Austin Parrish was named the Most Valuable Player for the high school soccer team during the team’s annual awards banquet held Nov. 15.
He also received the Beckham Award (named after English soccer star David Beckham) for bending a corner kick into the goal. Coach Eric Stutzer said Parrish actually works on that, and the officials told him that was one of the best high school goals they had ever seen.
“I don’t think I have to go into the details” why Parrish was the team’s MVP, Stutzer said.
Stutzer and Coach Huck Thomas selected the team award winners.
Jayce Owen won the team’s Extra Mile Award.
Stutzer said that many players made dramatic progress during the season, but Seth Gaylord was Most Improved.
Chase Lopez won the team’s Slow Feet Don’t Eat award because “he never quits,” said Gaylord.
Going above and beyond, Zach Luttmer was Mr. Husky.
Tristan Calkins won the Coach’s Award. Stutzer said Calkins was always volunteering to help set up the field, and once Stutzer pulled up at Husky Field to find Calkins coaching other youths in soccer.
“We changed leagues this year, and it’s no secret it was a tough change,” Thomas said. “The state champion is in our league. The one thing I personally have to say about (the team), I put them at the top of the young men I’ve worked with to date. This is just a good group of kids.”
Thomas said the Huskies have grit and an ability to play through adversity that was noticed throughout the state. They play with class, and they are “able to stay positive and have fun.”
“When we get beat 15-0, it hurts,” Thomas said. The team’s stats are available online (at osaa.org).
The Huskies couldn’t quite get a win this year, but they had their moments.
Regardless, whether it was one minute left on the clock or 10 minutes into a game where they were ahead by a goal or holding their opponent off for 36 minutes, whether the opposing team was twice their size, they played the same way.
It was a season stacked up against Sweet Home.
“Our numbers just really weren’t there,” Thomas said. By the time the season started, the Huskies had just filled the team. More players came out during the season, but 15 or 16 players isn’t enough to go 80 minutes on the pitch. Two players, senior Noah Dinsfriend and sophomore Tristan Calkins, doubled with cross-country as well.
Thomas said he is looking to the team to help get enough players out to put a junior varsity on the field next year. That’ll help in varsity games, with players swinging up and down and giving players a chance to rest during games.
“You’re an incredible group of young men,” Thomas told the team. “It has been an absolute honor to be involved in coaching you.”
Stutzer echoed the comments.
Where others would have bailed out, this team had great attitudes and never quit, he said. They had every reason to have bad attitudes and to give up.
“I can think of no greater honor,” Stutzer said. “We’re very proud of what you did this season.”
Going into the season, they knew what it would be like.
“We wanted to have a definitive change,” he said, and that happened. The Huskies have a deeper knowledge, and their skills improved.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen so much growth in a team in so short a time,” Stutzer said. “You guys didn’t give up. We still had a lot of fun. You faced the adversity. You were playing the best teams in the state.”
Officials commented about it, he said, and he has never had a ref say something positive after a game.
Underscoring the adversity the Huskies faced this year, Stutzer said, they had 12 first-year lettermen.
They are freshman Joseph Hiemenz; sophomores Lopez, Austin Gali, Judah Christman and Calkins; juniors Zach Zanona, Luttmer, Cole Mizsei and Owen; and seniors Bradley Wolthuis, Gaylord and Mason Hook.
Second-year letter winners were juniors Jarrett Owen and Andrew Baham and senior Evan Davis.
Winning their third letters were seniors Noah Dinsfriend, Levi Hernandez and Parrish.
Stutzer urged next year’s players to get a ball on their feet in the off season. Whether the Huskies stay in the same league or something else happens, they have at least five incoming freshmen with a lot of skill, and other teams in the league will change next year, meaning the Huskies will be more competitive.