By Brennan Stebbins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Joplin boys soccer program had a promising group heading into the fall of 2020, but as the Eagles dealt with COVID-19 issues and quarantines, “it threw everybody into a bit of a whirlwind” said head coach Joshua Thompson.
Joplin suffered a pair of four-game losing streaks and finished the season with an 8-14 record. Four of those losses were just by a goal, though, including a 2-1 loss in overtime against Nixa in district play. The Eagles finished ninth in the Central Ozark Conference and tied for seventh with 17 goals scored in conference play.
“We felt very encouraged going into the season and a lot of unforeseen events put in a lot of roadblocks but the kind of roadblocks we can definitely use this year to grow,” Thompson said.
Joplin must replace first team All-Conference player Josh Yarnall but does return senior Andrew Taylor, who was a second team All-Conference pick. Thompson said this fall is all about the team’s junior and senior classes.
“We’ve got a lot of kids that I have a lot of confidence in,” he said. “Last year provided a lot of opportunities for people as players had to step up and perform in big games as other people were absent. That’s really where we’re looking now. We’ve got a really strong junior and senior class and that’s a good spot to be in whenever you’re talking about high school sports.”
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The majority of the team lettered last season and Thompson returns basically a full team of starters because the team rotated so much last year.
Taylor, a captain last year, returns on the wing after earning a reputation as a good scorer. Grayson Stovern will transition to the team’s back line this year after playing in the midfield. Dilan Sanchez returns to the midfield and will be a four-year starter. Abraham Montanez stepped up last year and returns to the back line. Gabe DeLeon looks to build on some solid play on the wing. Roberto Reyes returns after playing multiple positions. Noah Pearson is back at left or right back and is a “scrappy” defender. Eric Nelson will contribute up top this season after showing some good moments there last year.
And that’s just the team’s returning senior class.
Among the juniors, Luciano Reyes will play at striker and looks to fully establish himself after impressing last season. Carlos Palma could play on the wing or at the striker spot; he had a good showing in the team’s district loss. Adam Montanez will likely play in the midfield and can also help out defensively. Joe Ipsen has played on the back line since he was a freshman and he could also provide an offensive spark. Andrew Jordan only started playing as a freshman and could see time as the team’s keeper. William Cupp stepped into big roles last year and could help conduct the midfield this fall. Gray Cravens is a “Swiss Army knife” who could play along the back line or in the midfield. Luis Alvarado is another midfielder who’s contributed since he was a freshman.
Junior Justin Kilafwa also lettered last year and will help out in the midfield and on the wings as he looks to make a bigger impact. And junior Logan Bever will play on the back line for the Eagles.
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Sophomores like Ben Hedrick and Brayden Anderson should also be contributors. Hedrick is another “Swiss Army” type and a strong role player for the team. Anderson is another goalkeeper who could also play as a striker. He saw varsity time at both spots last year, including starting at striker for the first time in the team’s district game.
“We have a lot of guys that just play really well together,” Thompson said. “We’ve got a lot of brothers and cousins and guys who have spent a ton of time growing up together. We’ve got a good group of soccer guys that I think makes a difference. They follow the game outside of what they do in their lives and they want to improve on it and they spend a lot of time outside of regular practices dedicated to getting better at the sport. That’s a must when you’re competing in the conference we’re in and the districts that we end up playing in. If we want to be competitive that’s really what it takes.”
Thompson, entering his third year as the head coach, said he’s more excited about the team’s prospects this year than he’s been in the past.
“From top to bottom I think we’ve got more experience and individual skill than what we typically do and it’s an exciting spot for us because to me that just means potential and I do think we have a lot of potential. That’s something we’ve been talking about in the preseason, just what could this group do if we would all get on the same page and decide we really want to go on a run this year. It’s up to the guys. It’s one of those situations where this team can be as good as they want to make it.”
Joplin will host a jamboree with Carthage, Neosho and Monett. The Eagles begin the regular season with home games against Carl Junction and Carthage.
