Three local soccer players honored

Cedar Grove-Belgium and Ozaukee high schools didn’t have stellar boys’ soccer seasons, but three players stood out for the Big East Conference coaches.

Rocket Jeremy Garside made the all-conference second team and Warriors Chase Miller and Brad Young received honorable mentions.

Garside, a senior, was the Rockets’ captain and sweeper.

“Jeremy was excellent at being able to read the play and make crucial interceptions,” coach Elias Garza said. “We would have probably leaked twice as many goals had it not been for Jeremy’s influence.”

Garside could also pick up a pass and help the Rockets maintain possession.

Miller was the Warriors’ center midfielder who ran the offense.

“He was a well-rounded player,” coach Ivan Garcia said. “He created a lot of plays.”

Miller could score or set up scores. He was a freshman who became more vocal as the season went on, Garcia said.

“He’s going to be one of those players who will be fun to watch grow,” he said.

Yanke, a senior, was a two-year captain who could play center or outside midfielder or forward.

“He was a player I could move around,” Garcia said. “He had good leadership skills and communicated well with the team.”

Yanke also had good ball skills and was able to create plays, working well with Miller. Garcia lauded Yanke’s growth as a player in his three years of coaching him.

Oostburg, which went 10-0-1 and won the conference, had six players selected to the first team. Kohler, which went 9-1-1, had three on the first team and two on the second team.

The Rockets won four games during the season, including one playoff game. The Warriors went winless while using 10 players — one short of a full lineup — for most of the season. They dropped out of two tournaments to not risk players being injured because of it.

“The guys played well. It was tough at times,” Garcia said. “We had stressful games, super physical games. We tried to stay healthy with low numbers.”

The team didn’t have a natural goalkeeper so Garcia moved a position player there. By the end of the year, he did well, he said.

While the Warriors would hang with teams for a while, they couldn’t hold up without any substitutes.

Five seniors from the team graduate this year, and Garcia said he is looking at combining the squad with another school.