The Press-Dispatch

August 21, 2019

The Press-Dispatch

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D-4 Fall Sports Preview Wednesday, August 21, 2019 The Press-Dispatch Charger kickers have all the ingredients for a successful season By Dennis Marshall Press-Dispatch Sports Editor sports@pressdispatch.net The Pike Central boys' soc- cer team flaunts 12 seniors this season and returns five full-time starters from a team that finished 12-5 last season. Four of those five losses were the result of 1-0 decisions, includ- ing the Chargers' sectional semi- final loss. "We have extremely high ex- pectations, like every other year," PCHS head coach Jacob Western said. "We expect to compete for a conference championship and a sectional championship. Having twelve seniors on the team real- ly helps to set the tone each day, they know this is their last go and have done a great job keeping the big picture in mind." The Chargers are expected to be a bit more possession based this season because the team will rely more on players with foot skills, high passing IQs and defen- sive playmaking abilities. "We are not quite as physical- ly dominating as we have been in past seasons, but the skill should shine through," Western said. "We are as deep of a team as I can remember, any of our 28 guys could come in and make an impact in some way. We always hang our hat on defense, we try to play a compact defensive style that real- ly frustrates other teams." Offensively, Pike Central will try to play fast, catch its oppo- nents out of position and capital- ize on mistakes. "I do my best to put the guys in the best position to succeed and we are really fortunate to have a good group of guys on the team that come to practice everyday wanting to improve on some as- pect of their game," Western said. "My hope is that we continue to get better everyday and that we are playing our best soccer come October. I think that we could be one of the better teams in the area on set pieces, corners and throw- ins. We work on those a lot and have some real weapons in that area." The Chargers did graduate six seniors in Christian Benson (First Team All-PAC), Hayden Kubrick (All-PAC honorable mention), Austin Holder (All-PAC honor- able mention), Jacob Vest, Aus- tin Dixon and Connor Gaines, but in addition to returning five full-time starters, the team also returns three more players who have started on the varsity squad at some point in their careers. Senior Ethan Scott will lead the charge this year after earn- ing first team all-conference hon- ors and leading the conference in points [46] a season ago. "He will play up front for us this year," Western said. "He can be counted on to score a lot of goals and also create chances for oth- er players. He is extremely tal- ented and really has the ability to score from anywhere inside of half field." Scott scored 17 goals and add- ed 12 assists in 2018. Senior goalie Noah Whann al- so returns after leading the con- ference in saves with 182 and an all-conference honorable mention selection. "He is a great leader out of the back for us," Western said. "He has a great knack for making the big save when needed." Whann surrendered just 16 goals a season ago. Seniors Gabe Caldwell (center defense/midfield) and Carson Johnson (midfield defense) are also returning starters. Caldwell was unanimously vot- ed captain by his teammates. "He is very skilled with the ball at his foot," Western said. "I am really counting on him to score more goals for us this year." Johnson is one of best in the conference at winning balls out of the air. "He's a real threat to score on any set piece with his head," West- ern said. "He has improved his touch and passing a lot over the summer and expect a big season from him." Junior Connor Young returns at right wing after scoring four goals and dishing out three as- sists in 2018. "He can be counted on to get double-digit goals this season," Western said. "He is very phys- ical and has a really hard strike that causes problems for other teams' goalies." Senior Jersey Mills is returning from an injury after being a part- time starter a season ago. He is expected to make some major contributions to the team while playing right back and cen- ter defense this season. "He is one of the most consis- tent players we have," Western said. "He does a great job contain- ing people off of the dribble. He will also be a huge threat on set pieces for us." Juniors Garrett Boyd and Hunt- er Capehart are the team's other two part-time starters who return. Western said Boyd has im- proved, as much or more as any- one else on the team, this offsea- son. "He has been in the gym get- ting stronger almost everyday and it shows," Western said. "He will play defense and wing for us. He is very reliable and makes up for mistakes that his teammates might make." Capehart will play out of the middle this season. "He is very gifted technically, and has the ability to score from 25 yards out and find a pass when needed," Western said. "He has grown a lot as a player over the years and will be a huge part of what we want to do." Senior Sam Henson will also start upfront for Pike Central this season, after leading the junior varsity team in goals and scoring in all but one game last season. In varsity action, Henson scored a game-winning goal against North Posey. "He has had a really good sum- mer for us," Western said. "He has good speed and skill, and is very smart and always in the right spot to finish a goal." Senior defenseman Andrew Clark is back after playing some big-time minutes for the Chargers down the stretch last season as the team dealt with some injuries. "He is a strong kid that doesn't get pushed off the ball very often," Western said. "He has a good idea when to play a big switch and start our attack out of the back, which is very important." Senior Paxton Thorne has been a huge bright spot for the team while playing out of the middle and right wing during the summer. "He can score, he can make a nice pass, and he can beat some- one off the dribble," Western said. "He is going to play a huge role for us this year on the offen- sive side of the ball." Seniors Jaden Montgomery, Coleman Henson, Brayden Fur- man and Alfredo Stewart are also expected to make contributions to the varsity team this year. Montgomery is a gifted pass- er from the middle and Henson has great touch, and is an option on set pieces. Furman will play right wing and has a big foot to get crosses. Stewart has good foot skills and is expected to see time up top. Junior defender Reece Ashley is physically gifted and sopho- more Devin Carlisle is extreme- ly skilled offensively with a very bright future. Both are expected to split time between the varsity and junior varsity squad. Freshmen Joey Ridao, Nolan Nelson, Isaac Bur- dette and Xavier Shoultz will be seeing a good amount of varsity action this season, too. "They are extremely talented for only being freshmen," West- ern said. "Joey is one of the most skilled players on the team. He will be able to help us start our attacks and should score some big goals for us. Nolan Nelson might be the best passer on the team, he is very thoughtful with his passes and always makes great decisions. Isaac Burdette and Xavier Shoultz will see ac- tion at left back and left wing this season. Both have a great left foot. They can find a pass when needed and beat someone one on one." Freshmen Gabe Jones and Peyton Howald are the backup goalkeepers. "They have different skill sets, but will both see some varsity ac- tion, and should become really good goalies throughout the sea- son," Western said, adding that Isaac Fair, Brycen Knepp, Evan Conder, Hunter Mosby and Ca- leb Lester will play mainly junior varsity, but will find a little varsi- ty time. "They all have a certain skill that makes them important pieces, they just need more time on the ball and more confidence, but I expect big improvements throughout the season from all of them." Pike Central hosted Tell City to kickoff its season on Tuesday, Aug. 20. BOYS' SOCCER We have extremely high expectations, like every other year. We expect to compete for a conference championship and a sectional championship. Hav- ing twelve seniors on the team really helps to set the tone each day, they know this is their last go and have done a great job keeping the big picture in mind." -Coach Jacob Western sports medicine | orthopaedics Andrew Houchins, PA-C Orthopaedic Surgery Physician Assistant Specialized in acute sports medicine injuries Pictured above is the 2019 Pike Central boys' soccer team. They are, front row (l to r): Andrew Clark, Jersey Mills, Ethan Scott, Gabe Caldwell and Sam Henson; second row: Brayden Furman, Paxton Thorne, Carson Johnson, Noah Whann, Coleman Henson, Alfredo Stewart and Jaden Montgomery; third row: Hunter Mosby, Hunter Capehart, Connor Young, Brycen Knepp, Reece Ashley, Garrett Boyd and Peyton Howald; back row: Evan Conder, Isaac Burdette, Jo- ey Ridao, Isaac Fair, Nolan Nelson, Caleb Lester, Devin Carlisle and head coach Jacob Western. Not pictured: Xavier Shoultz, Gabe Jones and assistant coach Josh Stieneker. it takes 3 minutes to subscribe to Call 812-354-8500

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