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Monday, October 6, 2008
Tartan earns first-ever conference title
St. Paul, MN
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By: Lori Tolzman
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Photo(s) By: Mark Mallory
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The boys soccer team makes history
In the Classic Suburban Conference, Tartan High School has captured the boy’s soccer conference title, the first in their 36- year history. Head coach Caleb Drexler-Booth has led this program since 2003 when the Titans came close to being champions, but fell short, earning the runner-up spot. Winning this title has been a dream come true for this team of 18 young men. They quickly realized early in the season that they had talent, skill and a desire to succeed, but knew it would take a team effort and not that of individuals to make their dream happen.
The Titans are led by Quad-Captains – seniors Chad Blair, Aaron Thelen, Matt Wind and junior Kyle Erickson. The team is comprised of seniors Joe Dornan, Doug Longfellow, Jeff Marmar, Josh Tschida juniors Jeff Boland, Carter Ciolkosz, Nolan Darst, Kyle Erickson, Carl Krieger, Zach Mallory, Jason Ngwesse, Bryan Nyberg, Trevor Rolando, Scott Tolzman and sophomore-Sam Eastwood.
Throughout the season rivals like Hill-Murray and Simley proved to be their biggest challenge and the team stepped up to each game with a must-win attitude. Athletic Director Lee Alger informed Booth and his assistants David Palecek, Rob Murphy and Ebenezer Flomo on the day of the their final game of the season that they had to end on a win in order for Tartan to earn the conference title. The Titans entered their final game against Mahtomedi knowing it was “do or die.” With only 12 minutes left of the game, a hand ball inside the box resulted in a successful penalty kick giving Tartan a 1-0 lead, which they successfully defended through the final minutes of the game. The Titans ended their 2008 regular season with the school’s best season record at 9-1-2.
The Titans have two more goals that they’d like to achieve this year, earning the Section 4AA Title and becoming the Class AA state champions. While they know it’s still a long road to get there, the memory of garnering the school’s first-ever conference title will stay with them forever.
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| rjrolando - 10:32 am CST on Wed, Nov 12 | report profanity/abuse |
|  | Super job! A first for the Titans! |
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