KALIDA – For the first time in 32 years the Kalida Wildcats will be led by someone other than Mark Czubik as the now retired coach hands the reigns of the boys soccer program over to Ryan Birkemeier.
Although the Wildcats are coming off of a disappointing 4-9-3 mark during the 2020 season there is plenty of room for optimism as the 12-time Putnam County League champions return a solid veteran core that includes goalkeeper Brady Fersch.
Fersch posted six shutouts last season and allowed just 1.84 opponent goals per game that featured some of the areas biggest shooting squads the likes of Botkins, Ottoville, and Kalida among others.
Returning on the front lines for Kalida are Drew Fersch who scored three goals and tossed in a trio of assists, Evan Stechschulte (three goals), Jaden Smith (two goals), and EJ Miller who finished with a goal and a pair of helpers.
Birkemeier isn’t new to the program but knows his team is in for a lot of battles during his first campaign, “Last Season, the team struggled throughout the year going 4-9-3 with a tough schedule. The tough schedule prepared them for the District Tournament and they managed to pull out a 1-0 victory against Ottoville to make it to the District Finals. We lost two starters from last season and are looking to the next guys to step up and fulfill the roles. We have a handful of Juniors competing for the starting roles and for valuable playing time off the bench. With the large amount of returning players we have we are looking to improve the regular season outcomes from last season and work towards being competitive in the district again.”
Kalida opened their 2021 season during the annual “Friday Night Futbol” celebration that kicks off the season on Friday, August 13th and played to a 1-1 tie with Toledo Christian.
Next up for the Wildcats is another Friday night skirmish, this time against Putnam County rival Ottawa Glandorf that begins in Kalida at 7:00 P.M.