Boys JV soccer squad has stellar season

The boys junior varsity soccer team wrapped up an outstanding season with a final record of 12-0-1 and outscored their opponents 68-22 overall.

Sisters' only tie game - a 0-0 defensive contest - came at Cottage Grove on their artificial turf field.

Twenty-three players comprised the talented JV squad and contributed in the tremendous season. Gabe Reitmann led the Outlaws in scoring with eight goals and was the standout forward on the team. Reitmann was able to weave around defenders and score when the Outlaws needed a goal.

Eli Boettner, Ryan Pollard, and Jared Early were also big contributors on offense, with six goals each.

Cody Lane led the team with nine assists. Coach Draxler recalls one assist that was particularly exceptional.

"At Redmond, Cody fought off two opponents to win the ball at midfield and dribbled the ball down the sideline through three more opponents," Draxler said. "With his last ounce of energy Cody crossed the ball to Trevor Standen in the box, who put it away for a goal."

Lane, along with Landon Prescott were the core to the Outlaws' midfield, due to the duo's quickness and tenacity to win the ball.

Nicky Blumm and Taylor Lucas were the Outlaws' most consistent defenders. Jesse Larimore, who is very fast and able to run down forwards, was also vital to the Outlaws' exceptional defense.

There were several outstanding moments for the team over the course of the season.

In Sisters' game against Mountain View JV 2, the Outlaws held a slim 3-2 lead until there was just 15 minutes left on the clock. At that point Wyatt Phillipi broke free on a fast break.

"It looked as if the keeper was going to clear the ball out, but Wyatt actually did a slide tackle and the keeper didn't, which sent the keeper flying and won the ball," said Draxler. Wyatt jumped up and toed the ball into the net. That moment sealed the game for us, for we scored three more goals putting the final score at 7-3."

Another game that stands out is the Outlaws' game at Henley against the Hornets. Coach Draxler described the Hornets' soccer field as a reclaimed pasture, dry as a bone and bumpy as a mountain range, complete with irrigation pipes for goalposts and a soupy canal behind the bench.

The players were completely unnerved by the horrendous conditions. Whenever the Outlaws passed or trapped the ball, it would bounce crazily in an unexpected direction. Players' shins hurt when they ran and at the half Sisters hadn't put one goal on the scoreboard.

"We changed our tactics," stated Draxler. "No more passing was the rule, and surprisingly it worked! We scored four goals in the second half by standing around and watching each other dribble toward the goal; not exactly what we teach, but it's what we had to do given the environment."

Sisters' big highlight of the season came in game seven against Summit JV 2. For the first time the Outlaws faced a team who passed better, controlled the ball better and ran better than they did.

"It was obvious we thought they were better, too," said Draxler. "We played without heart, passed without conviction and defended with too much respect for our foes. We were down 0-1 at the half and the kids were hanging their heads."

Draxler gathered his players together and gave the pep talk of his life. The Outlaws were a completely different team in the second half.

"We pounced right from the start of the second half," said Draxler. "With each aggressive choice we won the ball. The more we believed the more energy we had and our energy fed our aggression."

Summit caved under the Outlaws' pressure and Sisters attacked the Storm goal repeatedly. Gabe Reitmann took a pass from Cody Lane and knocked one in past the keeper to finally get the Outlaws on the scoreboard.

With 10 minutes left in the contest the score was tied 1-1. Ryan Pollard connected with Nicky Blumm, who struck an almost impossible shot from 35 yards out.

"The ball floated up, locked onto the upper right corner and didn't come down even as the tall Summit goalkeeper tried to pull it out of the air," Draxler said. "The team erupted in joy mixed with incredulity. The score held until the final whistle and we went home happy, to say the least."