Carson Bosak started one game as a freshman for Andrean.
The experience didn’t really prepare him for the full-time role as a sophomore.
“We were practicing all year with the varsity and the chemistry was there,” Bosak said. “But once you actually start playing other varsity teams, you realize how small you are really quickly.”
The lumps that Bosak, now a senior midfielder, absorbed the last two seasons laid the groundwork for this one. The 59ers went 3-13-2 last season and 6-11-1 in 2014, although they did reach a sectional final each time.
But they entered Tuesday with 7-1-2 record, tied atop the Northwest Crossroads Conference with Munster.
“You can actually start putting kids in the dirt and playing well,” Bosak said with a laugh. “It’s a lot more fun, especially with all the other seniors who went through it.”
The 59ers’ lineup typically includes six seniors, all three-year starters. Bosak, last season’s team MVP and a two-year captain, has been a cornerstone, a defensive “stalwart” and offensive “spark plug,” Andrean coach Tony Pagorek said.
Pagorek is in his third season after six as Andrean’s girls coach. He succeeded 24-year coach Pete Reist, and Bosak helped ease the transition.
“He’s been that key piece to build around,” Pagorek said. “He’s fundamentally sound, he’s really set the standard for offseason workouts, for establishing what the boys need to be doing in the weight room and conditioning-wise.
“He’s been the leader, the core, and he was called to do so from an early age. It was a lot to throw on a sophomore.”
As a freshman, Bosak was part of a team that won its first regional since 1996 before losing in a semistate semifinal to eventual state champion Guerin Catholic.
“You’re, like, gosh, I can’t wait to be like them for the upcoming years,” Bosak said. “Then you’re not winning games and you’re, like, darn it.”
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With pride and a hint of envy, he watched last season as twin sister Logan, a defender and now a senior captain, contributed to Andrean’s girls team winning its first sectional and regional titles since 2004.
He wondered when the boys team’s time would come. So, too, did teammates.
But a four-day team camp over the summer to Michigan helped cement the belief that the 59ers were on the verge.
The trip to Holland and South Haven, using the facilities at Hope College, included technical workouts, strength and conditioning, team building exercises and a retreat component.
“Some of the younger guys were like, ‘We’re not going to win any games this year,'” Bosak said. “I was like, ‘Yes we are. During the retreat and after, they were all talking about how we’re going to get to semistate.
“It was great to see how their minds changed from spending so much time with each other. We all started to see our potential.”
Bosak has enjoyed the journey with his classmates. His brother Cade, a junior defender, earned a starting spot this season, and that has made it even more special.
With the 59ers re-establishing their winning ways, Pagorek has challenged these seniors to leave a legacy.
“You want the program to do well in the future,” Bosak said. “You want to make it a soccer school.”
All in: Before the season, Lake Central coach Jereme Rainwater received a call that his son Cole, a standout sophomore forward for the Indians, had been accepted into the Indiana Fire Academy. He chuckled.
“I said, ‘You know I’m his high school coach, right?'” Jereme Rainwater said. “I said, ‘He’ll do it, but do me one favor. He has to go through this season. After this season, he’s all yours.'”
Cole Rainwater, who has received recruiting interest from colleges such as Butler, is part of a senior-led Lake Central team that has state title aspirations, returning the bulk of last season’s semistate semifinalist. The Indians were ranked No. 4 in last week’s Class 2A state coaches poll.
Double dip: Hebron (8-2), which plays in two leagues, entered this week the only undefeated team in either the Northwest Indiana Soccer Conference (4-0) or Porter County Conference (3-0).
The Hawks, under first-year coach Hank Pimentel, won their only previous NWISC and PCC titles in 2014. Their only losses this season have come to Northwest Crossroads Conference teams Griffith and Kankakee Valley.
Twitter @MichaelOsipoff
Top 10
With last week’s rankings in parentheses
1. Lake Central (1)
2. Chesterton (2)
3. Munster (3)
4. Crown Point (6)
5. Andrean (5)
6. Valparaiso (4)
7. LaPorte (8)
8. Portage (7)
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9. Morton (NR)
10. Rensselaer (NR)
Player of the Week: Hanover Central’s D.J. Moran, a senior, scored the only goal Sept. 13 in the Wildcats’ win against Boone Grove.