The 2024-25 Boys Soccer team had a large senior core, with most of the starting lineup being seniors. Now, in the 2025-26 season, with all those senior leaders gone, the Knights had to start again. With only six returning seniors, the underclassmen for the Knights are crucial to victory.
“This team has grit,” junior captain Ryan Schoemer said. “While we have had some struggles, we are all putting it together now.”
For any younger-oriented team, having good chemistry is vital. Over the summer, the boys’ team practiced three times a week all summer, not just building their skills, but also building their bonds. Junior leaders Logan Plichta and Ryan Schoemer built the young core of the team all summer through fierce competition and a whole lot of running.
While underclassmen make up most of the team’s strength this year, there are still seniors who are fighting to have a good last season. Seniors Ian Natale, Joseph Brown, Jonah Stashko, Joseph Cramer, Connor Guerkovich, and Brayden Thorsen have been battling through injuries and adversity to have fun in their last season on the turf at Norwin.
“Although we have a smaller senior class, we really come together when it matters,” said Brown. “We train hard every day regardless of how much we play.”
The young Norwin boys’ team faced struggles right off the start of the season. The boys faced many veteran, playoff-caliber teams, such as Seneca Valley and Plum. Out of section has been a struggle for the Knights, racking up 5 out of section losses. Thankfully, for the bigger picture of making the WPIAL playoffs, the Knights just need to do well in section play. The team used their out of section games to build more chemistry between the young members of the team.
“The competition is intense,” sophomore Jack Lepore said. “I have to be locked in all the time if I want to make the right choices on the field.”
While the entire team is relatively young, there are some sophomores who have been making an incredible impact. Sophomores Joseph Walton, Tanner Johnson, and Jack Lepore have been vital to the Knights’ success. Each of these players attacked the challenge of taking on much older teams with veteran players.
“If we want to make a playoff run they we are going to need to work as one,” junior Caleb Maddock said. “We are all great players; now we need to be a great team.”
In the Section, the Knights have had a battle every time they step on the pitch. Teams like Plum and Pittsburgh Central Catholic have made for the most competitive matches. Early on in the season, PCC was a major challenge for the boys. Despite not taking the win, getting a draw against a majority senior team showed that the Knights can compete without having an age advantage.
“Everyone on the team has to lock-in,” Plichta said. “We all worked too hard to let it all go to waste.”
In each game, the team has been moving toward that goal of fluid team play. There have been hiccups along the way, like a loss to Plum in overtime, and head coach Scott Schuchert getting a red card, and having to miss two games.
In the boys’ second time around facing PCC, it was another fiercely competitive game that went into overtime. Though this season, the Knights have had struggles in overtime, junior midfielder Tyler Schultheis put away the game-winner, and his first high school goal.
