Senior Jordan Oetting is leaving her mark on Festus athletics in two sports.
Oetting, who has signed to play soccer at Purdue University, became the basketball program’s all-time leading scorer last month. She could repeat that feat on the soccer field this season, needing only three goals to become the Tigers’ career scoring leader. She has scored 38 goals going into the season. The record of 40 was set by Anne Downey from 2011 to 2014.
Oetting, a forward, leads an experienced crew that captured its first-ever district championship last season, upsetting top-seeded Hillsboro 6-1 in the Class 3 District 2 final. The Tigers didn’t stop there, defeating Poplar Bluff 3-1 in the sectional round. The party came to an end in the quarterfinals, where Festus was shut out 6-0 by Visitation and finished the season 13-8.
Drew Clinton enters his third year as the Tigers’ head coach.
“The goal for our team is to build a cohesive unit that is able to compete and show improvement throughout the season,” Clinton said.
“We’re looking good,” he added. “Overall, we have some returning players that came up through our system. We’re building on what we did last year. It’s definitely a new team.
“We surprised some people last year. That was fun. I look at each year as a new beginning. Our district is up for grabs this year with Windsor added. It’ll be good competition.”
Oetting and senior defender Allison Rudolph are both four-year starters.
“(Rudolph) would run through a brick wall if I asked her to,” Clinton said. “She’s very hard-working and a dedicated student-athlete.
“Jordan is strong on the ball and we will look to her to help us on the offensive end.”
Sophomore defender Jenna Oetting, Jordan’s sister, is a fine athlete in her own right on the basketball court and soccer pitch. She made the soccer all-conference second team last year.
“She reads the game really well and always seems to be in the right spot,” Clinton said.
Sophomore midfielder Claire Werner will be counted on to create scoring opportunities. Some of the other key players for the Tigers are defender-midfielder Miranda DeClue and midfielders Mackensie Kennon, Sydney Sewald, Miranda Meyers and Maddie Schumer.
Morgan Wendel replaces Lindsey Burch in goal for the Tigers, who begin play Friday at home against Hillsboro.
Windsor
It’s hard to judge the Owls’ 2016 campaign because they were so streaky.
During a five-game winning streak in late April and early May, Windsor chalked up 30 goals. But in the four-game losing streak that ended the Owls’ season, they scored only twice, bowing out of the Class 3 District 3 tournament in a 4-0 loss to Ursuline Academy.
It was nonetheless a successful 12-8-1 campaign that included a share of the JCAA championship with Perryville.
The Owls are deep and talented this spring and have three returning players who were named to the 2016 all-state team by the state’s soccer coaches. Several Owls already have signed to play college soccer next year.
“Our goals are very high this year, with so many returning players,” said head coach Mike Hutchison, entering his 10th year. “We believe we can compete for a second consecutive JCAA title and have a chance to win our district.”
Success starts in goal for the Owls, who return senior keeper Kylie Gmerek. Better known as a standout pitcher in softball – she has signed to play the sport at Rockhurst University in Kansas City – Gmerek had elbow surgery in August and Hutchison said he hopes she will have medical clearance to play when the Owls take the field March 24 in their season opener at home against De Soto.
Gmerek finished last season with a goals-against average of 1.07, earning her first-team all-conference honors. She has a chance to break the school’s career records in wins and shutouts.
“She has improved every year,” Hutchison said. “She is good on high shots, controls rebounds well, and covers her angles well.”
The Owls’ starting forwards are seniors Madelyne Stringer and Katelin Voegtle and junior Maggie Zysk. In the midfield, the starters are Calli Robertson, Taylor Kelley and Jaelynn Hunnicutt, all seniors, and junior Gabby Preis. The backfield is patrolled by seniors Lauryn Kunz and Mackenzie Marshall, junior Megan Tandy and sophomore Keri Voegtle.
Kunz has signed with Morehead State University in Morehead, Ky. She was a second team all-state selection and the conference player of the year in 2016 after scoring 12 goals and adding six assists.
“She’s a versatile player that can shut down the opponent’s best offensive player or be a dynamic offensive threat in the midfield,” Hutchison said.
Stringer has signed with Washburn University in Topeka. She was a first team all-JCAA pick last year after scoring 19 goals.
“She is good at protecting the ball, is fast, and can take people one on one,” the coach noted.
Hutchison called Robertson the “engine that runs the center midfield.” She was a second-team all-JCAA and all-state selection after producing 19 points and spent a lot of time marking the opponent’s top offensive midfielder and quarterbacking the offense.
“It was a new role for her and she adjusted well,” Hutchison said.
Katelin Voegtle, who plans to walk on at Maryville University, made honorable mention all-conference following a nine-goal season last year. She split time between wing midfield and forward, but Hutchison said she will be exclusively up top this spring.
Keri Voegtle is turning into a true shutdown defender, Hutchison said, and will mark the opposition’s top forward. Preis, who missed last season with torn knee ligaments, is a solid partner with Robertson in the center midfield.
The Owls traded places with North County in the reset of Class 3 District 2, making the district an all-JCAA field with De Soto, Festus and Hillsboro. Windsor will host the district tournament May 13-20.
St. Pius X
Five straight appearances in the Class 2 final four came to an end last season after the Lancers lost 3-1 to Notre Dame (Cape Girardeau) in the Class 2 District 1 final. Last year also was the first time in recent memory that St. Pius didn’t win the JCAA championship.
Second-year head coach Kevin Halley, despite having nine returning starters this season, said the starting lineup is anything but settled.
“We would like to compete for a conference title, but ultimately a district title is a very attainable goal for us,” Halley said.
The Lancers are loaded with experience across the field – goalkeeper, backs, midfielders and forwards.
Two seniors, goalkeeper Rebecca Hovatter and midfielder-defender Samantha Linderer, are the backbone of the squad. Hovatter is a three-time first-team all-state selection with a career record of 62-13-2 and 40 career solo shutouts. Linderer, the Class 2 southeast region defensive player of the year in 2016, will spell Hovatter occasionally in goal.
Senior Anna Bartz and juniors Carly Joachimstaler and Julia Houston return to play on the back line. Junior Jesse Romano and seniors Kelly Dierkes and Abby Ottoline join Linderer in the midfield. Junior Katie Mathis returns at forward.
Dierkes, a second-team all-state pick in 2015 as a sophomore, led the Lancers with nine goals last year. Mathis was right behind her with eight.
As for his team’s style of play, Halley said, “We tend to play more direct, but with a defensive mindset.”
The Lancers host Cape Notre Dame Monday in their season opener.
De Soto
Defense wasn’t the problem for the Dragons last year. With all-conference goalkeeper Katie Nash stopping shots, De Soto allowed fewer than two goals per game. But they were shut out 12 times and scored just 13 goals in a 7-13-1 campaign.
Nate Reiser, beginning his fifth season as head coach, said the team’s main goal is to keep building toward being a district contender.
Just a freshman last season, Nash is a player you can build a team around. Last season she made 259 saves and registered seven shutouts.
Elsewhere on defense, the Dragons are led by senior Natalie Hoffee and juniors Desiree Palazzolo and Meghan Blanchard. In the midfield, Ashley Landis, Amy Reiser, Tori Harbison, Julie Howard and Macie Wills are the starters. Up top are Hailee Politte and Haley Johnson.
Hoffee has been the backbone of the De Soto defense for the last three seasons. Howard has played a utility role over the past three years but will control the middle of the field this spring.
“(Howard) has great speed and energy that will hopefully place her around the ball throughout the game,” Reiser said.
Harbison joins the soccer team this season and will continue competing in track and field as she has the past three years. In fact, six Dragons will pull double duty between soccer and track.
Reiser, who also coaches the boys’ team in the fall, is a big proponent of possession-style play. That won’t change for this girls’ squad.
“Generally, we have been forced to play long out of the back and possess in the offensive third,” Reiser said. “This year we will emphasize team movement – on offense and defense.”
The Dragons kick off the season Friday at home against Fredericktown.
Hillsboro
Chris Schacht, one of the most experienced prep coaches in any sport in Jefferson County, opens his 17th season as head coach of the Hawks’ girls soccer team. Like Reiser, he also directs the boys’ program.
The Hawks were upset 6-1 by Festus in last year’s Class 3 District 2 tournament final and finished the season 15-9-2.
The bulk of the Hawks’ roster this year consists of 13 sophomores, along with three juniors and five seniors.
Schacht said this year’s style of play for the young Hawks will be unpredictable.
“The goal is to have these young ladies prepared for what they will face each match,” Schacht said. “Our schedule has gotten tougher this cycle as I expect them to respond in a positive manner. Our style will vary depending on our opponent and situation.”
The early-season lineup Schacht puts on the field will be “fluid” and could change throughout the season, he said.
On the back line are Raechel Hamilton, Lauren Pickett, Maddesyn Langley, Allyson Bridges, Lauren Kuehn and Riley Greenlee. In the midfield are Abby Schacht (the coach’s daughter), Breanna Sebaugh, Courtney Galczynski and Allison Stockmann. Up top are Jillian Schlote, Payton Kuehn, Amanda Evans, Lexi Devereaux and Mollie Dulle.
Schlote, a junior, led Hillsboro last season with 27 goals (including seven game-winners) and 61 points, good enough to earn her second-team all-state recognition. Schacht scored 11 goals and had 32 points. She was one of only two freshman named to the all-conference first team. Bridges made the second team as a sophomore.
Hillsboro’s two goalkeepers are Shea Luby and three-sport athlete Carlie Sanders, a key member of the softball and basketball teams this year.
The Hawks begin the season at JCAA rival Festus on Friday.
“If we play better each week, that means we should peak at the most important time of year – playoff time,” Schacht said. “That is the goal every year, to identify shortcomings or weaknesses and work to solve those issues and be our best in May.”