By Amanda Perkins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Zizzer soccer team ended their 2020 season at .500 in the opening round of districts to Glendale, who finished third in the state. Each team in the district was ranked in the top ten in class 3, and West Plains’ season schedule included thirteen games against state-ranked teams. Their final record was 11-11.
The Zizzers lost five seniors to graduation, including Nate Thomas and Daegan Green, who were both all-district and all-conference players. Thomas also served as an all-state kicker for the football team.
But West Plains now returns a talented crew of athletes ready to give the Ozark Conference a run for their money. “We will be returning eight starters and a total of thirteen letter winners from last year’s team,” said head coach Justin Frazier, who enters his fifth year with the program. “All defensive players from last year’s varsity group are coming back after a successful season, and we will be a solid defensive team that will frustrate a lot of good offenses we go up against,” he added.
Frazier said the senior class is loaded with talent and drive as well as work ethic and a desire to get better every day. Landon Casey is one such senior with a high motor and “is the engine the offense looks to run through as a midfielder,” per his coach. “He works hard on both sides of the ball.”
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Senior Hunter McCullough is a multi-tooled player who can dominate anywhere on the field and will be seen more on offense. Classmate Will Jones starts his third season as goalkeeper. “He has the size you want as a keeper and has made big improvements in his fundamentals this offseason,” said Frazier.
Quinn Curtis and Mina Guirguis should contribute on the offensive side, replacing some of the scoring the team lost to graduation. “Quinn has great speed up top and Mina has wonderful ball control,” said Coach Frazier. “Mina sees the field well and looks to get his teammates involved.”
Senior Ethan Keller will anchor the defensive line and is a strong communicator on the field. Brayden Wall and Micah Mattsfield will help solidify the back line for the Zizzers.
Cole Shipley and Caleb Christopher are the returning juniors for the team. “Cole is one of those players who is not afraid to go up against players twice his size and never backs down,” said Frazier. He will start as center defender. “Caleb will also see varsity minutes as a defender and has made great improvements in the offseason,” added Frazier.
The sophomore class returns talented contributors, many who saw minutes for the varsity team last season. This group includes Karmi Lopez, Dagan Joiner, Jose Ayala, Josiah Legler, Milas Thompson, and Gus Grigsby.
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A skilled freshman class could challenge older teammates for playing time, including Chase Larsen, Ethan Tuma, Lincoln Miller, Jack Rutledge, and Chase Berry.
“We are looking to build the program to even higher levels this season,” said Coach Frazier. “This group has made tremendous improvements in terms of the type of soccer we want to play. They are very unselfish and have learned to work together and to trust in each other.”
“I expect this group to be competitive in every game we play this year,” added Frazier. “They also want to outwork their opponents. We are going to take the preseason and try to get our conditioning to the highest level; our ultimate goal remains winning a district championship and continuing in postseason play. We will have a very solid defense and be a more complete team and rely on everyone working hard and playing as a team. This group will push each other to improve throughout the season, game by game.”
The West Plains Zizzers kick off their season at the Lebanon tournament on August 27.
