Can St. Pius X keep the streak alive?
The boys and girls soccer teams both reached the Class 1 championship and finished second in the state in the 2021-2022 school year. Both Lancer teams – the boys last fall, the girls in June – were shut out 3-0 in the championship games by Lutheran-St. Charles and Whitfield respectively.
Success in the playoffs could mean a bump up in classification for the St. Pius boys, who are coming off a 17-7 season and began practice on Monday. The Missouri State High School Activities Association will release class and district assignments later this month. St. Pius played in Class 2 in 2019.
Whatever class they land in, they face the season with a new leader seeking to rebuild the offense and defense. Fortunately, new head coach Scott Rudolph has extensive experience as a Lancer varsity assistant and JV head coach. He takes over for Aaron Portell, who still coaches the Lancer girls.
“I am familiar with the current varsity players and players from last year’s JV team who can make an impact at the next level,” Rudolph said.
“They’re going to move us up (in classification); how far remains to be seen. I lost three-fourths of my starters. That’s not taken into consideration (in the class assignment). They (MSHSAA) see we finished second in state. It’s aggravating.”
Matt Hrdkicka, Jason Rothweiler and Steve Charleville are Rudolph’s assistants. Hrdkicka brings years of club coaching experience to mentor the goalies. Rudolph said Rothweiler can help push all the players to their full potential. Charleville is the JV head coach.
The loss to Lutheran-St. Charles in the state final ended an incredible eight-game winning streak in which the Lancers shut out seven opponents. After whitewashing Bishop DuBourg 3-0 on the road to win the District 1 crown, they blitzed Brentwood 7-1 in the quarterfinals and blanked Fair Grove 4-0 in the semifinals.
Kyle Lewis, a 2022 graduate, was selected for the Missouri High School Soccer Coaches Association all-state first team and also was named the Class 1 Defensive Player of the Year. The Lancers also lost two all-state forwards to graduation in Nathan Stoll (first team) and Colin Brown (second team). The duo accounted for 44 goals, half of the St. Pius goal total.
Junior Adam Foy was first team all-state as a midfielder last year and finished with eight goals and 21 points. Playing for his club team has Foy in peak condition, Rudolph said.
“With his great ball skills, burst of speed and lethal shot, Adam looks to score his share of goals this season,” Rudolph said.
A captain in 2021, senior Logan Hall is moving from the midfield to help bolster the backfield. Hall had two assists in the quarterfinals and put up a season-high five points against Lutheran South.
“I know he can be a great leader,” Rudolph said. “But as with every player this year, I have shared that they need to win those jobs back. No one is entitled to anything. Logan understands. He stood up and helped during the summer kick-arounds.”
Junior midfielder Patrick Flanagan scored 10 goals and had 28 points last season. In the Lancers’ two matches with Brentwood – including a 7-0 regular-season victory – Flanagan produced 10 points.
“I know Patrick wants to raise the bar to help us go far in districts again,” Rudolph said. “I look forward to watching him grow and hopefully keep our midfield strong.”
No Lancer was hotter during their playoff journey than Tanner Koepke, who scored a combined four goals in the quarterfinals and semifinals. Koepke’s late burst made him the team’s third leading scorer with 10 goals and 30 points.
“He brings physicality, grit, and a lot of skill to shore up our midfield,” Rudolph said. “He also adds a sense of humor to the team that keeps everybody loose.”
Junior Will Becker was a constant presence at St. Pius kick-arounds this summer and Rudolph said he’s grown several inches and is motivated to be a full-time starter on defense.
Perhaps the toughest decision Rudolph has to make before the season begins is whether to start junior Zander Street or sophomore Kyle Gartner in goal. Street was the No. 1 last season and posted a 0.74 goals-against average in 1,408 minutes between the pipes. But Rudolph said Gartner isn’t content to play the backup after a superb year as the Lancers’ JV keeper.
“Kyle and Zander complement each other very well,” Rudolph said. “Either way, we have two goalies working extremely hard. I was impressed with their progress at summer camp.”
The Lancers, third in the Jefferson County Activities Association last year behind Perryville and De Soto, open the season in the Bishop DuBourg Tournament, which begins Aug. 27. They will visit Perryville on Sept. 29.
“A lot of the guys were disappointed because we were so close to winning state,” Rudolph said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do to get back there.”
Pirates plunder JCAA
For years the Jefferson County Activities Association has been top heavy in boys soccer.
Perryville has won the last three JCAA championships, going 15-0 in that time against conference opponents. St. Pius X held off the Pirates for the league crown in 2018, and both teams reached the state championship game of their class in 2021.
St. Pius (17-7 last year) won its sixth team state trophy after finishing second to Lutheran-St. Charles in Class 1. Perryville (22-3) erased a 3-0 deficit after one half to come back and beat Excelsior Springs 4-3 in the Class 2 semifinals. The state final against Whitfield was tied 2-2 in the second half before the Warriors scored two goals five minutes apart and won 4-2. Perryville won the Class 2 state title in 2014 and finished second in 2015.
There was progress last year for the other teams in the JCAA – De Soto, Festus, Hillsboro and Windsor.
Under first-year head coach Luke Schlichting, the Dragons turned around a 5-13 mark in 2020 to go 4-1 for second place in the conference and 13-8 overall.
De Soto beat St. Pius 2-1 in its league match.
Hillsboro (11-13-2) and Windsor (7-16) doubled their win totals from the previous year and are led by young coaches. Sam Nansel enters his third year with the Hawks and Mike Alvarado his second with the Owls.
Festus, after nine wins in 2020, was 7-12-2 last year and went 0-5 in the JCAA. But the Tigers return two of the league’s top scorers in seniors Reece Johnson and Stephen Darden. Head coach Austin Burgert has coached the Tigers the past eight seasons, the last six as head coach.
Here is a look at the county teams in the JCAA (see separate preview of St. Pius).
De Soto Dragons
Head coach: Luke Schlichting, second year
Last year: 13-8
Final four appearances: 0
Last district championship: 2013
When De Soto lost its first three games last season, it looked like Schlichting was in for a challenge trying to improve the program. But just as quickly the Dragons ripped off three wins and eventually put together six- and three-game winning streaks to finish with their first winning record since 2018.
De Soto’s resurgence was led by 2022 graduate Chase Reichmuth, a Class 2 first-team all-state forward selection by the Missouri High School Soccer Coaches Association after scoring 36 goals and registering 89 points. Reichmuth almost matched Perryville’s goal-scoring tandem of Dayton Strattman (43 goals, 120 points) and Bryce Brewer (41, 101), also all-state selections, as the JCAA’s top attackers. He scored a season-high five goals against North County and notched four goals in a game three other times.
Senior Ethan Patterson was second in scoring for De Soto last season with 13 goals and leads the forward unit with senior Brayden Askins and junior Christian Blake. Patterson was a first-team JCAA selection last year and scored a hat trick (three goals in a game) against Pacific. Blake recorded seven goals.
In the midfield for the Dragons are seniors Jaxson Agers, Cadence Hebert, and Isaac Smith and juniors Macklin Blanchard and Hunter Adams. Manning the defense are seniors Nate Seibert and Ethan Clark and juniors Connor Kisner and Carter Trombly.
Senior Hunter Guertzgen was the starting goalie last year, with junior Sam Lawson the backup, so Lawson takes over in net. Guertzgen, all-conference honorable mention, played 1,567 minutes, posted eight shutouts and had a goals-against average of 1.74.
The Dragons open the season hosting Brentwood on Aug. 30. The Eagles lost to St. Pius in the Class 1 quarterfinals last year. De Soto opened last season at Brentwood and fell 2-1.
“We are looking to build on some of the foundation we laid last year,” said Schlichting, a Perryville graduate. “One of the areas of focus is continuing to develop our playing style, both in possession and out of possession. Getting everybody on the same page as far as game model and playing style is never easy, so that is going to be our main focus.”
Hillsboro Hawks
Head coach: Sam Nansel, third year
Last year: 11-13-2
Final four appearances: 0
Last district championship: 2019 (advanced to quarterfinals)
A 5-0 loss to Affton left the Hawks 3-12-2 and foundering last season. Year two under Nansel was supposed to see more growth and progress for the program he took over for Chris Schacht after the veteran coach moved up to activities director in 2019.
Then something happened. The Hawks went to Imperial and shut out Windsor 2-0, sparking a winning streak of eight games that didn’t end until a 6-0 loss to Cape Girardeau Notre Dame in the Class 3 District 1 semifinals. Loaded with 14 seniors, Hillsboro clamped down on defense, allowing only two goals during the win streak.
“To that point (district loss) we had a run of nice games,” Nansel said. “The defense was organized and now the new guys have seen what they are capable of.”
Each segment of the Hawks on the field has a veteran leader. In goal, junior Gabe Perry returns after he was second to 2022 graduate Tate Volmert in minutes played (1,310-660). Perry had a goals-against average of 1.82 and in one three-day stretch last season, shut out Fredericktown, Fox and Washington. Even so, Perry has plenty of competition in net from keepers of varying ages and experience, Nansel said.
“Gabe will get the lion’s share of minutes; other than that, I don’t know who will be backup,” Nansel said.
Senior Christian Groner anchors the Hillsboro backfield, and Nansel said he’s improved the most mentally in between seasons. Groner also plays baseball for the Hawks and for the Jefferson County Blazers in summer ball. In the midfield, senior Carson Leonard is coming off an all-conference season (first team) and is the Hawk leader in transition. Leonard’s brother, Colton, graduated after his second time earning first-team all-conference honors.
Junior Nick Marchetti burst onto the scene last fall with a team-high 16 goals and 12 assists for 44 points. A center attacking midfielder, Marchetti’s complement on offense is senior forward/midfielder Elliott Puhse, who scored seven goals.
“(Puhse) has the potential to double or triple that this year,” Nansel said.
The Hawks begin play in the Windsor Tournament on Aug. 29. Hillsboro hosts De Soto on Sept. 13 for the Highway 21 Cup, which the Dragons hold after winning 2-1 last year.
“There are always particular games you look forward to during the regular season,” Nansel said. “I’m particularly excited about our first year in the Windsor Tournament, and we’re trying to get the cup back from De Soto.”
Windsor Owls
Head coach: Mike Alvarado, second year
Last year: 7-16
Final four appearances: 0
Last district championship: 2018
Windsor won district titles in 2017 and 2018. In 2012, when there were only three classes for boys soccer, the Owls reached the Class 2 quarterfinals.
It was a peculiar rookie year for Alvarado as head coach in 2021. Windsor began the season with a 2-1 win over Fox, then dropped its next five games, including a 3-2 loss to the Warriors. The Owls then won five straight games by a combined score of 18-3 to climb above .500 (6-5). Next came an inexplicable scoring drought in which Windsor lost 10 straight games, getting shut out in the last eight. The Owls rebounded somewhat with a 1-0 shutout of Bayless in the Class 2 District 1 tournament, but were blitzed 7-0 by Perryville in the next round.
Alvarado used three different goalies last year and junior Jake Wolff returns after playing 217 minutes backing up 2022 grad Andrew Tanner (1,518 minutes). Freshman Caleb Haegele will push Wolff for playing time.
Foreign-exchange student Haki Niksic is gone after leading the Owls with eight goals a year ago. Other top returning Windsor players this year are senior Cal Montgomery and juniors Alex Sullivan, Noah Harman, Max Steighorst, Garret Mulder and Clayton Jones.
Practice began Monday and Alvarado said it’s too early to set his starting lineup or make predictions about the season. He also said he wants the Owls to compete for conference and district titles.
“More specifically, (we want to) increase our wins from last year and advance further in the district tournament,” he said.
Windsor opens the season hosting its tournament, which begins on Aug. 29.
Festus Tigers
Head coach: Austin Burgert, sixth year
Last year: 7-12-2
Final four appearances: 0
No district championships
With 58 career goals, Festus senior forward Stephen Darden has established himself as one of the top scoring threats in the county. He’s been remarkably consistent with seasons of 20, 20 and 18 goals, and has earned all-district and all-JCAA honors with an eye to making all-state this fall. Alec Bell, a 2020 Festus grad, was the last Tiger selected for all-state honors, in 2019.
Festus opponents can’t just mark Darden and call it a day, with senior Reece Johnson returning after scoring 12 goals to go with nine assists.
The Tiger backfield is led by seniors Collin Brewer and Tyler Schumer. Burgert also is looking for contributions from sophomores Logan Bohn and Cole Vogel and freshman Chase Allen. With practice just beginning, Burgert expects competition for key positions and said several younger players stood out during summer camp.
The Tigers open the season hosting the 15th Festus Classic Aug. 30 through Sept. 1. Then they meet the JCAA’s top two teams early, at St. Pius on Sept. 7 and at home against Perryville on Sept. 13.
“I think our main goal for this season is to be competitive,” Burgert said. “Obviously, it is everyone’s goal to win the conference and make a deep run into the fall, but I would say we are in one of the strongest conferences and districts in the area. You look at Perryville and Pius both making deep runs last year as conference opponents. Then, if our districts line up like last year, you’re looking at Cape (Girardeau) Notre Dame, Mehlville, Sikeston, etc.”