Howell Puts Heart Into Memorial Meet

Carter Stapleton set his sights on the Frankenmuth boys soccer scoring records as soon as he walked into the high school.

After accomplishing that feat just three games into his senior season, Stapleton is now setting the bar incredibly high for the next ambitious Frankenmuth freshman.

“It just showed all of the hard work that I put in throughout my career, and how much my team has supported me,” Stapleton said. “Last year (100 goals) became a big goal. Later in the season, I was pretty confident I was going to break the school record, so 100 was definitely the next big milestone that I had in mind.”

Stapleton has 90 goals and 134 points in his Frankenmuth career, both school records. He surpassed both marks Aug. 24 during a 5-0 win against Saginaw Valley Lutheran, supplanting Kendall Morris (2023) and Matt Hinds (2013), respectively.

Stapleton also is tied for the school single-game records for goals (six), points (eight) and assists (four).

“(Playing with Stapleton) is beneficial for everybody,” Frankenmuth coach Marcus Baker said. “He’s a great leader, a strong player. We have a small community, so I get chances to drive by the field in my off time, and he’s usually the one that’s out there doing drills, bringing teammates with him or working by himself. He’s definitely committed.”

Baker had his eye on Stapleton well before he was playing for the Eagles, having seen him play club soccer for Detroit City FC Genesee.

So, as a freshman, when he and his teammates had to help fill a roster that had lost 11 seniors from the year before, Stapleton was immediately tasked with a major role.

“With his technique and his skill level, we were able to play through him,” Baker said. “He was a guy that could make all the plays and read the game better than most people. He was a vital, key player. Like if we were playing chess, he’d be the queen.”

Stapleton, who had played forward for his club, played that season as a center midfielder and managed 18 goals and five assists as a young Frankenmuth team advanced to the District Final. 

The following year, in the same role, he had 22 goals and 12 assists as Frankenmuth won its District before losing in the Regional Semifinal to eventual Division 3 champion Notre Dame Prep.

As a junior, Stapleton moved back to his more familiar center forward position and had 30 goals and 22 assists, leading Frankenmuth to a Regional Final, where it lost in overtime against Lansing Catholic.

This fall, he’s up top again and has 20 goals and five assists 12 games into the season.

“We just let him loose,” Baker said. “He’s definitely a threat, and his finishing skills are above the majority of our players. He sees passes that can be made to score goals while playing up top, and he also finishes the opportunities that he does get up top. It’s huge, it’s almost like having two queens on the chess board. He’s been playing with some of these boys since AYSO, and the chemistry is there.”

Foremost among those teammates when it comes to chemistry is Stapleton’s DCFC teammate, Landon Jacobs, who plays center mid for the Eagles.

That allows Stapleton to adjust his playing style from club to high school seamlessly, even though the games can be played in slightly different styles.

“For club, I tend to drop back as kind of a false nine, and get a lot of other players involved in the play,” Stapleton said. “With high school, it’s a lot more direct. So I either have the ball at my feet and drive to goal, or I make runs in behind, because I know Landon can find me.”

Stapleton and Jacobs are two of 10 seniors leading the way this year for Frankenmuth, which is 8-4 and ranked No. 11 in Division 3.

The four losses came over a five-game stretch, with three at the Eagles’ own Bavarian Cup against Davison, Ann Arbor Greenhills and Rockford, and the other against Haslett. Stapleton was out injured during the tournament, and while he would have liked to prove himself and help his team compete against some of those larger schools, he sees the positives in his absence.

“That could have been a good thing for the younger guys,” Stapleton said. “To help them get ready for next year, and the rest of this year.”

That outlook is further proof to Baker that his team is in good hands with Stapleton wearing the captain’s armband.

“He’s a very humble person, so for him to say that about his teammates, that’s a reason he’s one of the captains,” Baker said. “He sees it the way that I see it. He understands that it’s not just on him.”

The experience of the seniors, plus that gained by the underclassmen already this season, has Stapleton excited about how the rest of his final year at Frankenmuth could unfold. The team has advanced one round further during the postseason at the end of each of his first three years in the program. Another win this year would mean a berth in the Division 3 Semifinals, something Frankenmuth has achieved only once, in 2003.

With his name already all over the individual record books for the school, Stapleton would love to share that record-setting performance with his teammates.

“I definitely want to get there,” he said. “We can get a lot done this season. It’s kind of a toss-up with all the teams in Division 3. Honestly, I thought last year was going to be our year, we had a lot of really strong seniors. But a lot of younger guys have stepped up a lot this year.”

Paul Costanzo served as a sportswriter at The Port Huron Times Herald from 2006-15, including three years as lead sportswriter, and prior to that as sports editor at the Hillsdale Daily News from 2005-06. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola, Saginaw, Bay, Arenac, Midland and Gladwin counties.

PHOTOS (Top) Frankenmuth's Carter Stapleton advances the ball during his team's game against Bay City John Glenn on Wednesday. (Middle) Stapleton, right, and teammate Jack Muller give each other a quick five during an August win over Saginaw Valley Lutheran. (Photos by BMB Studios.)