Mt. Pleasant, IA- The Southeast Conference (SEC) had the privilege of experiencing some fantastic boys’ soccer this season with games thrilling games going down to the wire, including a couple of ties. As the soccer season concludes, the All-SEC list has been revealed and here’s a look at the breakdown.

SEC Player of the Year

Bihn Truong, Fairfield

All-Conference

Dylan White, Mt. Pleasant

Samuel Schaapen, Mt. Pleasant

Kohen Cass, Mt. Pleasant

Abraham Cass, Mt. Pleasant

Xachary LeBlanc, Mt. Pleasant

Henry Graham, Fort Madison

Jacob Shottenkirk, Fort Madison

Connor Horn, Fort Madison

Noah Swigart, Fort Madison

Jonah Santiago, Fort Madison

Bihn Truong, Fairfield

Minh Truong, Fairfield

Cormac Van Pelt, Fairfield

Lane Stever, Fairfield

Sheltyn Anderson, Burlington

Alex Schroeder, Burlington

Mateo Weir, Burlington

Brendan Taylor, Washington

Edwin Cortes, Washington

Breakdown

Mt. Pleasant dominates the All-Conference list with five players making the team and for good reason. The Panthers’ 8-1-1 conference record secured their first SEC Championship since their State Tournament run in 2013. Additionally, their 13-5-1 overall record was their first winning record since 2019.

The Panthers nearly replicated their 2013 results when they defeated Fairfield 2-0 in the Class 2A Substate 6 semifinals but fell a game short of the state tournament after losing to Williamsburg 3-2 in the Substate Championship.

Although defense does not record any mainstream stats, it was clear that Mt. Pleasant was stout in that department.

“Our defense 100%, I mean Aiden Humble, Abraham Cass, Cohen Cass, and Jackson Newman. Those guys don’t get any stats on Bound, but you know, without those guys, I mean, we’re not much of a soccer team” said Head Coach Rocco Russo heading into their game against the Raiders. “Those guys are solid back there. And I mean, our goalkeeper Xach is the real deal. You know, he’s really good. He’s been putting in working. It’s his turn to shine.”

Xachary LeBlanc was a wall for the Panthers, blocking 82.2% of shots on goals, the best save percentage in the SEC. He saved some of his best work against SEC foes, allowing only eight goals in nine games, including the 2-0 shutout of Fairfield in the postseason.

Of course, as stated above by coach Russo, the Cass brothers certainly helped LeBlanc out as the 24 goals allowed averages out to a stellar 1.3 goals per game.

Samuel Schaapen, a foreign exchange student from Germany, immediately made his mark on the team. The midfielder finished the season tied for the team lead in goals, which was tied for 4^th in the conference. His 27 points ranked second on the team as he scored a goal in his final game as a Panther against the Raiders.

Dylan White has been the star of the team since his freshman season, leading the team in goals and points outright in both his freshman and sophomore seasons. This year, he displayed his maturity, stepping out of the limelight and becoming the main distributor with 15 assists on the season for a team leading 33 points.

He was still able to net nine goals to bring his career total to 31 goals, including an incredible goal from midfield. Coach Russo mentioned after that game that anytime the team needed a spark, White would be the one to supply it.

Fort Madison

The Bloodhounds proved to be the only team that could best the Panthers this past season, defeating the Maroon and Gold in front of the home fans 4-2 at the end of the season with the conference race already locked up.

Nevertheless, Fort Madison ran away with 2^nd place in the SEC with an 8-2 conference record and a 10-7-1 record overall. This was a team that depended on their playmakers on offense with Jacob Shottenkirk leading the charge.

The senior was masterful in his role to perfectly set up his teammates, leading the conference in assists with 18 on the season, while also managing to score six goals for 30 points on the year.

Connor Horn, a sophomore, took advantage of his opportunities to say the least, burying 41% of his shots as he finished the season atop the conference in goals with 18 for the year. Right behind him was a fellow forward and senior Henry Graham, who finished the season with 13 goals and 31 points.

Jonah Santiago collected three goals and three assists as a sophomore midfielder, who has a bright future ahead of him. Noah Swigart was the main man on defense and still found a way to supply three assists.

Fairfield

You could describe Fairfield’s season with the old idiom, “always a bridesmaid, never the bride.” Twice the Trojans had the Panthers on the ropes. In game one at home, the Trojans allowed Brandon Veloz to score with 12 minutes left in the game to break the tie and eventually win 3-2.

Then at East Lake, the Fairfield defense held Mt. Pleasant scoreless for 78 minutes and led 1-0. Yet, Asa Rose ruined the moment for the Trojans as the game ended in a 1-1 tie. Still, a 5-3-2 record in conference is nothing to hang your head about.

Especially as the Trojans ended the regular season on a three-game winning streak and beating Centerville in the first round of the Substate to collect a 10-6-2 record. Their first winning record since 2021.

There is no question that this team needed Binh Truong, the SEC Player of the Year. In the Substate Semifinals, coach Russo directed all of his defensive attention on the senior to show the respect they had for the midfielder. He ended the season with 10 assists and eight goals for 26 points.

Cormac Van Pelt, Mihn Truong, and Lane Stever, who all combined for 23 points, were heavily influential on the success of the defense. Teams did not get many opportunities to score with only 98 shots on goal against Henry Swan.

Burlington

A tough season for the Grayhounds overall with a 5-11-2 record, but Burlington did enjoy success against the conference with a 4-5-1 record doing the heavy lifting. Mateo Weir led the team and finished top ten in the conference in goals with eight for the season.

Alexander Schroeder was right behind with 11 points on the year coming from four goals and three assists. However, the best player on the team was senior Sheltyn Anderson, the goalkeeper. Anderson knocked away 80.2% of shots against him, allowing only 18 goals for the season.

Washington

From the top of the conference last year, to a 3-7 mark against the SEC this season, with a 4-14 overall record. Of those 14 losses, half of them were decided by two goals or less. Edwin Cortes as one of the reasons that the Demons were able to stay close in so many games, as the junior finished tied for 6^th in the SEC with nine goals on the season.

Brendan Taylor was the captain of the team as he led the defense for the Demons.

Keokuk

The Chiefs had their season canceled after three games due to disciplinary action taken by the Iowa High School Athletic Association and a self-imposed punishment by the Keokuk School District administrators when the team received four red cards in a 9-2 loss against Central Lee.

Honorable Mentions

Kamryn Reynold, Burlington

Caden Zaugg, Burlington

Chaz Wohnoutka, Fairfield

Jaxon Kurka, Fairfield

Layne Rung, Fort Madison

Hunter Wiegand, Fort Madison

Jonah Zimmer, Mt. Pleasant

Brandon Veloz, Mt. Pleasant

Fletcher Brower, Washington

Kevin Marcelino, Washington

For Mt. Pleasant’s Jonah Zimmer, he finished his senior campaign with 16 points as he notched six assists and five goals. Brandon Veloz in his sophomore season gave Panther fans a look into the future as he scored five goals in a crowded offense and added five assists to his total.

“It’s a blessing, honestly” said Veloz. “I moved for my first season here, you know, doing things that we’ve never done in this school before. I’m just happy, thankful to God for all my teammates, I’ve been able to spend this time with and just enjoy this season and hopefully continue this run.”

Academic All-Conference

Amand Gandhi   Burlington

Antony Garcia  Burlington

Lucas Henderson  Burlington

Matthew Mercer  Burlington

Talon Orr   Burlington

Alex Schroeder  Burlington

Paul Zaway   Burlington

Ruth Contach-mgr  Burlington

Rebecca Imbimno- mgr Burlington

Binh Truong   Fairfield

Chaz Wohnoutka  Fairfield

Noah Swigart   Fort Madison

Jacob Shottenkirk  Fort Madison

Kayden Hansen  Fort Madison

Jackson Haessig  Fort Madison

Henry Graham  Fort Madison

Karson Dixon   Fort Madison

Leon Ziegltrum  Fort Madison

Jake Haessig   Fort Madison

Layne Rung   Fort Madison

Ramzy Davis   Mount Pleasant

Isaiah Denning  Mount Pleasant

Hayden Dolf   Mount Pleasant

Antonio Navarro Ramirez Mount Pleasant

Kolbein Ostby  Mount Pleasant

Ajay Wagner   Mount Pleasant

Dylan White   Mount Pleasant

Kohen Cass   Mount Pleasant

Jonah Zimmer   Mount Pleasant

Ivan Rangel   Washington

Nerick Raymundo  Washington

Benjamin Kronlage  Washington

Brendan Taylor  Washington

Burlington, IA- The Burlington Bees are off to a hot start, picking up four consecutive victories and rocking a 5-2 record through the first week of the season. A big reason for that success is former New London Tiger Kooper Schulte as he was named Week 1 Hitter of the Week for the Prospect League.

Schulte is currently touting a slash line of 0.387/0.417/0.774 through 31 at-bats. His 0.774 slugging percentage currently ranks 2^nd in the Prospect League for batters with at least 15 at-bats. He also ranks 2^nd in home runs with two for the season, while leading the league with 12 RBIs.

He has also shown off his speed on the basepath with four doubles, one triple, and going 2 for 2 on his steal attempts. The University of Iowa ballplayer made his mark for the team in his very first game as he collected five RBIs and hit for the cycle on a perfect 5 for 5 night.

He added his second home run and his 12^th RBI in the latest win over the Normal CornBelters in a thrilling 8-7 finish.

The Bees had their contest against the Quincy Doggy Paddlers on Tuesday night rescheduled for a seven-inning doubleheader on Sunday, June 8^th. They are back in action on Wednesday, June 4^th, at home against the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp.

High School Soccer

Burlington Notre Dame’s season came to an end last night in a 2-1 loss against Williamsburg in the Class 2A state quarterfinal round. The Nikes finished the season with a 16-4 record.  

The Class 1A and Class 2A semifinals start tomorrow, June 4th, at noon with Regina Catholic taking on Van Meter. Hudson will face off against West Sioux and Bishop Heelan will square off against Williamsburg before the nightcap of Gilbert versus Webster City.

The girls’ state tournament gets underway today with all three classes playing their state quarterfinal round.

High School Baseball

Dayson Workman lived up to the name for Fairfield, collecting five doubles and six RBIs in a sweep of Mt. Pleasant to start conference play last night, 20-7 in game one and 14-8 in game two. Ethan Bisgard clobbered a home run for five RBIs in game one, while Cason Miller totaled two triples and six RBIs in game two. 

Mt. Pleasant will look to stop this three-game skid tomorrow, June 4th, at home against New London with first pitch at 7:30 pm.

Fairfield will host Albia tonight at 7:30 pm.

New London now has a two-game win streak after scraping past Pekin last night 2-1. Tate Welcher nabbed a double and an RBI in the winning effort. 

Van Buren County’s Will Cocherell dealt a five inning no-hitter last night against Winfield-Mt. Union, collecting nine strikeouts in the 11-0 win. The sophomore also led the way on offense with four RBIs.

Wapello will face off against Winfield-Mt. Union tonight at 5:30 pm on the road. 

Van Buren County will take on Fort Madison tomorrow at 7 pm at the Field of Dreams.

Central Lee picked up an extra innings win last night against Anamosa, scoring two runs in the ninth inning to take a 7-5 victory. Blake Davis led the way with two RBIs for the Hawks. 

Central Lee versus Burlington has been canceled for tonight.

Danville fell to Hillcrest Academy last night 15-0. Mediapolis will host Danville tonight at 5:30 pm.

West Burlington will host Burlington Notre Dame tonight at 5:30 pm.

High School Softball

Mt. Pleasant hosted Fairfield for the first conference doubleheader for the season and the Trojans’ bats led them past the Panthers 20-9 in game one and 9-1 in game two. Mt. Pleasant responded to the call of offense in game one, even taking a 9 to 8 lead after four innings when Keagyn Coleman notched an RBI single. However, between the two games, Lilly Bergen smoked the ball, tagging three extra base hits including a triple, while scoring seven times. Leah Helmick knocked home six runs for the Trojans, while Coleman and Saige Burchett each tabbed two RBIs by night’s end.

Mt. Pleasant is taking on New London tomorrow, June 4th, at 7:30 pm at home. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 7:15 pm.

Fairfield will continue their road trip on Thursday, June 5th, to face off against Fort Madison at 7:30 pm. 

New London’s 7th inning comeback fell short against Pekin last night in an 11-7 final. 

West Burlington/Notre Dame clobbered Highland last night 10-0 behind Lyndsey Kelley’s home run and four RBIs. Madelyn Thomas allowed only one hit and struck out two in her four innings of work. 

Holy Trinity Catholic will face off against West Burlington/Notre Dame tonight at 7 pm on the road. 

Danville shutout Hillcrest Academy last night 6-0.

Mediapolis fell to Class 2A’s #4 Louisa-Muscatine last night 11-1. Layne Price finished 1 for 2 at the plate with the lone RBI. The Bulldogs will square off against Danville tonight at 5:30 pm at home.

Columbus and Central Lee has canceled their game for tonight.

WACO’s contest against Lone Tree tonight has been canceled. It will be made up as a doubleheader on June 23rd.

Van Buren County will take on Pekin on Thursday at 5:30 pm at home.

Wapello will face off against Louisa-Muscatine on Thursday at 7 pm at home.

High School Cross Country

The Mt. Pleasant Cross Country team will be starting up their optional summer runs on June 16th. The runs are available to any 7th through 12th grader with paces and plans dependent on the level of experience. Coaches may not be present at every run as upperclassmen often lead the runs.

On Mondays and Wednesdays, the runs will begin at 6:30 am at the Old Threshers Museum Theatre. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the runs will begin at Saunders Park by the swimming pool at 7 pm. The runs will continue through mid-August until the cross country camp. If you have any questions, then contact Coach Murray at 319-850-0867. 

Prospect League

The Burlington Bees gave the home crowd something to cheer about as yesterday’s matinee ended in a Dash Denton walk-off single to give the Bees an 8-7 win over the Normal CornBelters. Kooper Schulte swatted a two-run shot to center field to collect a league leading 12 RBIs.

The Bees and Quincy Doggy Paddlers has postponed their contest for tonight. The game will be made up as a seven-inning doubleheader in Quincy on Sunday, June 8th.

The Clinton LumberKings are looking to sweep the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp tonight at 7:05 pm.

This Day in Sports History

1888 – Baseball poem “Casey at the Bat” is first published by the San Francisco Examiner.

1978 – Phillies Dave Johnson is the first to hit two pinch hit grand slams in a year.

2018 – Golden State guard Stephen Curry breaks Ray Allen’s NBA Finals record for most 3-pointers in a game with 9 as the Warriors defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 122-103 in Game 2.