Saints balancing exams, soccer

CEDAR RAPIDS - Xavier varsity soccer players are balancing academics with extracurricular activities these days.

This can prove to be a challenge during the end of the school year, but the Xavier girls' and boys' soccer players handle the task well.

'Some advice I would give to underclassmen is to make sure your grades are important to you so that you make time for them,” senior Marinna Schroud said. 'Most of the coaches at Xavier understand that sometimes you may need to leave right away after practice in order to go home and study or work on a project. Just do not procrastinate and get your work done. Don't stress yourself by putting it off and having to stay up really late after a game to do it.”

Despite having hours of homework each night, the players are able to maintain grades and remain eligible to play during the season.

The soccer teams have the advantage of having regional and state games occur once school is out of session, so their concentration can be specifically on soccer.

The girls' last regular season game was against Waterloo East on Tuesday. Regionals are held from June 3-9 with the state championship game on June 14.

The boys' regular season finished May 22 and the Saints host a substate semifinal against Independence Thursday at 5 p.m. The state championship are June 5-7.

Editor's note: Here is your chance to tell your story about your team, your school or your favorite player. If you'd like to join The Gazette's growing list of high school contributors, contact J.R. Ogden at jr.ogden@thegazette.com