Since he was two years old, Johnny Sizer V has been running with a ball at his feet. His soccer career started like most, with his dad coaching his rec team. As Sizer grew more passionate about the game, he transitioned from rec, to travel, to premiere teams.

Lucky for Woodland, Sizer took his talents to the field during his freshman year, and has been playing on the team every season since. During his junior year, Sizer was named captain of the team, and he is carrying that title into his senior year, alongside Robert Giampatruzzi.

This year, many skilled freshmen have joined the team’s roster. As captain, it is Sizer’s responsibility to welcome the new players and mentor them throughout the season. Sizer stresses the importance of

“Coming to practice everyday with the mentality that you are going to have to put in work. If you come [to practice] everyday and try your hardest, you will absolutely see improvement.”

Passion and ability is not an issue for the team, so much as making sure that everyone is taking care of themselves. Sizer acknowledges that this will pose a problem for the team.

“Our biggest challenge will be keeping everyone fit and making sure that they are able to play without any injuries,” said Sizer.

Every NVL game is a physical one, filled with cards, penalties, and sometimes, disagreements with the opposing teams. Among the chaos, Sizer would never choose a different sport, or a different team. Although he has decided not to pursue soccer in college, Sizer hopes to join an intramural or club team to continue playing the game. He expressed his interest in computer science at the University of Washington and the University of Utah. However, before he travels thousands of miles across the country for school, Sizer is content to spend time with his friends, play soccer for Woodland and Ct Rush Select, and continue an exhilarating senior year. Last year, the boy’s team was just short of an NVL title, but Sizer is confident that will change this season.

“We have a lot of returning players this year,” said Sizer. “I think that we have a strong chance to win [the NVL] this season.”

(Cover image by Madison Harte)