists. Jones contributed three goals and Steighorst had two assists in the Owls’ 7-1 victory over Festus, their only conference win a year ago.
Both of Windsor’s goalkeepers return this season. Senior Jake Wolff played the bulk of the minutes (1,355) last year and had a very respectable 2.25 goals against average. He made a season-high 25 saves in a 3-1 loss to Seckman. Sophomore Caleb Haegele started the Owls’ final two games of the season and made 31 saves.
“Our goals remain the same year after year; we want to compete for conference and district titles,” Alvarado said. “But we also want to create successful young men in and out of the classroom and on and off the field.
“We are emphasizing speed of play, not only with our passing but with our runs off the ball and decision-making. Hopefully (we’ll) take advantage of some of our speed to create scoring chances.”
The Owls begin the season at Farmington on Aug. 26.
Jaguars in rebuild mode
After going 13-12 last year and then losing 11 seniors to graduation, Seckman has a lot of unknowns coming into this fall. Only three players appear locked-in as starters: senior forward Layne Patterson, senior forward-midfielder Wyatt Hart and junior defender Kyle Taylor.
Patterson was the team’s leading scorer last year with 13 goals, including a three-goal outing in a 5-0 win over Washington.
“The team will hope Patterson can beat his goal tally from last season and serve as a distributor as well,” said Tim Bookstaver, who has overseen the Jaguar boys since 2005.
The biggest hole to fill is in goal, where senior Ryan Pfingsten is the only returnee. Sanel Catic (4-3 record with nine goals allowed in 648 minutes) graduated and junior Alex Sullivan has decided not to play for Seckman this fall. He led the Jaguars in minutes (1,254) and wins (nine) and had a goals against average of 1.24.
“There are several underclassmen keepers that will have an opportunity to try and challenge for a varsity spot,” Bookstaver said.
At their best, the Jaguars play a disciplined, possession-style game, typically from a 4-3-3 alignment – not exactly easy to build with inexperienced players.
Two years ago the Jaguars were co-champions of the Suburban Conference Green pool, but last season they stumbled in conference play and finished 3-7. Bookstaver said playing better in pool games is a main goal. Seckman plays three home games in three days against Jackson, Windsor and Poplar Bluff Sept. 5-7.
Fox returns leading scorer
With its leading scorer and a veteran goalkeeper returning, head coach Nate Niehaus is optimistic about his Fox boys soccer team for 2023.
“We had a good end of our season when we got healthy and are hoping to continue on,” Niehaus said. “We lost three or four seniors, but we have a lot of returning players this year.”
The Warriors are on the right trajectory. They were 5-14 last Oct. 18 when they peeled off six consecutive wins to close the regular season, including four shutouts and a 1-0 defeat of Seckman. Lindbergh ended Fox’s 2022 campaign, beating the Warriors 7-1 on the way to the Class 4 District 1 championship.
Forward Carter Jackson was the catalyst for the turnaround, scoring 23 goals to break the single-season school record. He got nine of them with three straight hat tricks in wins over Parkway North, Sullivan and Ritenour. Jackson is back to help lead the Warriors in his senior season.
“He’s pretty elusive,” Niehaus said. “He can turn around defenders and find those seams to slide in and score.”
Preventing opponents’ goals will be up to junior goalie Drew Harris, who allowed 42 in 1,742 minutes last year for a sterling 1.94 goals against average. Harris posted back-to-back shutouts three different times and has started in net since his freshman season.
“He’s been throwing up some good numbers and I expect him to play well,” Niehaus said.
Senior Giovanni Napoli complements Jackson on the attack; he posted 10 points on four goals and two assists in 2022.
Senior Gus Schoenberg scored five goals last year and returns as the leader in the midfield.
“He wins 50-50 balls,” Niehaus said. “He was injured most of last season. It was a rolling injury bug that hurt us and in the last seven or eight games, we played like we were capable of.”
Another skilled senior, Nadir Brkic, and sophomore Ryan Kettler also will man the midfield. Senior Owen Jost anchors the back line alongside junior Robert Fowler, who Niehaus said “is a very physical player who can run through the ball and the person next to them.”
Twin brothers Ian and John Schneider, also seniors, are separated on the field with Ian in the backfield and John at forward.
Fox begins the season at the Windsor Tournament on Aug. 28.