Prairie boys soccer venturing into uncharted territory

CEDAR RAPIDS - The Prairie boys' soccer program knows where it's been, but it would much rather talk about where it's going.

'Prairie is always seen as the school that's just out there and doesn't have all those club kids as the city schools, but now it's more level,” said Prairie assistant coach and former team MVP Santiago Ortiz. 'We have a majority of people who've played club soccer before. But we're still the same hard-playing Prairie teams.”

Prairie boys' soccer has not exactly been an afterthought, but it's been short of being a real player, a contender for a conference title and a state tournament berth. Sure, there have been some big wins in substate games and the occasional upsets and the once-in-a-blue-moon No. 1 ranking two years ago.

But Prairie's never been to the state tournament.

The Hawks have been strivers. They compile winning records, and they are a tough out because they play like the underdogs they've traditionally been.

But a new day has dawned for the program. Prairie is 10-2 and ranked seventh (up from 16th in preseason). Prairie became the first team to beat defending champion Iowa City West on its home Barker Field.

While it might seem this season's performance came out of nowhere, it is the culmination of a plan hatched by athletics director Rocky Bennett and Coach Curt Lewis.

'We have some great kids out on that soccer field who are excellent players, and right now they are believing in their coach and they are coming together,” Bennett said. 'It hasn't surprised me. I feel like the boys' program has been knocking on the door.”

Step one of the plan was establishing a link between the high school and all the feeder schools and programs. Lewis is involved at every level. He established the Premier Soccer Club of Eastern Iowa (PSC Iowa) to provide the Prairie district (and others) with a lower cost alternative for those who wanted to play off-season soccer.

Prairie's sports thrive on multi-sport athletes, but Lewis still was adamant that players needed some off-season soccer play even if it was on an informal basis.

'He's definitely got a pulse on the youth coming into our program,” Bennett said. 'My hat's off to Curt for the time he puts in. I think he's just beginning to see the dividends.”

Lewis has coached in college, high school and club. He knows the sport and complements that technical knowledge with the force of his own enthusiastic personality.

'Curt has a great disposition with kids,” Bennett said.

But he's still the coach.

'Curt pushes us hard,” junior Seth Rinderknecht said. 'He makes us work; he's not going to let us off easy.”

With more technically skilled players, a system in place throughout 12 grades and a stable coaching situation, Prairie added motivation to the mix. Last season's narrow substate loss to eventual champion Iowa City West provided the spark.

'Last year we were left with a sour taste in our mouth going out the way we did,” goalie Alec Balta said. 'It's our goal to get right back at it and give our best.”

'It's something you'll always remember, and it's something that's pushed us to go harder,” senior Logan Rinderknecht said. 'I think we developed great chemistry in the off season.”

'Just being together in the off season, not only working hard, but just bonding and getting to know each other as a team is pretty much the key to our summer,” Seth Rinderknecht said.

In November, players embraced off-season conditioning in Prairie's strength and agility program. Some played club soccer in the fall and 7-on-7 in a winter league. A diligent running program led into the start of practice in March.

'We thought this team had potential,” Lewis said.

Indeed, it earned a top seed in 3A substate six.

'We've never hosted a substate final, but now we have to go out and do our work,” he said. 'We have a chance to stay home the whole way, and that's a tribute to the hard work they put in the off season this year.”

Could Des Moines finally be the destination?