Young and hungry in '17

Lynx boys show skills, talent to go far

 

They’re young, they’re hungry and, two weeks into the soccer season, the Brandon Valley boys are already proving they have the skill and talent to keep up with older, more experienced teams. 

While the Lynx are down a dozen players from last season, coach Chris Limmer has high expectations.

“We have a relatively young squad, but I’m looking forward to seeing the younger guys push the upperclassmen for a lot of open starting varsity positions and playing time,” Limmer said. “We seem to have a pretty good mix of athleticism and skill, so we’re looking to be competitive enough to earn a playoff spot to get into post season play.”

A key player to keep an eye on is co-captain, defender and senior Micah Van Hemert, one of seven letter-winners returning this fall.

“We have a lot of younger players stepping up to take on key roles in the team this year,” said Limmer, who’s in his seventh season of Lynx soccer.

Among BV’s season goals are to rank in the top half of the standings by the time playoffs come around and to host a first-round playoff game. 

“From there, our goal is to get past the first round and then take it one game at a time. There are a lot of good teams around the state, and we have quite a few young players on our team, so I think that would be a good accomplishment,” he said.  

Among the competition in the Eastern South Dakota and Metro conferences, Aberdeen Central, Sioux Falls and Rapid City look to be front-runners. 

“I think Aberdeen Central is the team to beat,” Limmer said. “We’ve had a pretty good start to our season and look to be very competitive with these top teams.”

The Lynx finished the 2016 season 4-8-1. Key seniors who graduated were co-captain Tucker Loosbrock and leading goal scorer, Cole Woessner.

BV will host Sioux Falls Roosevelt Sept. 5 at McHardy Park. Playoffs start Sept. 26, followed by the state championship Oct. 7 in Aberdeen.