Tate Sanderson may someday follow in the professional footsteps of his older brother and father, who are both engineers.
For now, the Hinckley-Big Rock junior is filling the role of engine for the Royals. He’d have it no other way because he’s always on the go.
“Eventually maybe I’ll be a civil engineer,” he said. “I don’t know yet, but I get bored easily so that’s why a busy schedule is perfect for me.”
Sanderson enjoys sports year round for the Royals, playing basketball in the winter, baseball in the spring and now soccer in the fall. He also juggles the responsibilities of a job, working as the treasurer on student council and excelling in the classroom.
“Constantly playing different sports helps me get better at all of them,” he said. “I would say soccer and basketball are my favorites, and the physicality of basketball has helped for soccer so you don’t get pushed around as much.”
Sanderson’s teammates aren’t the only ones who are going to rely heavily on his experience and to help the newer players overcome mistakes; first-year coach Brad Phillips needs his leadership.
“This year he really has stepped up as a leader and the other kids are looking at him as that leader,” Phillips said. “It’s not just the fact that he’s got great physical skills, but he’s vocal. He’s hustling all the time and he’ll tell him when they need to step up.”
With a new coach who is installing a new system, the loss of seven seniors from last year’s team that won the Little Ten Tournament and a small roster of 19, there’s excitement about change but also some concern.
“Typically we have over 30 kids so now we can’t even go 11 v. 11 in practice,” Phillips said. “That makes it difficult, but I’m really optimistic we’re going to have a good season. Guys will get a lot of playing time, but we’re young with only three seniors. We’ll have a learning curve. But I think that Tate will help a lot with that and the guys are buying into it.”
Sanderson says he doesn’t remember how many goals he scored last season but that he hopes to score 25 this season, or whatever it takes for the Royals to win.
“You always want to produce and I want to be that leading scorer since it’ll help the team,” he said. “I’m looking forward to making this a special season for the seniors.”
Phillips expects Sanderson to lead the offense, despite the fact that opponents now know him well.
“He’s done it in the past and with this new system I think he’s going to score even more,” Phillips said. “For the teams I’ve coached I’ve always looked for somebody that can make that move and get around someone and put it in the net. He’s going to be that guy for us this year.”
And he’s going to unleash a new weapon.
“The last few years I’ve worked on developing my left foot,” Sanderson said. “I think it definitely matches my right foot now and will definitely help me with my game.”
C.R. Walker is a freelance writer for The Beacon-News.