Missouri High School Soccer: CBC Coach Terry Michler Offers A Class 3 Final 4 Preview

Final Four Preview – Class 3
by Terry Michler, Head Coach of the CBC Cadets

I have been asked to give a capsule overview of the Final Four teams vying for the Class 3 State Championship. It is an interesting mix of characteristics that will make the games exciting and unpredictable. Thus far, the Tournament has not exactly gone to form, with upsets ranging from mild to whoa, having changed the landscape of what most people thought might be the Final Four. The key now is for a team to stay healthy and hot, with just a dash of luck to get over the humps that lie in wait.

Let’s start with the defending Champs, Rockhurst. Returning 6 starters from last year’s team, the Hawklets were tagged early on the Nation’s #1 team in the first ESPN poll in September. With the likes of Sweetin, Male, Krueger, Lawless, Schneider and Navarro, the expectations were lofty, but justified. An early season PK loss to Aquinas of Kansas and a season-ending injury to Alex Male brought the Hawklets crashing back into the pack. This is a very veteran team with a high-energy, no-nonsense coach who is always ‘in it to win it ‘! The Rockhurst team features strength in defense and savvy and finesse in the attack, with a boatload of confidence of having ‘been there and done that’ !! They will be ready when the whistle blows .

It will take a great effort to beat them as they are a regular feature of the Final Four. There is certainly much to be said for that kind of experience, and they have the talent to back it up. Alex Sweetin keys the Rockhurst attack as he is a threat to score from many places on the field, and when the focus shifts to him, there are others capable of carrying the torch as well. Their attack is balanced and their defense dependable. Christian Krueger, in goal, is difficult to beat. He proved that in last year’s Final as he recorded a clean sheet against a powerful SLUH team.

Look for Rockhurst to take the game to their opponents as they play an up-tempo game, with high pressure when they lose the ball. They will attack, attack and attack !!

DeSmet comes in with a very workman-like team. They pride themselves on doing the ‘dirty work’ – defending !! They have the ability to disrupt your game with a very highly organized defense, focusing on patience and positioning, high energy and winning tackles. This is a team that lost Will Bruin through graduation, but has returned a near full team of starters. The importance of that statement is that they play a difficult system, one which takes time to develop – and having the benefit of so many returning players, they understand the system to a ‘T’. It’s like the aging of a fine wine – it starts to take on a life of its own. They are playing on a full tank of confidence, having eliminated CBC and Chaminade along the way. DeSmet is not a team without offensive threats. They play very well on the break, turning your mistake into their attack. They have a number of players who contribute goals with McCune and Menges leading the pack, followed by Seithel, Gaus, and Krekeler. Tom Gaus leads the team in assists from his midfield position. Anchoring the defense is senior Justin Klenke, a hard-nosed ball winner and organizer who gets everybody in the right place at the right time. DeSmet has the ability stay in the game and when the opportunity presents itself, to capitalize on the chance. Some people say defense wins championships and not many teams defend better than DeSmet. To beat them, you have to score on them – easier said than done !

Glendale has the opportunity to possibly create the first ever Final without a St. Louis team. Should Rockhurst and Glendale both win their semi-final games, history would be made. The Glendale players are no strangers to knocking off St. Louis teams as they proved that in the State Cup competition in the spring of the club season. This could well be a team on a mission. I have very limited personal contact with this team – I saw them beat Jeff City in the Quarter-final game and also saw the State Cup game last spring. In the Jeff City game, I was impressed with their ability to adapt to a number of conditions – the field, wind and a low pressure strategy employed by Jeff City. Glendale seems very comfortable holding the ball and they love to attack. The seemed very strong in the midfield, with Devon Newport at the controls, and also had a good wide game. Their defense and keeper were not really put under any pressure, so I must reserve judgment on their qualities. I am aware that Ryan Squires will keep things tidy in the back, as he is the defensive leader of the team. Their play resembled Chaminade’s style as they liked to get their touches on the ball, but they also took the game forward. The key to Glendale in the DeSmet game will be their ability to play under high pressure on the ball and keep the turnovers to a minimum. Defending against DeSmet on the break will also be a challenge as they can move quickly down the field. Concentration on both sides of the ball will be crucial as DeSmet can create pressure both ways.

Lastly, Cinderella in the form of McCluer North. The North Stars knocked out a very good Vianney team and deserve to be taken seriously ! At this time of the year, it can come down to a single chance that is well taken and a scrapping defense that stays in front of the ball all night. I can remember a State Final to Blue Springs in the late 90’s when CBC controlled the game, but Blue Springs made good on their chance and won the Championship 1-0. Without a doubt, this McCluer North team will be enjoying every minute of this trip to the Final Four as they are under absolutely no pressure at all. That also makes them very dangerous, as the expectations and pressure rests firmly on the shoulders of their opponent. They entered the Vianney game with a plan and they made it work. In sports, anything can happen once. It is interesting to note that McCluer North scheduled a game away to Rockhurst this past season – not a usual venue for the North County school in St. Louis. Rockhurst won that game 3-0, but maybe North took something from that game that might be useful in the Semi-final. It would be a major upset for the North Stars to knock off the mighty Hawklets, but as they,’ it ain’t over ‘till it’s over.’ Stranger things have happened in sports before and that’s why they play the games. North knows that it has everything to gain and nothing to lose – they will be having the time of their life. When the brackets came out, who would have penciled them into the Final Four. Well here they are and they will be ready to battle. I am sure that Abe Raziq, the North coach, will have a scheme that will give his kids the best chance to win that is possible. It will be up to Rockhurst to take the game to them and get a result.

Stay tuned !!

Terry Michler
CBC Coach

Editors Note: Coach Michler (pictured above in 2005 after beating DeSmet in the Sectional, en route to the State Title) has been coaching the CBC Cadets for 37 years and has compiled a 760-188-93 in that period. A 2008 inductee into the St Louis Soccer Hall of Fame, his teams have achieved 15 Final 4 appearances, winning 5 State Championships in that period. He was named the NSCAA Coach of the Year in 1985 (man that was a fun year, when I lived three blocks from the old CBC campus).