Hononegah’s Goalie Takes the Spotlight
Hononegah’s varsity program has been displaying impressive growth as a whole, but in their recent games, one player has stood out from the rest—junior Jack Schultz. Schultz was just named “Man of the Match” by his teammates after his outstanding performance against Huntley on Saturday, September 20th. Although Hononegah ended up losing the match 1-0, Jack’s skill in the goal box is the only reason why it wasn’t a complete blowout. In Jack’s words, “that whole game is going in my highlight reel.” His award-winning moment was blocking the Raiders’ penalty kick, then immediately recovering and stopping a second shot on the goal. This power as a goalie is unlike anything Hononegah has seen in recent years.
Schultz has been a noteworthy presence on the field since his freshman year, where he shut out nearly half of the season’s games. If it weren’t for Jack’s ability to dominate the goal box, there is no way Hononegah’s freshman team would have been able to win the conference title in 2023. In many ways, Shultz has shown his dedication and determination to improve as a player. One of his main defenders at both Hononegah and Raptors FC, junior Jackson Metzler. Jack is always working to be the best goalie “and if he’s not working on his craft, he’s working out to be better” at it.
Just recently against Rockford East, Schultz ensured another shut-out (3-0), his third for this season. When he’s on the field, Schultz is like a solid brick wall defending the goal. In addition to his skill as a goalie, Schultz has also displayed the communication and leadership skills that make a great captain. One clear example of this was at the BodyArmour Showdown, where Jack took it upon himself to direct the field while stopping several shots on goal to secure a 3-0 victory in their first match against Admundsen.
A large part of Jack’s success in goal truly comes from experience. Jack has played on several club teams, including the Rockford Raptors and Mambas Elite. Soccer is Jack’s biggest commitment, and it is only possible because he has the devoted support of his older sister, Hayley. Hayley is his biggest champion and is faithfully there for him at every game. When asked who his greatest influence is, Jack’s immediate response was his sister - “she’s always supporting me and taking me everywhere. She’s there for me with everything,” he commented.” In this statement, Jack couldn’t be more right. All the cross-country travel tournaments, late-night practices, and weekend trips for soccer that have gotten Jack to the goalie he is today have only been possible because of Hayley’s constant support.
