Braves soccer team will have big shoes to fill next year

Seniority has its advantages.

But once lost, starting over becomes the new normal.

Such is the fate of the La Conner High School boys’ soccer team, which rode a strong senior class to a respectable 7-8 record and fifth place finish in a NW2B title chase that saw league leaders Providence Classical Christian and Orcas Island win 14 and 13 conference matches, respectively.

Now, for next fall, Braves head coach Galen McKnight faces the daunting task of replacing a key core group of seniors, including Skagit County scoring leader Mason Wilson.

Wilson, who has been on the team since eighth grade, provided leadership as well as offensive punch, McKnight told the Weekly News.

“He was the captain of the team,” Mc-Knight said of Wilson, “and was the leading goal scorer in Skagit County with 14 goals.”

The La Conner attack will take another graduation hit with the loss of Cameron Burks, who like Wilson was a five-year player and team captain and finished fourth in the county scoring race.

“Cameron played almost every position except goalie throughout the season,” said McKnight. “He’s one of the best all-round players I’ve seen.”

The role played by versatile Thomas Whilme will also be tough to duplicate. As a senior, he debuted as La Conner’s goalie and handled other assignments as well, McKnight said.

“He stepped up and played goalie for his first time,” McKnight noted. “He also became a starting outside midfield player and created a lot of our goal-scoring opportunities.”

Former football standout Luke Marble switched to soccer in 2021 and immediately made his presence felt as a first-year senior.

“I wish I’d had him for all four years,” said McKnight. “Luke is very athletic and picked up the sport very quickly. He scored his first goal early in the season and was a great addition to the team.”

Cerebral Spencer Olson, whom McKnight said was “the rock of our defense,” will also be hard to replace.

“He’s one of the smartest players I’ve coached,” McKnight said of Olson. “He was the most vocal (of our players) on the field and led a lot of our younger players.”

When faced with having to construct roster rebuilds in the past, McKnight proved adept at converting skilled players from other sports, such as basketball, into solid contributors on the soccer pitch. Among those have been since-graduated Braves point guard Elijah Porter and three-point shooter Charles Baker, the latter who is now playing hoops at Northwest Indian College.

While coaching the La Conner boys’ junior varsity basketball team, McKnight found himself in a unique position to project future soccer success for his players.

“Charles,” McKnight recalled, “was a very hard worker and always wanted to try his best. He was very coachable, and I think he will be a great addition to the Northwest Indian College (basketball) team.”

La Conner boys’ soccer wrapped up regular season action by splitting two league home matches. The Braves defeated Lopez Island 5-1 Oct. 26 before being edged 2-1 by Orcas Oct. 28.