The high school boys soccer team awarded Heath Belknap the most valuable player award at its awards dessert on Nov. 17.
Mark Lewis received the team’s Hustle Award. Nic Wirth and Kellen Pedersen received the team’s Defense Award. Most Improved was Travis Walker. Wirth received the Coach’s Award.
Belknap was selected to the first-team all-conference. Pedersen received honorable mention.
The team ended the season 5-6-2.
“We had two league wins,” Coach Karl Schmidtman said. “We’re in a fairly tough league.”
Belknap led the team in scoring with eight on the season. Several other players scored one goal each.
“We started off pretty well,” Coach Schmidtman said. “Honestly, we had some things go our way early in the season, lucky breaks here and there.”
Those lucky breaks, shots off the rim and rebounds, seemed to disappear later in the season when those shots would bounce out of the goal or go wide, Coach Schmidtman said.
Four or five games in league play could easily have gone the Huskies’ way, Coach Schmidtman said. The team’s worst loss was 5-1 against Junction City, and that was really a 2-1 game.
The team loses seniors Lewis, Belknap, Pedersen and Mason Lynn.
“The guys have a lot of confidence looking forward to next year,” Coach Schmidtman said. The team will have eight to nine seniors with good experience from this season. Coach Schmidtman is looking for players, like Sean McGuyre, Wirth and Tom Helfrich to step up. Ben Schmidt will return from an exchange in Germany and bring key skills to the team.
While still open for debate, Isaac Villarreal may be next year’s goalie, replacing senior Pedersen, Coach Schmidtman said. He spent some game time in the box and improved both in games and practice.
“We’ll be looking for someone to step up and become leading scorer next year,” Coach Schmidtman said. The team has the skills and good experience it may not have had in the past.
Numbers were down a little this year, but Coach Schmidtman is looking forward to a larger group of freshmen who played eighth-grade soccer this year.
“We look forward to more success in the future, turn that corner and get a winning record,” Coach Schmidtman said.
Earning first-year letters were freshman Brandon Elliott, sophomores Jason Long and Kyle Hanscam, juniors Isaac Villarreal and Travis Walker and senior Mason Lynn.
Earning second-year letters were juniors Nic Wirth, Thomas Helfrich and Sean McGuyre and senior Kellen Pedersen.
Earning fourth-year letters were Mark Lewis and Heath Belknap.