Experienced Eagles look to soar

Eagle File Photo

Junior forward Tyler Fuchs was fourth on the team last year with six goals and is one of several returning players with considerable experience that Sauk Prairie head coach Mike Rauls expects to play an even bigger role this season

By Dan Larson, Sauk Prairie Eagle

One game is all that separated the Sauk Prairie boys' soccer team from a trip to the WIAA Division 1 state tournament last season.

So it would seem getting back to that point — the Eagles dropped a 3-0 decision to Middleton in the sectional final — would be tops on the list of goals for this year's team.

Don't tell that to head coach Mike Rauls.

"What we failed to do last year was win a conference championship," said Rauls, whose Eagles dropped a 2-0 decision — its only conference loss of the season — to eventual Badger North champion Waunakee in its second-to-last conference game en route to a second place finish after winning the conference in 2005 and '06.

"When that game comes up on the schedule, that's (our) biggest game in the conference."

An opinion shared by returning unanimous first-team, all-conference midfielder Garrett Schwarz.

"That's the first game that everyone looks on the schedule to see where that game is," said Schwarz, last year's team leader in goals (13) and assists (11) as a junior. "Ultimately, we hope that game comes down to the conference championship, (and) we hope we can pull it out this year.

"That's what we practice for — to be able to get to the end of the season in a position to win the conference championship."

Conference championships aside, this year's team may find itself in a similar postseason position as last season: State tournament contenders.

That's because the Eagles return 13 of 20 letterwinners to a team that went 14-7-7 last year and 4-1-1 in the conference. Besides Schwarz, Sauk Prairie gets back second team forward Garet Sagami (eight goals) and fellow forward Tyler Fuchs (six), as well as midfielders Nathan Einhorn and Aaron Lang. Stewart Virta, an honorable mention midfielder last year, replaces now-graduated first-team defender Byron Hahn at sweeper.

Rauls indicated Schwarz will be the leader of that group on offense.

"He's just so calm and comfortable with the ball," he said. "They can't rattle that kid at all. He's a good guy to have in the middle of the field for us."

Sauk Prairie also returns Tony Winschler (second-team), Connor Starr (honorable mention) and Michael Grunewald, who split time at goalkeeper with since-graduated Michael Hruby (honorable mention), to a defense that posted 12 shutouts in 28 games last season.

Indeed, the Eagles are experienced enough —"We're going to put a starting line-up out there where everyone started a fair number of games last year," Rauls said — to factor in the state tournament picture again this year.

And that experience, both Rauls and Schwarz agreed, could make for an exciting season.

"(Last year) we got most of our scoring from Garrett in the midfield," Rauls said "If we get some more scoring from our kids that are coming back … we're going to be a tough team."

Added Schwarz: "I think everyone is pretty excited about what we're capable of this season."