Shawano boys soccer team hopes to blend youth with returning talent

SHAWANO — Area high school boys soccer teams endured tough 2018 seasons on the field but are determined to turn things around this fall.

Shawano will try to mix in some talented underclassmen to an experienced core of returning players, while Gresham/Bowler has big aspirations with a strong core of returning players.

Shawano

While Shawano lost several seniors from last year’s team, coach Rob Croschere believes the group can still be successful with the returning talent it has.

“I think with the players we have coming back, we are going to be in a decent position,” said Croschere. “We’re going to build off of that, add in some of the younger players and get them a few minutes here and there during some varsity games and we’ll see what happens.”

Leading the charge on the offensive end of the field will be senior forwards Michael Klement and Chris Etori.

Klement is the lone returning all-conference selection for the team. He made the honorable mention list as a junior.

“I really believe that we have good team chemistry this year,” said Klement. “The middle school program for soccer really helped out. You can see some of these freshmen coming out and stepping up to their roles. In the early season, they are getting back into the flow. It’s just kind of nice to see this many people show up for a soccer season.”

Croschere said roster numbers were among the highest he has seen during his coaching tenure. Over 40 athletes showed up to the team’s first couple of practices.

Juniors Carson Cummings (midfield), Lucas te Plate (defense) and Caden Tetting (midfield) and sophomore Ethan Schwitzer (defense) also return with starting experience.

Senior Wylee Springborn (defense) and sophomore Owen Moesch (midfield) also have varsity experience.

Along with some of the incoming freshmen, Croschere believes that seniors Bryce Carlson and J.J. Pyatskowit, junior Lance Huebner and sophomore Jared Sackett could be in line to give the team a boost when they hit the field.

“I’m feeling pretty confident. I think we’ll do better this year than we did last year, mostly because our communication is a lot better this year and that’s something we really wanted to work on,” said Cummings. “Last year, we had a lot of good players individually, but we didn’t really work together super well. I’m thinking this year with the team more together and cooperative, along with communication, we can move the ball better and work better as a team.”

Shawano will open the regular season hosting Ashwaubenon on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.

After competing in the Bay Conference during the regular season, Shawano will play in Division 3 for the postseason.

Gresham/Bowler

With experience on their side and a new coach running the show, the Gresham/Bowler co-op believes a strong season is in store.

Walter Moesch is the new coach for Gresham/Bowler, replacing Nate Boucher. Moesch has been an assistant coach for three seasons.

“I think we have a legitimate shot at being in the top four in our conference this year,” said Moesch. “We have a lot of experience on the team. “With hard work and buying in to the program, I think we can make some noise and have some fun.”

Zach Fehrman (forward) and Josh Hoffman (defense) are both back after earning all-conference honors as juniors. Fehrman made the second team, while Hoffman was an honorable mention.

“Our goal this year is to be on top of the conference and if we want to do this we have to work super hard at practice and play like the team we know we are capable of doing,” said Fehrman.

Also back on the roster after starting last year are seniors Zach Burr (midfield), Carlos Martinez (defense) and Georgia Schultz (midfield), junior Jake Hoffman (goalie) and sophomores Alex Burr (midfield) and Diego Martinez (forward, midfield).

Junior Aiden Brie and sophomores Jack Haffner and Will Jensen also got varsity experience last year. Coach Moesch believes freshmen Blade Hoffman and Finn Bennett could also play big roles for the co-op this fall.

The co-op opens the season on the road against Fox Valley Lutheran on Tuesday before hosting Wisconsin Valley Lutheran on Sept. 3.

Gresham/Bowler competes in the Central Wisconsin Conference. The team will be in Division 4 for postseason play.

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