Edwardsburg 'Family' Dreaming Big Again Building On History-Making Run
By
Scott Hassinger
Special for MHSAA.com
September 9, 2026
EDWARDSBURG – “Family” was Edwardsburg boys soccer's mantra last fall as the Eddies enjoyed a historic season.
Sean Jesse's team compiled the best record in school history at 17-2-1, while claiming an outright Wolverine Conference championship and raising a Division 2 District trophy before losing 4-1 in a Regional championship match to Hudsonville Unity Christian, the eventual Finals runner-up.
Even though a few key pieces are now gone who made last year's success possible, the bar still remains high at Edwardsburg.
Jesse's involvement with school’s soccer program goes back a long time. This autumn he’s begun his 15th year leading the boys and will serve his 16th campaign next spring as varsity girls coach.
The boys team has picked right back up where it left off last season with a 5-1-0 record so far this fall. Senior Brayden Fischer returns as the top scorer after totaling 22 goals and four assists last season.
"We lost some great players from last season, but we have lots of returners who can step up and fill those vacant positions and really help the team out," said Fischer, who has played soccer for 14 years and hopes to play baseball and study engineering at the college level. "Our goals this season are to become even closer as a team and to play better than we did the day before. Of course, we'd like to make it further than last year. Right now, we're just focused on growing as a group. I feel like my vision and physicality make me strong at the striker position. You have to be strong and be able to hold the team up. Last year's experience brought more of a family culture in soccer here."
Building a strong soccer culture hasn't happened overnight at Edwardsburg. It's been many years in the process.
"We've been kind of building towards this kind of family culture and atmosphere here at Edwardsburg for a while now. It's the result of having guys who are willing to put in a great deal of time outside of the regular season to become better players," Jesse said.
When he arrived at Edwardsburg, the program had at most five players who played club soccer during the offseason. Now he has 15 who are involved in the sport year-round.
"That makes a huge difference. When you have the fundamentals down, we can work more on the strategy of the game during the high school season," Jesse said.
Edwardsburg graduated a few key seniors in the spring, including star center back Austin Leak, but a majority of the roster a year ago was comprised of younger talent. Eight of the Eddies' 11 starters are back this fall.
"If we can replace Austin, we feel we could be every bit as dangerous as we were last year or even better," Jesse said.
Sophomore Conner Fischer, Brayden's younger brother, has stepped up big so far to fill that spot. The Eddies also lost standout wings from last year in Maverick Gates (10 goals) and Logan Stubblefield, but Jesse has found capable replacements.
"Maverick and Logan were our captains and great leaders for us. They were kids who could just go continually," Jesse said.
Staying humble will be a key ingredient this season.
"This group knows they are a good team. Right now, we are trying to find that balance between confidence and arrogance. I don't like to lose, but the early loss to St. Joseph might've been a good thing to happen to us this early," Jesse said. "It gives us motivation to keep working hard and get better."
With another year of experience under his players' belts, Jesse expects the Eddies to have a much stronger attack on the offensive end of the field. "We actually struggled to score at times last year. Brayden was our only player who was able to finish consistently," Jesse said.
Junior wing/forward Collin Tefft returns to the Eddies' 30-man roster after playing club soccer last fall.
"Collin is that dynamic and dangerous that every team we face is going to be afraid of him. Finding his way in our system is going to take a few games, but he'll get there," Jesse said.
Tefft has played soccer for 13 years, starting at age 3.
"Our guys want to pick up the intensity and work on getting better and not look back on any losses and learn from them. Our goal is to push forward and be better soccer players every day," said Tefft. "We have good chemistry and are always picking one another up. Those are big positives."
Senior Landon Goetz returns at holding midfielder and likes being able to control the tempo of the game and getting the ball to the playmakers up top. "Landon is our vocal leader. When he's on the pitch, we are a very stable group," Jesse said.
"I was an outside back for quite a few years. Once I got to high school, Coach Jesse converted me to my current position,” said Goetz, who plans to attend Michigan State University next year and study finance or marketing. “Two years ago as a freshman, I feel our team was a bit cocky. I think last year's success brought more of a humble atmosphere. That really helped push us to that District championship and to the Regional Finals.
"We're trying to remain close like a family again this season, but I think we're also more of a technical team ability-wise this time. That could help us go even further in this year's tournament. It's so early in the season. We have to just push one another each day in practice and build that connection. We're still trying to find that rhythm."
Returning for his third season as Edwardsburg's starting goalkeeper is junior Law Gates. He finished his sophomore season in goal with a 0.65 goals-against average and has made several saves already this fall, Jesse said.
Junior Aleck Rodriguez is a standout attacking midfielder and had four goals and 12 assists for the Eddies as a sophomore. "When Aleck is playing well, our whole team is doing well. A great deal of our attack goes through him," Jesse said.
Big contributions are also expected from senior outside back Chance Jacobs and junior Riley Szalai, who contributed six assists as a sophomore. "Chance is probably the most reliable player I've ever had here. He can play anywhere on the field and just doesn't make mistakes," Jesse said.
Jesse – previously a prep standout at Buchanan and a math instructor at Edwardsburg – understands how difficult it will be to duplicate the accomplishments of last year's squad. His team is the favorite on paper to win the Wolverine Conference, and Jesse expects the Eddies to battle St. Joseph for a District crown as well.
"It's always so tough because soccer is about different matchups. You might honestly be the better team in the state, and you come up against someone else who just matches up better against you,” he said. “Our goal is to win a state title, and I think we're good enough to do that. Obviously, things are going to have to fall into the right pattern for that to happen."
"Our Regional is a bit more manageable this year with some of the powers on the other side of the bracket. This is our year to attain some of these goals, but we will need a lot to fall in our favor too.”
Scott Hassinger is a contributing sportswriter for Leader Publications and previously served as the sports editor for the Three Rivers Commercial-News from 1994-2022. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph and Branch counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Edwardsburg soccer players warm up during a yoga and calisthenics session. (Middle) Senior Law Gates works on his ball control during a recent practice. (Below) Eddies boys soccer coach Sean Jesse, far right, poses for a photo with key returnees, from far left, Brayden Fischer, Landon Goetz and Collin Tefft. (Photos by Scott Hassinger.)
Preview: Stories of Glory Soon to be Told
November 2, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Tying together all four MHSAA Boys Soccer Finals to a common theme is impossible this season. But all four games have stories to tell.
In Division 1, Ann Arbor Skyline is ranked and facing an unranked opponent – but that unranked opponent is the most frequent champ of this decade, East Kentwood. In Division 2, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern is top-ranked and expected to win its first boys soccer championship – but takes on another of the most successful programs in state history in Detroit Country Day.
Division 3 pits the top two-ranked teams at the end of the regular season – Grosse Ile and Hudsonville Unity Christian. Division 4 offers Leland a chance to also win its first MHSAA title in boys soccer – but the Comets must face Ann Arbor Greenhills, coming off its first title won just a year ago.
Saturday's Finals kick off at noon and 3 p.m., with Division 3 followed by Division 1 at Novi and Division 4 followed by Division 2 at Comstock Park. All will be broadcast live and viewable with subscription on MHSAA.tv, with audio available on MHSAANetwork.com. See below for glances at all eight finalists, and come back to Second Half later Saturday for coverage of all four championship games.
Division 1
ANN ARBOR SKYLINE
Record/rank: 16-4-2, No. 10
Coach: Chris Morgan, eighth season (119-31-37)
League finish: Second in Southeastern Conference Red.
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2013.
Players to watch: Gabe Kellman, soph. M (8 goals, 5 assists); Bryce Schaner, jr. F (7 goals, 1 assist); Oskar Shiomi-Jensen, jr. F (6 goals, 2 assists); Kyri Wixom, sr. GK (0.54 goals-against average).
Outlook: Skyline quickly found itself as one of the few ranked teams left in the Division 1 tournament, helping that effort by knocking out No. 3 Saline in the District Final – which also avenged two of Skyline’s losses. The Eagles have given up only one goal during the postseason – to Warren DeLaSalle in the Semifinal – and allowed 11 goals total this fall. Wixom is a rock in goal behind a defense of seniors Tobin Brenner, Marco Althoen, Omar Hassan and junior Jamie Palms.
EAST KENTWOOD
Record/rank: 17-3-4, unranked
Coach: John Conlon, 19th season (351-58-45)
League finish: Fourth in Ottawa-Kent Conference Red
Championship history: Five Division 1 titles (most recent 2016).
Players to watch: Giuseppe Calabrese, sr. M (14 goals, 14 assists); Damir Sabanovic, sr. M (7 assists); Uriel Garcia, sr. M (13 goals, 4 assists); Louis Schultz, jr. GK (0.52 goals-against average, 12 shutouts).
Outlook: The Falcons are playing for their sixth championship in 12 seasons and peaking at the best time with five straight shutouts – including one that eliminated No. 7 Midland Dow in a Regional Semifinal. Schultz has saved 91 percent of shots he’s faced, and East Kentwood hasn’t given up more than two goals in a game – and has given up more than one only three times.
Division 2
DETROIT COUNTRY DAY
Record/rank: 19-5-2, unranked
Coach: Steve Bossert, fourth season (58-28-10)
League finish: Does not play in a league.
Championship history: 14 MHSAA titles (most recent 2011), one runner-up finish.
Players to watch: Kevin Tang, sr. M (15 goals, 9 assists); Gabe Akeel, sr. M (15 goals, 10 assists); Elbert Yi, sr. M (5 goals, 8 assists); Jon Dougherty, sr. GK (11 shutouts).
Outlook: After previously playing in Division 3, Country Day is seeking its first Division 2 championship with an experienced group coming off its second straight Regional title. Additionally, Bossert was an assistant for six of the past Finals championships. Dougherty made the Division 3 all-state second team last season, and Yi and sophomore forward Justin Harris (6 goals, 6 assists this fall) earned honorable mentions.
GRAND RAPIDS FOREST HILLS NORTHERN
Record/rank: 23-0-1, No. 1
Coach: Daniel Siminski, fifth season (94-10-12)
League finish: First in O-K White.
Championship history: Division 2 runner-up 2015.
Players to watch: Nate Texer, sr. F (25 goals, 6 assists); Jordan Okito, sr. F (17 goals, 13 assists); Jonathan Kliewer, jr. GK (0.43 goals-against average, 14 shutouts); Aiden O’Connor, jr. D.
Outlook: Forest Hills Northern’s seniors were freshmen when the team fell in a shootout in their first championship match appearance in 2015, and they’ve been aiming for this opportunity. The Huskies have outscored their five postseason opponents by a combined 26-3, avenging their lone non-win this fall (a draw against Grand Rapids Northview) with a 3-1 District Semifinal victory. Okito made the all-state second team and O’Connor the third last season.
Division 3
GROSSE ILE
Record/rank: 27-1, No. 1
Coach: Jon Evans, third season (74-5-2)
League finish: First in Huron League.
Championship history: Division 3 champion 2002.
Players to watch: Brendan Eblin, sr. GK (0.36 goals-against average, 22 shutouts); Christian Drzyzga, sr. M (9 goals, 11 assists); Jacob Sawicki, sr. M (52 goals, 21 assists); Benedek Tanyi, jr M (30 goals, 15 assists).
Outlook: After suffering its lone loss last season to Country Day in a Regional Final, Grosse Ile is playing in its first Final since 2002 and with just an early defeat to Detroit U-D Jesuit. After that loss, the Red Devils went on a run of 21 straight shutouts (including the last over No. 3 Lansing Catholic) before giving up a goal in their Regional Final win – and they came back with another shutout in the Semifinal. Sawicki made the all-state second team last season, and Eblin, Drzyzga and Tanyi all earned honorable mentions. Junior midfielder Max Aston added 13 goals entering the week.
HUDSONVILLE UNITY CHRISTIAN
Record/rank: 22-2-1, No. 2
Coach: Randy Heethuis, 25th season (465-79-42)
League finish: First in O-K Green.
Championship history: Four MHSAA titles (most recent 2014), four runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Kadin Shaban, jr. F (29 goals, 20 assists); Evan Nieuwenhuis, jr. D (12 goals, 3 assists); Chase Rozeveld, sr. F (13 goals, 4 assists); Grant Balcer, jr. GK (0.27 goals-against average, 17 shutouts).
Outlook: Unity Christian won its first Regional title since 2014 and after suffering its lone defeat a year ago in a Regional Semifinal to Grand Rapids South Christian – which Unity beat in the District this year. The Crusaders eliminated the No. 5 Sailors, No. 7 Paw Paw and No. 9 Ludington during this run. Shaban made the all-state first team as a sophomore, and senior midfielder Dan Hoeksema is another key cog offensively with eight goals and 10 assists entering the week.
Division 4
ANN ARBOR GREENHILLS
Record/rank: 11-8-3, unranked
Coach: Lucian Popescu, ninth season (149-68-17)
League finish: Third in Detroit Catholic League AA
Championship history: Division 4 champion in 2017, three runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Zachary Zimmerman, sr. M (31 goals, 9 assists); Leo Fried, sr. GK (1.35 goals-against average, 6 shutouts); Robert Keller, sr. M (1 goal, 6 assists); Neil Bazaj, sr. M (2 goals, 10 assists).
Outlook: Greenhills entered the postseason unranked and with a sub-.500 record, but has outscored six playoff opponents by a combined 22-2 and eliminated No. 6 Adrian Lenawee Christian and No. 4 Burton Genesee Christian. Zimmerman made the all-state first team last season, and Fried and Bazaj also were among standouts on the championship team.
LELAND
Record/rank: 23-1-3, No. 2
Coach: Joe Burda, ninth season (177-38-10)
League finish: First in Northwest Conference.
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Cobe Lund, sr. F (41 goals, 18 assists); Owen Kareck, jr. D (5 goals, 3 assists); Nick Saffell, sr. F (16 goals, 11 assists); Michael Roberts, jr. M (24 goals, 6 assists).
Outlook: After seven straight league, six District and two Regional titles over the last seven seasons, Leland will play for an MHSAA championship for the first time. The Comets’ only loss came in the second game of the season, against Cadillac, and the only goals they’ve given up in six postseason games were two to No. 3 Kalamazoo Hackett in the Semifinal (not counting two penalty kicks in the shootout portion of a 1-0 win over top-ranked Muskegon Western Michigan Christian in the Regional Final). Lund made the all-state first team last season, and Kareck and Saffell earned honorable mentions.
PHOTO: Ann Arbor Greenhills' Neil Bazaj passes upfield to a teammate during last season's Division 4 championship win.