By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Carthage Tigers battled inconsistent play and injuries last season but still managed to advance to the championship of the Class 4 District 12 tournament.
“We had a veteran group, but we had an up-and-down season,” Carthage coach Jacob Osborne said. “I don’t think we quite had the season we thought we could have heading into the year. We were able to come together well at the end of the season but fell short in the district finals.”
The Tigers, who finished the season 14-10 overall and 6-3 in the Central Ozark Conference, went into the district tournament as the No. 6 seed. They wound up upsetting both COC foes Ozark and Nixa in overtime before falling to No. 1 Kickapoo 3-0.
“I joked when the seeds came out that we might be the best No. 6 seed in the state, and we did end up being the lowest-seeded district team to make it to the district championship game,” said Osborne, who is 229-105-2 in 13 years at Carthage.
“Over the course of the season, the team learned the importance of the mental side of the game and how much of an impact it can have on your performances. It’s an area that took us a long time to figure out last season.”
Carthage graduated 12 players from that district runner-up team, including four key pieces on both offense and defense.
• Adrian Garrido, forward – Scored 13 goals with 8 assists; named to the Class 4 all-state honorable mention, all-region, all-district and All-COC first teams. “He was the best all-around offensive player from our team over the course of his career,” Osborne said. “A very smart player that could score and create. We really missed him in the postseason due to injury.”
• Walter Mejia, midfielder – An all-district and All-COC second-team selection. “A great all-around player that really became a strong two-way player his senior year. A very reliable player that would usually win his midfield battles. He set up both game-winning goals in the district playoffs.”
• Dani Morales, defender – An all-district honoree who plans to walk on at Crowder College. “He missed his sophomore and junior seasons due to injury. He was a captain for us. A very strong, standout defender that had good composure. We will miss the calmness that he brought to us.”
• Chris Lopez, defender – An all-district and All-COC honorable mention pick. “A strong and fast defender last season. A very tough kid that was hard to beat.”
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The challenge this season will be overcoming the loss from the Class of 2022. This summer has been one of the strongest his program has had, Osborne said, as the Tigers return six seniors and two juniors.
• Welle Welle, junior forward – An all-region, all-district and All-COC selection. “Welle will be one of the top players in our area this season,” Osborne said. “He is a special player who is one of the most talented kids to come through our program. Something unique about Welle is how versatile he is. He mostly played as a striker last season and finished the year as our leading scorer with 15 goals, but he also was our best defender, so he would play center back in certain games.
He is talented enough to be an offensive player of the year for our district or region, but he has the talent to also be the defensive player of the year for our district or region. He can also play in the midfield at a standout level. He will likely see time in all central roles between striker, midfield and defense. It will depend on player availability and matchups as to where he plays. He is also our leader. He has the potential to be one of the best leaders we have had. He has a very positive attitude and he brings an energy to games and practice that can be infectious.”
• George Laytham, senior midfielder – Named to the all-district team and All-COC second team. “George has been a standout player for us the past two seasons. Physically, he sticks out because of his height (6-foot, 3-inches), but his play causes him to stand out, as well. He is very smart and skilled. He usually plays as a defensive midfielder, but he has the ability to both create opportunities and score goals from outside of the box. He will play in different midfield roles this season. He will be a standout player in the area this season.”
• Henry Hernandez, junior midfielder – “Henry has been a starter at right back in both his freshman and sophomore seasons. This year, he will have a bigger/more important role in our team and will be a standout player for us. He will be moving into the midfield where he will be able to have a greater impact on the game.
• Kleverzon Paz, senior defender – “Kleverzon has been a starter at center back for us the past two seasons. He is a steady defender that will be important for us this season.”
• Eric Garcia, senior midfielder – “Eric is a four-year varsity player. He is great in possession. He’s a very smart player that will us control games in the midfield.”
• Neyzer Ramos and Jorge Mendes, senior forwards – “Both of these players will have a greater role this season in our offense. We need to find some goals, so I’m hoping that these two will be able to help with that.”
• Julio Lopez, senior goalkeeper – “This will be Julio’s second year on our varsity. He was injured for the postseason last year and we missed his ability to save shots.”
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The Tigers have a large freshman class coming in, but Osborne pointed to three newcomers who could make an immediate impact this season in Edson Lopez, Danilo Lopez and Aldo Sanchez Cancinos.
• Edson Lopez, junior defender – “Edson has looked really strong this summer,” Osborne said. “He will likely be a starting defender this season. I’m confident that he is ready to step in and be a solid player for us. He has been a midfielder on JV the past two seasons, but he has shown great positional understanding this summer.”
• Danilo Lopez, junior defender – “Last season was his first year with us. He has good size and athleticism to go with good skill. He has the potential to be a very strong center back for us.”
• Aldo Sanchez Cancinos, sophomore, midfielder – “Aldo is one of the most improved players since last season. He has looked very strong in workouts this summer. He is a strong, two-footed player. I think he will be able to add some attacking punch this year.”
“We had a lot of seniors last year (12), so we almost have a new team this year, but I still believe we will still be strong and competitive,” Osborne said. “I’ve been really happy with their commitment this offseason. Teams know that we had a strong senior group last year, but I think we can be a surprise contender this season.”
Carthage will participate in a jamboree on Aug. 23 at Joplin with Neosho and then opens the regular season Aug. 30 at Republic.
“Our strength is always the same thing – we are always one of if not the most skilled team in the area,” Osborne said. “All of our players are strong on the ball and we usually out-possess our opponents.
“We have a new group with either new players coming in or players stepping into much bigger roles. It will take a little bit of time getting things figured out with finding out the best roles to put everyone in and finding the right player combinations that work with each other.”
