SPRINGFIELD — When Josh Call was still in middle school, his eventual coach had an idea that the youngster had “the stuff”.
Call raced down the sideline and buried a corner shot in the back of the net. At 13 years old, he showed flashes of the player he would become five years later as a senior.
Now, he leads the 2016 Glendale Falcons in goals.
"We're always producing great-level seniors,” head coach Jeff Rogers said. "The older boys get the younger boys to play for them and Josh was doing that when he was a freshman, sophomore, and junior.”
Since picking up the game in kindergarten, Call has been able to look up to his brother, who now plays for the Missouri State club team. Upon entering the Glendale varsity program, he had upperclassmen like Bobby Spence, Nick Moore, and Nicholas Lantz to model himself after.
“The saying around here is: ‘tradition never graduates.”
Call is wearing that mantra this season as he has done throughout a career that has seen him amass 33 goals and 27 assists and three quarterfinal appearances. A laser-sharp focus in his approach is one of the main reasons for this.
Number one rule on game day? No distractions.
"I don't use my phone on game days,” Call said. "I know it's bad to say but I don't even try to talk to people. I want to be in my zone for the whole day. My friends have gotten used to it."
Call has plenty to think about, like how he will use his stature, over six feet in height, to his advantage that night. As he will tell you, he is one of the smaller guys on the basketball court now, but his length allows him to be a nightmare on headers and 50-50 balls. It’s been one of the biggest factors to the Falcons’ 7-3 record while dropping just one conference game.
That loss came last week against Kickapoo, a game Call was not sure he would be able to make. He had been nursing a broken rib against Saint Louis University High School earlier this month.
"When I woke up in the morning, trying to get out of bed was absolutely terrible. I couldn't even lean over in bed so I thought there was no way I could play the next day.”
The next day is one thing, but Call had a decision to make. With Glendale moving to a different class as rival Kickapoo, this last regular season match would be his final chance at the Chiefs.
"At first I didn't know if I can play in the Kickapoo game, but then the time got closer and people started talking about it. Then, I was told coach he'd have to pay me to not play in the Kickapoo game."
Call slapped on a protective pad and pushed through. He said it was hard to breathe at times and often had to stop and bend over to gasp for air. He took a hard shot to the body on a header within the first five minutes.
Once again, when it game to his game time decision, there were no words needed.
"We never even asked him,” Rogers said. "He had his uniform on so it was just assumed that Josh was playing. I even talked to Coach Hodge about it and he said of course he knew the kid was going to play."
Call is easing his way back from the injury and will be critical for Glendale to make the type of playoff push it believes this group can put together.
"Postseason, we just turn into a new team, so we're looking forward to state and hopefully we can get there again.”
The example he set by pushing through his pain against Kickapoo is mindset that Rogers helped build. Call said his coach helped him fall in love with the game and now Call wants his last run to repay the favor.
“He understands the value of being that leader and really encouraging the younger boys through a season where some things aren’t going right,” Rogers said. “The postseason is what we do so hopefully by then we’re all on the same page.”
