Peter Bartnett The Times
Oh, the sun is shining longer, the birds are chirping (something people don't do anymore? I'm looking at you, X) and the football is on.
This weekend, Class A girls state champion Gretna takes on No. 4 Omaha Marian in a highly anticipated game.
That's not to mention Bellevue's group (East, West, Omaha Bryan, Gross Catholic), Papillion La Vista (Monarchs who qualified for state last year), P-LV South, Platteview, and the new kid on the block, Gretna. Not to mention the East game. .
Starting with these Griffins, former Gretna head coach Chase Hutchison will move his duties east after leading the Dragons to a three-peat.
The Griffins may be young, but they are by no means inexperienced.
Goaltender Maddie Shaffert appeared in 41 games during her two years at Gretna, allowing just four goals (all in her freshman season) and making 57 saves. Carly Williams, Addie Larocque, Sonora Defini and the Dobberstein sisters (Cadence and Kendall) are just a few of the players who bring starting or significant experience from Gretna. Defini was second with the Dragons last year with 18 goals.
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Those Dragons (21-0, Class A state champions) have first-year head coach Rachel Twist, a two-time Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year, and Allison, who is committed to Kansas State University. – Retaining Mr. Marshall and his sister, Mr. London, from Sonora State University.
“We have a senior class of 16, most of whom have played key roles in the last few state titles, so it’s hard to narrow down that group,” Twist said.
While Marshall is the obvious choice to lead the team, the Dragons head coach said there are many others on the roster.
“But when you look at our roster, you can see that it's full of girls who are going to be great leaders on this team this season,” she said.
There are 16 seniors on the roster, and Twist said they are expected to have fun, but the goals (in net and in their hearts) are there.
“Many of the girls have set personal goals for this season,” Twist said. “Some have to do with statistics, some have to do with playing time, and some have to do with leadership and mindset.”
Gretna will definitely be tested early. His first four games are all against top five teams (Marian, Skutto Catholic, Millard West, Omaha Westside).
“It's going to be a big challenge from the get-go, but we're looking forward to testing and getting to know our competitors,” she said.
The Dragons, with a record of 64 wins and 1 loss, are the gold standard in Class A, but they have yet to be caught.
Sarpy County's other two state qualifiers, Papillion La Vista (Class A) and Grosse Catholic (B), are in two different standings.
Zach Walsh's Monarchs (11-6, Class A state qualifiers) return only four starting pitchers, and he hopes the team can move forward through the season and finish on a high note.
“We’re looking to build on and develop every game we play,” Walsh said. “We have a lot of new faces coming in from last year’s state qualifying team.”
Walsh added that filling the senior leadership void will be difficult and will increase the time available to a fresh backline.
Among the returning players, Walsh noted goalie and captain Morgan Byrd, leading scorer Emma Wasilewski (sophomore), midfielder Izzy Ashby and freshman Jada Richardson. Ashby is pulling the strings in the Monarchs' midfield, and Walsh said Richardson is a fierce competitor who “hunts you down” every practice.
Meanwhile, the Gross Catholic Cougars (8-7, Class B state qualifiers) feature just two seniors from the team that shocked No. 1 Grand Island Northwest in Class B, 1-0, in the district final. We just lost (Sage Wehrbein and CeCe Cronin).
Leading scorer Lauren Steuer (12 goals) returns, and other scoring contributors ( Goals and assists) will also return. Junior goaltender Mays Fritz and outfielders Marissa Monico, Sadie Waldron, Mackenzie Theroux, Riley Teeter and Grace Linden played in at least 13 of the Cougars' 14 games last year.
Against Bellevue East (6-12), head coach Nate Frankman cited the Chieftains' state drought among his team goals for the season.
“We're looking to grow from last year. We had some tough results, but we're hoping to reverse that this year,” Frankman said. “The ultimate goal is always to make it to the regional finals, because you never know what can happen in a game. This is the first time BEast has sent a girls soccer team to the state since 2007.”
That's a challenge after a key loss, but the Chieftains will be led by coach Fallin Grom and twins Emma and Grace Eltiste, who combined for double-digit goals last year.
Other seniors include Kaylee Sr., Natalie Roberts, Lily Jones, Maddie Tyner, Brooklyn Thurman and Annika Smith. I hope all of that can contribute to this year's team.
Across town, Alan Carr's Thunderbirds (11-6) look to build on their record as district runner-up (3-1 to Gretna) and continue competing with the best teams in the state .
“We lost a lot of seniors last year, so we're going to be young,” Kerr said. “But the fact that these girls now have varsity experience will be a lot of positives for the program in the coming years.”
Some of the key returners include Mia McVay (one of the state's top goal contributors with 20 goals and 10 assists) and freshman starters Zoe Ryan, Madi Morgia, Vanna Reitsma and Laila Dvorak. . Dvorak started 15 games for the TBirds and Ryan contributed 15 goals (9G, 6A).
Bellevue's final team, Omaha Bryan (2-14), will aim to improve to 4-5 and develop its underclassmen, head coach Megan Streeter said. She added that the Bears will rebuild a backline that graduated completely last year.
“There will be some girls on my defensive line who don’t have much varsity experience and are new to this position,” Streeter said. “They have to work together and learn quickly.”
The Bears' leaders and captains are seniors Ruby Macias (CM), Veronica Gonzalez (CM), and Abigail Quinteros Guardado (CB), and junior Yazmeen Rocha Garcia (GK).
At Papio South (7-9), Curt Chanu will replace Jake Watson, who has been the Titans' head coach since 2017.
Shanu has 10 years of coaching experience in the Papillion area, currently coaching at Papillion Soccer Club and previously at Villarreal Soccer Academy in Lincoln.
Western Missouri State contributor Eva Jelen led the Titans' offense last year, scoring 12 goals.
Platteview of Springfield (7-8) will be led by seniors Caitlin Saggitt, Bailey Tex, Ida and Brandt, as well as top scorer Sheila Hobbs (Sophia, 13G, 6A). Fellow sophomore Morgan Quinn brought home his 11 contributions (6G, 5A).