By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Waynesville Tigers will look to continue the success they experienced last season with the team’s first winning campaign since 2014.
The Tigers won the first seven games of the 2022 season on their way to a 15-7 overall record and an 8-2 Ozark Conference mark, good for a third-place finish.
“The team had one of its strongest seasons in program history,” said coach Eric Thornburg, who enters his second year as the Tigers’ head coach and his 16th as part of the boys’ program at Waynesville. “Starting the season with seven wins in a row really helped with team confidence. The last time the program had a winning season was the 2014 season, so we had to really work on the guys believing in themselves.”
Thornburg said that while there were challenges last season, including the team’s mental approach at times, his players can learn from those experiences as they prepare for this season.
“The team matured a lot, but we are trying to develop a program with leaders on and off the field. That culture takes time to develop,” Thornburg said. “We’ve spent a lot of time developing a fun and positive environment that has built excitement for our season and hope to have strong community support this year.
“We’re expecting close to 60 guys to try out for the team with a balance of athletes from all grade levels. The last few years we’ve been incredibly young with only three or four seniors. This year, we are expecting a varsity team with a strong core of upperclassmen.”
The Tigers return a ton of experience for 2023 with seven seniors, seven juniors and three sophomores, all of whom Thornburg will be counting on this season.
Sei Fowler, junior, forward/defender – 9 goals, 6 assists; All-Ozark Conference first-team selection. “Sei is an incredible team-first athlete, whose versatility allows us to adjust to teams we will face,” Thornburg said. “He was a huge factor in our success last year and will be key to what we accomplish this year.”
Tyrell Pinn, senior, midfielder – Earned All-Ozark Conference second-team honors. “Tyrell is one of the most gifted athletes to play for Waynesville soccer. He has high standards for himself and his teammates. His leadership and experience will be critical to our season, and we expect him to help fill the offense we lost with the graduation of Faheem Mujahid.”
Logan Scheller, senior, midfielder – All-Ozark Conference second team. “Logan has worked incredibly hard in the offseason to prepare. He always wants the team to do well and does whatever is needed of him. We will rely on his ability to distribute the ball to generate scoring opportunities.”
CLICK HERE FOR LINKS TO ALL OF OUR FALL SPORTS PREVIEWS
Jourdyn Jackson, senior, defender – All-Ozark Conference honorable mention. “Jourdyn is an incredible natural athlete. He’s matured a lot and will be expected to lead our team defensively. We are expecting him to contribute more offensively this year and have a louder voice as a leader.”
Tristan Boerner, junior, goalkeeper – All-Ozark Conference honorable mention. “Tristan consistently works hard at improving his game, which led to him starting in goal last year. His drive and experience will be a huge asset to our team this season as we look to ensure he’s involved with the buildup offensively and staying organized on defense.”
Averial Williams and Deon Cady, senior midfielders – “Averial and Deon are similar in their ability to control the ball and generate offense for us. We will need them to stay mentally focused on defensive transitions to get the best out of the team. I expect both of them to contribute on the scoresheet.”
Jaden Cruz and Andrew Novakoski, senior defenders – “Jayden and Andrew are both incredibly strong defensively. They have great size and strength on the back line that will make it tough for teams to muscle past us. They both also have the ability to get forward on the attack and will need that to compete against the strongest teams we will face.”
Diego Cruz and Aiden Sherohman, junior forwards – “Diego and Aiden are similar in that they often make things happen when they are on the field because of their skill and work rate. They both have worked hard to improve in the offseason, and we expect them to contribute this year.”
Ace Long, Ayden Gerber, Brayden Weigelt and Will Figureoa, junior midfielders – “Ace, Ayden, Brayden and Will are great teammates who can contribute in a variety of ways. Their work rate will give us the ability to keep the pressure on teams and ensure we have the legs to close out games.”
Adam Chmura, junior defender – “Adam is strong and physical. He has a great ability to win the ball back and then immediately push the ball forward on offense.”
Patrick Lebioda, Jaden Boston and Mason Zamora, sophomore midfielders – “All three have great abilities and are expected to contribute to our strong core of young players this year.”
In addition to the experience the Tigers have returning, Thornburg is encouraged by this year’s freshman class.
“We have a lot of great young talent coming in as freshmen this year,” Thornburg said. “They have a great base set of skills and many of them have played together for a long time, which will contribute to the team chemistry. They’ve worked hard in the offseason, and we expect many to compete for positions on the team.
“And since we are connected with Fort Leonard Wood, we seem to always have surprises during tryouts of individuals who may have recently moved and had a significant impact on the team.”
Waynesville loses a great deal of offensive firepower with the graduation of forward Faheem Mujahid, who scored half of the Tigers’ goals last season and is now playing at NCAA-III Illinois Wesleyan University.
“Faheem will be deeply missed,” Thornburg said of Mujahid, who was a Class 4 All-State honorable mention, Class 3 All-Region 3 and All-Ozark Conference first-team honoree. “He was a leader on the field through his actions. While we were able to lean on him last year, we should have a better balance offensively and see a wider range of contributions to make up for what we will miss with his graduation.”
The Tigers will participate in a jamboree at Washington with Rolla and West Plains on Aug. 22, before opening the regular season on the road at Republic on Aug. 25.
“We really like the depth we have this year and the experience of our leadership group,” Thornburg said. “The team is really excited for the upcoming season. We have a talented group of athletes returning this year. Many played competitive club soccer and have an advanced soccer IQ that we hope to lean on.
“(The players) want to secure another winning season and continue to build a positive environment for athletes and fans. The boys are really wanting to compete for a district title this season, and hopefully, will use lessons learned from last season to create that opportunity.”
