UPPER CLASS

PALMER — Colony High School typically fields a pretty talented girls soccer team. But longtime head coach Lorie Miners sees something different about her 2010 squad.

“We finally have a team made up of all soccer players,” Miner said earlier this week. “This is the first year without having to work through all the different schedules.”

In the past, Miner said the Colony soccer coaches have had to wait as top athletes finished with other commitments, such as basketball. But this year, her core group has been together playing — a lot.

“For almost two years solid they’ve been able to play year-round,” Miner said.

Miner said her players have been seeing plenty of turf time at the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center in Wasilla. They play in indoor and outdoor women’s league in addition to the high school season.

“They’ve been able to spend just about their entire time on soccer,” Miner said.

That additional time gives Miner and her staff a very experienced group of upperclassmen. Leading that group are Miner’s four senior captains — Jessica Farrell, Katie Gonski, Jessica Parker and Sara Kenley.

“They’re really just taking the team and pushing them to their limits every day in practice,” Miner said. “Everybody’s on task.”

Farrell, Gonski and Kenley each earned second-team All-Northern Lights Conference honors last season. Junior midfielder Jamie Krediet was named first-team All-NLC as a sophomore.

A pair of solid goalkeepers, senior Katelyn Payne and junior Meghan Riopelle, also return. Miner said junior Shellina Irwin, who also competes in volleyball and track and field at CHS, could potentially see time in the varsity net. Miner said her crew of keepers is certainly a luxury for the Knights. There’s no designated starter. The starting keeper is typically named about 30 minutes before the match.

Miner said senior Shannon Heimerl is also returning to the program after a season off and will add to the team’s defense.

Overall, Miner said good depth will be a key for the Knights this season.

“It’s so nice to have that,” Miner said. “If someone gets hurt and can’t participate that day, you look to your bench without hesitation.”

Miner said a strong freshman class will also add to that depth.

Colony, which finished second in the NLC and sixth in the state tournament last year, opens the season against rival Wasilla Tuesday at 11 a.m. at The Dome in Anchorage.

Strong senior class to lead CHS boys

Colony head coach Jeremy Johnson had to watch as a strong senior class left the program following the 2009 season. The group — led by first-team All-NLC players Bridger Van Ness, Chris Bardsley and Collin Murphy — left a big void. But fortunately for the defending NLC champion Knights, there’s another standout senior class ready to take its place.

Senior captain Oliver Querin, another first-team All-NLC selection in 2009, leads a group primed to take a run at another conference title. Joining Querin on that list of senior talent are players such as Logan Smith, Aaron Richardson, Gordon Krueger, Jesse Rouse and Dylan Crawford.

“A lot of these kids have played together on comp (teams) for years,” Johnson said. “They’re good kids. They really want to get out there and see where they rank.”

Also back are goalkeepers Elliott Gilbert and Jesse Krey. Johnson said the players will split time in the Colony net.

Despite the loss of the standout seniors, Colony does return its leading goal-scorer from the last two seasons. Junior James Meaney posted 32 goals during his first two years. Meaney scored 15 as a freshman and 17 as a sophomore to earn second-team All-NLC honors. Meaney’s younger brother, John, will also slide into the starting lineup, Johnson said.

John Meaney and Sean Collette are among the top sophomores on a team that also includes forward Hunter Fisher. Senior Rick Peshel also returned to the squad after a year off, Johnson said.

Among the newcomers is senior Jonas Madsen, an exchange student from Denmark.

Colony is off to a 2-0 start after wins over Grace Christian and Nikiski this week. The Knights hit the turf to face Wasilla Tuesday at 1 p.m. at The Dome in Anchorage.

** Editor’s note: This is the first of a four-part series previewing the Mat-Su 4A soccer squads.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.