Coach: EHS boys soccer seniors have grown as Cruisers, young men

This is the fifth installment in a series of columns where I will be spotlighting the Eatonville High School spring sports seniors who have had their seasons canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A different team will be the focus each week. This is just my way of honoring these student athletes since they can’t be out there playing the sports they love, and I can’t be out their watching and reporting on them. — Skip Smith

By Skip Smith

This week the spotlight will be on the seniors from the Eatonville High School boys soccer team: Gavin Cole, Jacob Day, Alden Franke, Joshua Gacke, Blaine Gariepy, Tanner Nickols, Kameron Nidever, Chris Van Cour and Mason Vasquez.

Current head coach Jay Cash collaborated with his assistant coach Dave Boyd and last year’s head coach Michael Sniezak to talk a little about each of the senior players.

“Assistant Coach Dave Boyd and I were truly excited for this season, especially since we were scheduled to play all but one home game in the stadium,” Cash said. “Players and parents alike were truly eager for this aspect of the season alone. But, more importantly, we saw the skill and the grit in these boys this preseason, which would have made a difference this year. We know it. It is unfortunate that so many of our players will not get a chance to demonstrate their skill and determination to win this season, our last year in the South Puget Sound League. Next season we will move to the Evergreen 1A League to show off our competitive attitude. We look forward to the new challenges and look back with admiration on what these young men have accomplished over their last four years with Eatonville soccer.  The coaches, present and past, appreciate their hard work and mental attitude throughout their time at Eatonville High School. These young men, through their competitive spirit and growth as men, have come to help define what it means to be a Cruiser athlete. Go Cruisers!”

Gavin Cole (Fourth year)

Gavin is the kind of human you want to be around in life. He's a hard working soccer player with a great laugh and defines what a good teammate looks like. He is the kind of person that leaves you smiling after every practice and game.

Gavin plans to attend Western Washington University to study environmental policy. He hopes to play in the WWU Concert Band and get out to the soccer field often as long as university isn't too stressful.

Jacob Day (Second year)

This was supposed to be Jacob’s second season as a Cruiser. His growth from last year was very evident. The energy he provided to the team overall was exemplary and will be missed by future Cruiser teams. Jacob is always fun to have around any team.

Following high School Jacob plans to become a productive member of society by attending college locally.

Alden Franke (Fourth year)

Alden is the kind of soccer player who is easy to root for. His coaches and his teammates were his biggest cheerleaders, too. We all wanted to see him be his best. His willingness to work hard, ask questions and work hard again made him fun to coach.

Alden plans to follow his heart and attend college locally.

Joshua Gacke (Fourth year)

Joshua is one of the first faces I see when I think of Eatonville soccer. It seems like if there's a ball rolling around somewhere, he is not going to be too far away from it. He is a great young man.

Josh intends to go on a two-year mission for his church, return and enroll in a police academy with plans to work his way towards a degree in either criminology or forensics and then hopefully working his way into the F.B.I.

Blaine Gariepy (First year)

Blaine is a hard working dedicated student athlete who came out for soccer this year to work on himself personally. We truly were excited to see what he was going to contribute to the team and wish him all the best in his future endeavors.

Tanner Nickols (Second year)

Tanner is the kind of player that can change the flow of a game with his speed and touch. My biggest complaint about Tanner is he only played one other year. Eatonville soccer needs guys like him in the program all four years because he makes his teammates better.

Kameron Nidever (Fourth year)

I can't say enough good things about Kameron. As a player, he was willing to work hard. As a young man, he is an impact person. Kameron is funny, kind, helpful and a great teammate. I'm lucky to have had a chance to be around him.

Kameron plans on going to a technical school for low-voltage electrical work and find a job in the audio field.

Chris Van Cour (Fourth year)

There are not a lot of young men who bring the things to the soccer field that Chris does. He's tough, fast and explosive. He has good touches and was poised to have his best season ever. Better than all those things, however, is Chris's heart. He's a great guy, a good teammate and fun to coach.

After high school, Chris plans on attending Pierce College for two years, then transfer to Arizona State University to study kinesiology to become a physical therapist.

Mason Vasquez (Second year)

This was Mason’s second year as a Cruiser soccer player. He is a big, tall stanchion of the defensive line and was poised to provide so much excitement to the team and each game. The coaches were looking forward to his hard-nosed style of play and can-do attitude. Mason had really worked on his craft and was very prepared for this season.