Boys JV soccer concludes successful season

The boys JV soccer team finished league play with five wins and one tie. Overall, the Outlaws were 9-1-2.

In the two games which resulted in a tie, the Outlaws had to play with a man down for more than half of the contest and were up by two goals until that point.

Sixteen players were on the squad, and all made contributions which resulted in an outstanding season.

Juniors Trent Marks, Colton Rodgers, Jacob Rodgers and sophomore Ethan Stengel were swing players and played the first half of every game for the JV team and then played the other half on the varsity squad. Marks played at midfield, and the Rodgers brothers and Stengel all played forward.

"These guys were skilled players coming in," said new Coach Mark Benson. "They could cross, shoot, trap, dribble and head, and had all the skills needed to play at the varsity level."

Ben Larson, Daniel Chavez and Nick Waters, all forwards, came in and played the second half of every game.

"Playing some guys in the first half and others in the second half was a bit of transition and something the players had to get used to," said Benson. "The team did a good job of adjusting, and it worked out fine for us. Ben, Daniel, and Nick did a great job of maintaining the game, scoring when there was opportunity, and they all improved their skills over the season."

Jaden Pallister, Ben Larson, Gabe Willitts, Casey Lane, Billy Biggers, Ivan Chavez and Daniel Chavez all saw time at midfield.

Benson told The Nugget that the midfielders had to learn how to control the field over the course of the season.

"By the end the guys could move the ball to the opposite sides of the field and they could bring the ball up into the attacking third comfortably and with ease," stated Benson. "I saw major improvement in their footwork, chesting and trapping."

Defensive players included Jaden Pallister, Gabe Willitts, Christian Hunt, Andrew Stengel, Casey Lane and Dalton Early.

"The defense was solid all year," said Benson. "They were a strong core for our team and every player improved on the little things throughout the season. They made it nearly impossible for our opponents to score."

Up until mid-season the Outlaws did not have a designated goalie, and players would rotate as keeper. Ben Pope joined the team mid-season and became the Outlaws' goalkeeper.

Benson stated that Pope made rapid improvement over a short span of time.

"Ben improved his speed, his ability to block shots and his overall game knowledge," said Benson.

The Outlaws had their talents put to the test when they faced 5A Mt. View in their last game of the season. Teams battled back and forth, with Sisters losing the contest 5-3. Mt. View's last two goals were fluke goals, with the ball soaring over the keepers' head from at least 40 yards out.

"We found out that we could compete at a level much higher than our league," said Benson. "My goal over the season was to help the guys improve and be ready for the next level of play, and I feel like I did that. I saw evidence of that when we scrimmaged against the varsity squad and then in our last game against Mt. View. We limited our opponents to one or two goals per game while we scored at least five plus per game."

Benson finished his first season as the Outlaws' JV coach and told The Nugget he had a fantastic time.