The Central Lee High School boys soccer team has a chance to have a very special season this spring.
The Hawks, who all return from last year's 6-9 team that defeated perennial powerhouse Hillcrest Academy in the semistates, are very good and could be even better in the semistates this season. We have all the ingredients to be a team.
Now, Central Lee has to take it to the field.
This group has the potential to do really big things this year,” Central Lee coach Justin Schau said. “It’s been a few years since we finished a season with a win, but this team has the potential to change that.”
The Hawks are led by three seniors who earned all-conference accolades last season. Randan Crank scored four goals from midfield last spring. Randan Loewenberg scored nine goals and assisted on six others. Another midfielder, Dante Merschman, scored nine goals and provided eight assists.
They are joined by junior Aiden Kent, who scored eight times last year, and sophomore Colton Taft, who had three goals a year ago.
Adding Aiden Krehbiel and Reece Hayes to the midfield mix gives the Hawks plenty of firepower and options.
Junior Drake Weber returns to shore up the defense along with Corbin Wilson and Peter Seib. Weber was honorable mention all-conference last season.
Senior Hunter Gregory returns as goaltender. He made 83 saves and saved 76.1 percent of the shots on goal he faced last season.
The Hawks' roster has been strengthened by an influx of talented freshmen, including midfielders Zach Estrada and Mason Sanders.
Third-year Brayden McCarty will contribute in the midfield, while sophomore Nathan Newberry will see time on defense.
Central Lee faces a tough schedule. It all starts with Tuesday's home game against Centerville.
“We set the bar a little higher than last year,” Schau said. “We have a chance for a conference title this year with this team. However, there are some teams in our conference that could end up finishing, so we'll have our work cut out for us.” This could be a great year as we didn't lose anyone from last year's team and gained some valuable freshmen.”
