For over ten years, Tristan Peia, senior, has been playing soccer and is now a third year captain for the varsity team.

“I played football, soccer, and track. Soccer just felt more like home,” Peia said

Peia also plays club soccer with United PDX. He has won multiple tournaments with his club team, but hopes to win a state championship for the high school.

“I think it’s just the best roster we’ve had since I’ve been at West Linn,” Peia said. “We are all upperclassmen, so there is no one who hasn’t experienced playing for varsity.” 

Peia is familiar with the higher pace and intensity of club soccer, and compares it to the high school level. This experience helps him guide the team through high intensity moments.

“Just the speed of play, and how [much more] intense and physical it is,” Peia said. 

Peia has played different positions, such as left wing as well as on the back line, and has learned how to adjust. He currently plays midfielder. 

Throughout his club soccer career, Peia has achieved multiple accomplishments in a variety of ways. 

“I’ve won three state championships with my club team,” Peia said. “And then for individual I have been selected the last two years for second team all conference.”

Building on these accomplishments, Peia continues planning the next steps of his soccer career.

“My personal goal is to win Gatorade Player of the Year,” Peia said. “[To achieve this] I will just play like myself and continue to do what I do.”

His soccer career coming full circle, Mike Sorenson, senior, started the sport playing on his elementary school field, and is now representing his high school through the game. 

“I started playing soccer at [Sunset Primary] School during recess,” Sorenson said. “Then I got into [recreational] soccer, and from there have been playing club since.”

Sorenson, going on his fifth year of club soccer, finds there are differences between high school soccer and club ball.

“High school soccer is a lot more physical, and in club you see a lot more technical players. I would just say the level of technicality is different,” Sorenson said. 

Through his soccer career, Sorenson has faced adversity, but has also overcome it in various ways.

“There were times I didn’t make the highest team for club, which was one of my main obstacles,” Sorenson said. “[I got over that by] just putting in the work. Going out to the field a lot when I had nothing to do. Also playing with friends and doing pick up soccer on the weekends.”

Before the season ends, Sorenson hopes to accomplish certain goals for both himself and the team. 

“I want to become a starter, and just get a lot of playing time,” Sorenson said. “For the team, I want us to win state, play together, and be like a family.”

As the team has an influx of seniors and juniors, Sorenson has advice for the underclassmen aiming to make the varsity team in the coming seasons. 

“I would tell them that you just got to keep working, and if you don’t have success don’t quit,” Sorenson said. “Just keep working because you’ll get the opportunity, and when you do, take it and play really well.”

With a strong start to the season with a 3—0 record, as well as being ranked sixth in preseason polls, Sorenson believes this team has a certain vitality.

“So far the team’s energy is really high,” Sorenson said. “I mean we have a lot of big expectations we have to fill, but it’s good because we are all friends and know each other really well so the energy is good.”

Not a stranger to a bit of danger, Lewis Rumrey, senior, is starting the season with an injury before the Lions’ first home game. 

“I hurt my knee a couple of days ago, just doing some silly stuff playing basketball,” Rumrey said. “But this isn’t the first time I’ve been injured. I fractured my growth plate on my tibia, and I’ve broken my wrist, and all of those injuries were from soccer. So I’ve definitely been in this situation before, and I’m happy it’s not worse.”

Despite this, Rumrey has identified ways he wants to improve going into his third year on the varsity team, joining the team in his sophomore year after transferring from South Medford High School.

“For this season, a personal goal of mine is probably just becoming the best teammate and best person I can be, on and off the field,” Rumrey said. 

Rumrey is flexible, he can play a variety of positions on the field. Currently, he plays right back, helping to defend the goal, and revels in the ability to do more than one thing when he plays.

“I think it’s a very creative position,” Rumrey said. “You can start in the back, but then you can also run up the field.”

Beyond the high school, Rumrey also plays for a club, the ‘08s United PDX team. The team has won state the past two years, taking place during winter and spring. 

“I think playing club is a lot more serious because we’re paying more money and we just feel more like a team,” Rumrey said. “But [in] high school, you’re with all of your friends and everyone you see every day. It’s a really good experience.”

Rumrey may be injured now, but he’s familiar with facing challenges pertaining to the soccer field. Despite his club team succeeding at state, the road to victory saw players being injured, travelling, or taking care of family, and that has not been the first time there have been complications during a season.

“A lot of [adversity] came up, but [we worked] through it,” Rumrey said. “We were in an [Elite Clubs National League] the same time our high school was playing, so it was kind of difficult that year, and we pushed through it.”

After the high school team not making it through the playoffs for the past two years, losing 2—1 to Grant High School in the 24-25 season, Rumrey knows that the team is going to do what they can to win, no matter the adversity they may face.

“I think we’re very driven to win,” Rumrey said. “I think the past two years we were pretty close, but I think we had a ton of talent, and I know we could have gotten a lot farther than we actually did, and I think that’s just a big buildup for this year.”

Starting at the age of five, Derek Carter, junior, found his passion on the soccer field. 

“My dad got me into [soccer]. He played as a kid as well,” Carter said.

Now on the varsity team, Carter plays center back, continuing his role as a player on defense. 

“I just like the strategy and freedom to be creative on the field,” Carter said.

Though Carter sees his academics as his first priority, he believes he is playing at a competitive enough level for it to mean something after high school.

“I’m more focused on academics rather than the soccer part, but if my abilities as a player help me get [into college], I’m certainly looking to pursue that.”

In addition to playing soccer for the varsity team, Carter also plays with his club team, Oregon Premier Football Club (OPFC). 

“[The high school team is] not as intense and high pressure [as club],” Carter said.

Despite the differences between high school soccer and club soccer, Carter enjoys both teams and he has found success in both areas. He has hit major milestones including winning Far West Regionals in recent years. This has become the highlight of his soccer career so far.

“My goal is to bring focus every single training and in every single game,” Carter said. “And [to] always leave 100% of my work out on the field.”

To achieve this goal, Carter plans to take time before each game to prepare mentally and create  goals for the game.

“I would say, [putting] a lot of high intensity work outside of practice just to be prepared, because the next level you make it to varsity, [and] the play becomes a lot faster,” Carter said. “It’s just another athletic step up.”

Aside from team sleepovers, another way the team stays connected and inspired is by their pregame tradition.

“We always get into a circle before the start of the game, and we usually send one player in. He always goes, ‘What time is it?’ We all yell, ‘Game time’,” Carter said. “And we do that three times, and that’s how we get excited and pumped up.”

Since the age of three, Lincoln Kensinger, junior, has been playing soccer as an attacking midfielder. He’s played on teams not just in Oregon, but also in Europe, where he had trials with clubs like Football Club (F.C.) Barcelona and Manchester City F.C.

“I did a camp, and then I was scouted from there to represent the US and play a tournament in Spain,” Kensinger said.

Kensinger finds a difference between club soccer and playing for the high school.

“For West Linn when you play other teams, it’s a lot more physical than club soccer, so I usually have to play a lot quicker,” Kensinger said. “In club, I can kind of take my time and be more gentle on the ball.”

Over the last two years, Kensinger has gone through seven injuries, including two broken bones in his left arm, four broken bones in his right arm, two broken bones in his back, as well as a broken collarbone during last year’s playoffs.

“This is actually my first time coming back confident and without an injury, so I’m excited,” Kensinger said.

Before the start of the new season, the varsity team got a new head coach, however prior to the season, he resigned and left the team in a unique position.

“I think that we have a lot better coaching staff this year,” Kensinger said. “We had a bit of a rough patch right before tryouts, where our head coach left back to Jamaica, but I think it ended up being a blessing in disguise, where we have lots of other coaches and help coming from around the community and around Oregon.”

Kensinger started off as a JV player his freshman year, however, he got moved up during the season and has played on varsity since.

“Always perform at your best. You never know what’s gonna happen throughout the season,” Kensinger said. “I think even on JV, you have to play your best and show that you’re the best player on the field so that you can prove yourself on varsity.”

Playing both high school and club soccer, Jonas Taylor, junior, finds that there are differences between the two. 

“High school is way more physical, but club [is] just more laid back and more possession-based,” Taylor said.

Taylor had an obstacle; he broke his foot, but has recovered and is ready for the season. 

“[I did physical therapy], weight training, speed training, just to get back to [my] normal self,” Taylor said. “Once my foot was fully healed, I went to PT, strength training, and then I just got back out on the field.” 

Taylor has a philosophy about how his new coaches will impact his team. The boys’ varsity team has a new coach this year, Nate Kensinger. 

“I think it’s gonna impact us for the better [because] we’ll have a lot of different perspectives, a lot of different playing styles,” Taylor said.

After the coaching staff was reduced from three coaches to two, the team had to adjust ahead of the season.

”[The] pros are that they’re all funny, nice, and push us to our best selves. [For] cons, we only have two, [and] last year we had three, so it was [an] extra opinion,” Taylor said.

After high school, Taylor is open to playing in college, but plans to put academics first.

”I’m gonna try to do pre-med. I want to get a medical degree, so getting through pre-med is the first step for me,” Taylor said.

The team does team bonding outside of practice by playing games together as a team and making more memories.

”We’ll go meet up somewhere for lunch, hang out, we’ll go meet up for volleyball, and sometimes we’ll play games together. We’re really close as a team,” Taylor said.

The team is so close to each other, and has a certain bond. They all want the same thing, and are ready to work for it as a team.

“Everyone’s funny, but we all have the same goal to win state, so everyone’s on the same page, which is nice,” Taylor said.

Having been playing soccer since he was five or six years old, Sam Leedy, junior, cites his dad, who played Division One (D1) soccer, as an inspiration and one of the reasons he stuck with soccer.

“I tried out a couple other sports like football and basketball just for a year, but none of them stuck as much as soccer did, and then for as long as I can pretty much remember, it’s been only soccer,” Leedy said.

Leedy plays on the defensive side as a midfielder where he is in the heart of the defense and helps build an attack on offense through passing.

“It’s a pretty well rounded [position],” Leedy said. “I’m in charge of helping build out of the back, and getting it to the attack in third, so [I’m] playing through the midfield and trying to expand our position. Defensively, I’m right in front of the back line, so we’re trying to win a lot of tackles and break up counter attacks.”

Outside of playing for the high school team, Leedy plays club soccer for United PDX.

“It’s pretty different,” Leedy said. “Club is usually with players you’ve played with a lot longer than high school and the coach that has coached you for a long time. So it’s a lot easier to have chemistry with those players, and it’s not as easy when you’re going straight into high school with people you haven’t played with in a long time.”

Leedy has been on the varsity team since freshman year, being the only of his graduating class to do so.

“It meant a lot,” Leedy said. “I was pretty excited about it, because to be able to play with the people that are a lot older is just a good experience to have, especially at that age.”

Now an upperclassman and captain, Leedy is a part of a team that is only made up of juniors and seniors.

“I think it’s a pretty good culture, because [with] most of the team being upperclassmen, everyone’s had a lot of [time] on varsity, and the upperclassmen allow for a lot of experience,” Leedy said. “Everyone’s been here before. We’re not feeling the pressure as much. We’re confident.”

Being a four year varsity player, Isaac Babalai, senior, has experience with representing the high school through soccer. Starting the sport at five years old, Babalai was inspired by his family.

“My brother and dad played, but I play today because it’s fun,” Babalai said. “I played other sports but I liked soccer because my family pushed it the most.”

Babalai has a clear goal and a plan for the entirety of the season leading all the way into playoffs.

“I want to win state, and we’ll do that by winning,” Babalai said. 

Before reaching playoffs the team will play top programs such as Lakeridge and Lincoln High School. But when it comes to the number of upperclassmen on the team, Babalai sees that as a positive. 

“I think it’s a really good thing and will make us better,” Babalai said. “We’re just older and more mature.”

As many players on the roster are veterans, they have certain traditions and activities the team does together before and after games. 

“This year we had a sleepover, and we hang out a lot,” Babalai said. “Before games we go to the Market [Of Choice] and get drinks together.”

Babalai also spends his time with teammates before practices and games playing Clash Royale and singing karaoke in the locker room before games. 

Following in his parents’ footsteps, Cooper Gilbo, senior, has been playing on the field since he could walk. In addition to being a winger for the varsity team, Gilbo also plays on a United PDX club team.

“Technically, [club soccer has] better players, [and] just better soccer. But high school is different because you’re trying to win it for your school. There’s more on the line,” Gilbo said.

One of Gilbo’s biggest accomplishments has been making it on the varsity team as a freshman. Gilbo now has his eyes set on making the All-State First Team in the Three Rivers League District.

“[I’m getting] that extra practice, [and] trying to perform my best every time [to make first team],” Gilbo said.

Before making varsity in freshman year, Gilbo had to overcome the injury of his broken tibia before recovering and coming back to soccer.

“Having the people around me as a support system [helped me cope],” Gilbo said. “It was difficult, but I realized I had to work hard to come back strong.”

Another one of Gilbo’s goals this season is to win the state championship with his team.

“[We’re] working on performing more as a team rather than just individuals [and to] play better together,” Gilbo said.

Although Gilbo prefers club soccer over high school soccer, he enjoys the team culture from varsity. One of the team-bonding activities he’s enjoyed in the past has been their annual sleepover.

“I enjoy that we’ve all been playing together for a while, [we’re] really close off the field, and it just makes everything better on the field,” Gilbo said.

His senior year, Will Seibert, with a huge goal in mind : bringing home a state championship.

 Seibert, being the starting goalie, has strong goals for the team

“Our goal for the current season is to win the state championship,” Seibert said. “I believe our team has potential to achieve this.”

Seibert started playing soccer at an early age, after his parents enrolled him in various sports. While his peers found themselves in other hobbies, Seibert found himself in soccer.

“Doing so kind of showed me how cool the game was, and so I kind of picked up on it quicker than others,” Seibert said.

However, he considers himself A little late to the party by starting his club seasons in fifth grade, while most of his teammates began two years prior.

Looking beyond high school, Seibert started his college recruiting process as a freshman and built it up from there. He’s considering colleges still in-state, but also exploring the opportunities outside of Oregon.

Seibert also gave input on what any future athlete could do to succeed

“Their current level does not define them and that hard work and dedication will lead to recognition,” Seibert said.

Starting off his soccer season strong as one of the three team captains, Zander Morris, senior, was introduced to soccer by the people around him when he was three. Now a leader on the team, Morris has a certain goal for his team this season

“I want to go out and win a state championship,” Morris said. “We need to play as a team and enjoy it.”

Morris also plays for Oregon Premier Football Club (OPFC), a club team that plays throughout the year. 

“I went to Nationals, won [the] state cup a few times, [and I have] some all league awards as well, it’s pretty nice,” Morris said.

With a 20 player team, and 11 players on the field at a time, playtime can be difficult.

“I want everybody to get opportunities they deserve,” Morris said. “Whether that means destroying a team so people who don’t play get [to play], I want to make sure everybody has a good time.”

With every team there comes challenges, things lots try to overcome.

“I think we could have played more as a team and come up with our own different ways of doing things,” Morris said.

With his senior year ahead and potential collegiate soccer opportunities coming up, Morris remains focused on one goal: making this season memorable for himself and his teammates.

“It’s our senior year,” Morris said. “I want to make sure they enjoy that.”

Transferring from South Eugene in his final year of high school, Trey Ohrtman, senior, is new to the team but not to the teammates he’s played on the field with. Along with being a part of the high school team, Ohrtman also competes at the club level.

“I play for United PDX, with a lot of guys from this team, actually,” Ohrtman said. 

With experience at both levels, Ohrtman finds there are differences between playing for the high school team and club. 

“For high school, you have way more fan involvement, and just that atmosphere,” Ohrtman said. “I think since there’s more pressure and less games, you need to win more in high school.”

Ohrtman has two goals for the remainder of the season, both as a team and individually. 

“Of course I want to win state, but that’s definitely more of a team goal,” Ohrtman said. “But I want to prove that I can play on a high-level high school team as a transfer. So I’m just trying to make a difference.”

For younger players aiming to make varsity in the coming years, Ohrtman has advice on how to accomplish that goal. 

“Just keep working. There are many different stories of players that were rejected,” Ohrtman said. “So just keep working, one day a coach will see how hard you work.”

As Ohrtman has experience with players on the team, he believes that can come as an advantage. 

“I’ve got a lot of friends on the team from club,” Ohrtman said. “I think that there [are] so many upperclassmen that have gone through many different things, or have been playing for so long that they know how to play the game by now, or they know how to carry themselves.”

After high school, Ohrtman hopes to play at the collegiate level, but is still keeping his options open, preferably playing for colleges nearby.