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New Year, New Sports

Juniors Jimmy Schwarz and Max Martin took the phrase “try something new” literally when they decided to sign up for the 2022 Woodland boys soccer team. When looking back at the final team roster, it is quite noticeable that they ended the year with more players than they began with. This was a direct result of the mid-season join from Schwarz and Martin, a move no one saw coming.

At the beginning of the boys soccer season, neither Schwarz or Martin had plans on joining the soccer team. The tryout dates had passed, and the thought of joining the team didn’t cross either of their minds, but as the lack of depth on the boys soccer team soon became an issue, both Schwarz and Martin decided it was time to step up. After hearing this news, both ended up solidifying their spots on the roster before the month of October.

Schwarz played non-competitive soccer when he was quite young, and had ran for the Woodland cross country in both his freshman and sophomore years of high school. Despite enjoying the sport for those 2 years, Schwarz decided running was not in the cards for his junior year. He expected to take the fall season off from sports and come back for his main sport indoor track, until the opportunity to play soccer again arose.

“I wanted to play soccer again since I wasn’t running cross country because it is great conditioning and the team was struggling to fill spots,” said Schwarz.

Martin on the other hand was less familiar with organized soccer, with his only experience coming from occasionally playing with his friends. As a dedicated basketball and baseball player, Martin also had plans to take the fall season off from sports. That was until the same friends he enjoys playing pickup soccer with urged him to join the team.

“The main reason that I played soccer was really because of my friend on the team,” said Martin. “Though not having any experience of soccer at all, I knew I was hard working and could definitely pick up on it.”

Both Martin and Schwarz had no trouble picking up on the sport, after immediately making an impact on the squad. After joining in late September, Martin worked his way into a regular starter on the lineup, as Schwarz served as one of the first boys off the bench.

“I honestly had no intention of getting a lot of playing time or even impacting the game at all, so it came as a shock to me when I did,” said Martin.

It is now safe to say that the boys’ bold decision paid off in the long run. For Schwarz, the experience itself was extremely rewarding for him.

“I was honestly really glad I joined because it felt really cool to be back on the field,” said Schwarz. “Being present for all the fun things our team was a part of was pretty great.”

For Martin, it is clear that he found yet another sport that he is passionate about.

“Looking back on my decision to join, I definitely do not regret it in the slightest,” said Martin. “I loved playing soccer this year and I will never forget the multiple memories and countless funny moments throughout the season.”

Bryce DiGiovanna

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