For his team, Catholic head coach Tom Davidson knows the perfect position for Luke Butler. “Luke actually plays in the back during club then I make him play up front and get him some goals,” said Davidson, with a laugh.
Perhaps it’s because coach Davidson knows he already has a security blanket in case the ball ever gets past his defenders: Goaltender Tyler Fischer. “The kid has a concentration level that’s unmatched,” Davidson said. “He’s so quick. He can get to so many balls most goalkeepers can’t.”
Impressive considering Fischer is listed at just five and a half feet tall. “My dad’s really tall,” said Tyler, a junior on the team. “And so there’s still some hope that I grow a lot. [The key is] Getting down lower and coming out of my box quicker and harder compared to the guys who are taller. More mass takes more times to move.”
“He just has to work that much harder but he’s really willing to put in that work,” added Luke, a junior on the team. “At that level and above that level of the rest of the goalkeepers. He’s really good at it.”
It’s helped Tyler post 14 shutouts this season, averaging less than one goal allowed per game. And the Fightin’ Irish have a 23-4 record headed into the state tournament this weekend. It’s also freed up Luke to be one of the team’s leading scorers, utilizing a style that his coaches and teammates love to see. “He’s been special too,” Davidson said. “He’s been really getting hit hard. He just kept taking it and really played well.”
“He’s quick and he does not go down at all,” Tyler said. “He can play multiple positions. It’s just great to have him.”
And as they prepared for their second straight trip to the state tournament the future is bright for the pair of juniors who are looking forward to one more season together. “I want to go all the way to State,” Tyler said. “I want to win it. I think we have potential. We have two great seniors and next year we have a good incoming freshman class.”
“As long as we keep putting in the work and keeping a good mindset I think we can definitely go places this year and next year,” Luke said.
It all gets started this weekend at home.
