Prairie gets past Jefferson in substate semifinal

CEDAR RAPIDS — The Cedar Rapids Prairie Hawks did not need the second goal, but a little bit of insurance never hurts.

A pair of left to right crosses by Prairie forward Skyler Schreurs led to goals off the feet of Sam Mineck at the 27-minute mark and Jojuan Simpson at the 31-minute mark.

Those first-half goals were the only scores of the day, as Prairie took the boys' Class 3A soccer substate semifinal, 2-0, over Cedar Rapids Jefferson.

Schruers, who played both crosses to the back post, said he felt many different emotions after the game.

'A lot of hard work came together,' Schruers said. 'We've had a rocky season but it's good to know we could put it together when it mattered most and get the W.'

Both goals came on swift attacks as the defense simply lost track of the man on the back end of the field.

Schruers said he drew a blank as the plays were unfolding on both crosses, and simply relied on coaching and his feet to find his teammates lurking across the field.

His teammates were more than happy to be on the receiving end.

'I know how he plays,' Simpson said. 'I know he plays back post more often.'

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All Simpson had to do was tap the ball past Jefferson goalie Caleb Kesterson, who aside from the two goals, played exceptionally well.

The Hawks, who move on to play Cedar Rapids Washington in the substate final, commanded the game from the opening whistle. They pushed the tempo out of the J-Hawks' comfort zone and seemed to win every loose ball and airborne battle.

The J-Hawks did outshoot the Hawks in the second half, but the majority of the shots came after the J-Hawks switched emphasis to attacking and the Hawks to defending.

Head coach Curt Lewis said the key to the game would be establishing the physical presence from the start while preventing the J-Hawks from doing the same.

'We watched them on film. We've played them before. They're a very aggressive physical team if you let them do that,' Lewis said. 'We had to match them and step it up.'

Lewis said the Hawks had been working on offense in practice the last three days, and that focus was evident. The majority of both halves were spent on the J-Hawk half of the field.

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With the game secured and the Hawks set on the sub-state final, Prairie fans began a chorus of 'We want Phil,' for senior Phil Oligmueller.

Oligmueller had never gone out for soccer, but worked his way into a varsity spot. The fans' call was answered, as Lewis plugged him in for the final minute and a half..

'That kid is amazing. He doesn't get hardly any minutes. He shows up to practice every single day ... He just plays athletics because he loves the sport,' Lewis said. 'If we can get 40 people out here just to watch him play and get him in for the last minute and a half, that's awesome. He'll remember that for the rest of his life.'