After finishing 14–5 and winning a share of the Olympic Conference American Division championship last year, Shawnee is hoping to make further strides this season.
Shawnee High School boys soccer achieved a lot in 2016. The Renegades won 14 games, the most for the program since 2011. Shawnee also tied for first place in the Olympic Conference American Division and won a pair of games in the South Jersey Soccer Coaches Association Tournament.
However, Shawnee is looking for more. Many of the players on this senior-heavy team want to make 2017 the program’s best season yet.
“It was disappointing to go down early in the state playoffs, but I think this year, we have an even better team,” senior Vaughn Paga said.
Despite winning 14 games and a share of the conference title last year, the Renegades’ postseason ended early with a 4–1 loss to Rancocas Valley Regional High School in the South Jersey Group IV quarterfinals. Head coach Ryan Franks believes this year’s group of seniors is determined to improve upon last year.
“We talk about how this is a family-type of atmosphere,” Franks said. “I think that makes them pull for each other and makes them want to finish the job that they didn’t last year.”
The Renegades lost three key players, forward Caleb Longshaw, midfielder J.T. Mogan and back Dan Unger, to graduation. All three players played in center positions, meaning Shawnee will have new starters up the middle in all three thirds of the field.
Franks is looking for some of this year’s seniors to fill the voids left by the 2016 graduates. Kane Feudtner and Dan Goodson are two of Shawnee’s returning scorers at forward, Pietro Gambino and Bailey Pringle will be asked to step up at midfield, and Brett Funk is expected to fill the void in the backfield.
“It’ll be tough to replace those guys, but these guys have been there and have seen how they’ve done it,” Franks said.
Franks believes this year’s team has the potential to be better than last year, but only if the team works harder. Goodson said Franks has pushed the team to excel since the first practice of preseason.
“He’s on the same page as us,” Goodson said. “He’s going to be pushing us pretty hard.”
“We’re talking a lot about being in the right mindset and not thinking, ‘We’re going to be good, we beat these teams before,’” Franks said. “Teams that do that are going to plateau and not do any better.”
This year’s senior class has helped push Shawnee to new heights each year they’ve been on the team. Three years ago, Shawnee won just seven games. In 2015, they improved to 12 wins before raising their total to 14 wins last year.
“Our message this year is about growth,” Paga said. “We’ve made a lot of progress and our year has changed this whole program around.”
Franks said this year’s senior class is chock full of leaders, many of whom are committed to mentoring the underclassmen.
“There’s a lot of players in that senior class who hold the younger players to a higher standard and understand what’s expected of them, not just when they step into games, but in training as well,” Franks said.
Expectations are high for Shawnee entering 2017, but Franks doesn’t want the players looking too far ahead. His message to the team in preseason was, “win or learn,” with the hope being the players learn from their mistakes early in the season.
“Our goal isn’t for kids to play varsity, our goal is to win championships,” Franks said. “In order to stay hungry, we have to have that mentality that we’re not where we want to be.”
UPDATE: Shawnee is undefeated through four games in 2017. After tying Timber Creek in the season opener, the Renegades have recorded three straight wins.
