Presque Isle boys should compete again
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — As Joe Greaves gets his fourth season underway as coach of the Presque Isle boys’ varsity soccer team, he brings in some impressive results from the first three campaigns.
His Wildcats reached the Eastern Maine Class B finals his debut season, won a prelim before being bounced in the quarterfinals in 2012 and last year made it to the semifinal round before being eliminated.
PI had some significant personnel losses, with six starters gone to graduation. Goalie Cody Lyford and defender Tyler Seeley were Maine Soccer Coaches Association All-East selections, while midfielders Devin Schinhofen, Ansu Morrow and Aaron Kofstad and senior defender Ryder Soucy were other key players from last year’s team that finished 13-3-1.
The Wildcats still figure to be very competitive once again, based on the first three games (wins over Fort Kent and Caribou and a 1-0 loss to a talented Hermon team).
“We have guys that are ready to step up,” Greaves said.
Greaves welcomes back senior forward Ben Nickerson, who led the Penobscot Valley Conference last year with 22 goals and was the co-MVP of the league. Nickerson, who has three goals so far, boasts a great skill set and is one of the fastest players in the region.
“He’s going to score some goals again, but it is no secret around the league and teams are going to be ready for him and try to make him a non-factor,” Greaves said. “We need to have our other guys step up and put the ball in the net.”
Nickerson has some veteran complementary players in classmates Alex Michaud and Chase Norton, who will replace Schinhofen and Morrow as the center midfielders.
“They [Michaud and Norton] came on strong last year and should have great years,” Greaves said.
Keeghan Lowe is another returnee who will play defense and will be counted on for his big throws and kicks.
Three other seniors have earned roles in PI’s rotation, with two being transfers and the other having not played since his freshman season. Mike McLellan comes from Fort Fairfield and has taken Seeley’s spot as stopper and has played well so far. Jake Carter, a transfer from Houlton, is an outside midfielder and has also looked good in the early going. Andrew Paterson is the new goalie. Greaves said he worked hard during the summer to earn the starting nod.
Junior sweeper Sam Gray, who started all 17 games last year, is back along with Cooper Madore and Kyle Rider, other juniors who start as midfielders.
“I am expecting them to get better each game and to grow into the leaders they will need to be next year,” Greaves said.
Sophomores Khasen Lowe and Nick Bartlett will join Lowe, McLellan and Gray on defense.
“They will play a critical role after playing a lot of minutes last year as freshmen,” Greaves said. “I expect them to play like upperclassmen and their maturity over the season is going to be a key to our success.”
Josiah Morse is another sophomore who saw some time last year and will contribute.
Greaves said he has a strong group of new players which he considers a strength. Juniors Zac Rice and Brycen Libby will help off the bench, as will sophomores Denny Young and Jake Kinney. All four were JV players last year and are ready to contribute at the varsity level.
Presque Isle’s three freshmen have made an immediate impact. Ryle Mortland, Randon Mortland and Griffin Guerrette combined to score 12 goals in the preseason and all three have either a goal or an assist in regular season play.
“We have some weapons on offense and we want to take advantage of that,” Greaves said. “Defensively, we are still young, but the guys back there are tough and want to get better every day. They need to keep working hard and stick together, because we need a great defense to do the things we want to do.”
The coach said he is counting on a big year out of Paterson in goal.
“It’s not the amount of saves a goalie has in a game that matters, but it’s the one or two big saves that he comes up with that make all the difference,” Greaves said. “I know Andrew has those big saves in him and will have a great season for us.”
Tim McCue is back as assistant coach and the managers are Jessica Cameron, Aubrie Gross and Elise Guerrette.
