By RICHIE HALL
sports@readthereporter.com
Last year, a senior-dominated Noblesville boys soccer team made history, as the Millers won the school’s first-ever state championship in that sport.
This year, Noblesville has another senior-dominated team, and it hopes history repeats itself.
“The practices have been great,” said Millers assistant coach Thomas Doering. (He is filling in for head coach Ken Dollaske, who is on paternity leave for the next few weeks.) “This team is ready to prove themselves. We have returning talent ready to make their mark and a lot of young guys who are ready to prove themselves at the varsity level. In spite of graduating seniors, we have a new look, but a promising one. We have to figure out our style this year, we have a lot of talent and are figuring out the right spot for everyone.”
While nine of the Millers’ players that started the state game have graduated, there are several players returning some varsity experience. Jake Johns and Jackson Montgomery, the two juniors who started at state last season, are back as seniors this year. Both are midfielders; Johns had six goals and six assists during his junior year.
Another key returner is senior midfielder Landon Huber. Owen Mejia, a defender, played on the Millers’ semi-state team as a freshman in 2019 and is back for his senior year. Forward Sam Holland played significant minutes as a sophomore, handing out six assists and scoring five goals.
Other returning players from last season include seniors Noah Adams, Noah Bernot, Adam Eberhart, Pavlos Michaeloff, Luke Odle, Noel Peña and Ethan Stonebraker. Other returning juniors are Ashton Craig, Cole Thompson and Miles Tucker.
Noblesville will have a busy start to its season next week, with three games at its home field, Hallmark Orthodontics Soccer Complex. The Millers begin by playing Perry Meridian on Tuesday, followed by a state championship re-match with Carmel on Thursday, then a game with Plainfield Saturday, Aug. 20. Noblesville goes on the road for the first time on Aug. 23, playing at Avon in its Hoosier Crossroads Conference opener.
“We are always incredibly excited to start the season,” said Doering. He said the competition in both Hamilton County and the Millers’ sectional “is intense and we have made it a habit in recent years to get out of our sectional. We plan to do so again.”