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Knoxville Panther Bhoys Soccer, Knoxville, IA (2026)

06/23/2026

And now we come to our final All-State honoree.

Senior Captain Drake Larson has been named First Team All-State at Center Back and was also selected to participate in the Senior All-Star Game.

Drake embodied everything we hoped this program would stand for: hard work, dedication, toughness, and a downright refusal to quit. He wasn’t just our captain because someone handed him an armband. He earned that title every single day through his actions, his consistency, and the way he loved his teammates.

From the first day of the season to the final whistle, Drake believed we were a State Tournament team. There wasn’t a moment of doubt in his mind. While others wondered if we could get there, Drake simply went to work, fully committed to dragging, pushing, and inspiring his teammates all the way to the promised land.

And that’s leadership, isn’t it? Not convincing people to believe in you, but helping people believe in themselves.

My favorite thing Drake ever told me was, “I love Knoxville soccer. The atmosphere of it. It’s just different.”

Buddy, you’re right. It is different.

And a big reason it’s different is because young men like you poured your heart into making it that way.

First Team All-State. Senior All-Star. State Tournament captain.

What a final chapter for one heck of a player, an even better leader, and a young man who helped leave Knoxville Soccer in a better place than he found it.

Proud of you always, Captain. Thanks for believing. We followed your lead.

06/21/2026

Alright folks, we’ve got another All-Stater to celebrate.

Senior Captain Brett Watters has been named Second Team All-State as a Defensive Midfielder, and I couldn’t be happier for a young man who embodies just about everything you hope a player will become.

Brett is the definition of shut up and compete. He never chirps. Never boasts. Never makes it about himself. He simply shows up, laces up his boots, and lets his game do all the talking.

Now, soccer can be a funny old game. Brett was often the shortest player on the field, but you’d never know it by the way he attacked balls in the air. Height never dictated his heart. He was always a threat on corners and long throws, and somehow our primarily defensive midfielder ended up leading us in goals this season.

What I loved most about Brett was his fearlessness. He’d dive into the tightest spaces, challenge for 50-50 balls that most folks would think twice about, and more often than not he’d come out the other side with possession and a little grin that said, “Well, I guess that worked.”

For three years, Brett has been an absolute terror in the midfield. He was the perfect yin to our other defenders’ yang, bringing composure, toughness, and a relentless competitive spirit that made everyone around him better.

Second Team All-State. An incredible honor for an incredible player, leader, and one of the hardest-working young men I’ve ever had the privilege to coach.

Proud of you, B Watt. You earned every bit of this one.

06/20/2026

🚨 Special Announcement 🚨

Senior Captain #14 Drake Larson has returned from family vacation just in time for one more ride in a Knoxville Panther jersey.

Drake has been selected to represent the East Team in the 2026 IAHSSCA Senior Showcase, kicking off today at 2:30 PM at Mediacom Stadium ahead of tonight’s Des Moines Menace match.

If you’ve got a free afternoon, come on out and help us send our captain off the right way. Let’s fill the stands with Panther pride and give Drake one last ovation in black and gold.

Tickets (which get you into all three games) can be found here:

https://iahssca.org/events/senior-showcase

Go enjoy one more afternoon watching a young man who has represented our school, team, and community exactly the way you’d hope a captain would. Proud of you, Drake. Go have some fun, buddy.

06/19/2026

Alright folks, it’s time to get into the big dog awards.

Our first All-Stater is none other than Cael Cook, who was named Honorable Mention All-State at forward by the Iowa High School Soccer Coaches Association.

Now, if effort had a face, it’d probably look a lot like Cael. The young man was an absolute menace up top all season long. He didn’t just play soccer, he seemed to take it personally that opposing defenders were allowed to have a peaceful evening.

His knack for finding goals was on full display against Carlisle, where he bagged a brace to help lift us to a huge win. Then, when the lights got brightest in the postseason, he turned it up another notch, scoring twice in our upset of Williamsburg and helping fuel one of the most memorable nights our program has had in a long time.

But Cael’s impact went well beyond goals. He chased everything, pressured relentlessly, forced mistakes, won throw-ins and corners in dangerous spots, and helped turn those set pieces into one of our greatest strengths. Simply put, he never stopped competing. Ever.

As a coach, you spend a lot of time talking about effort being a choice. Well, Cael chose it every single day. His motor, his determination, and his willingness to do the hard running that often goes unnoticed will be darn near impossible to replace.

What an incredible senior swan song. A season filled with grit, goals, and heart, and one that rightfully earned him recognition among the best players in the state.

Proud of you, Cael. Way to go out in style.

06/18/2026

Real quick, before we get to some of the big dog awards from the state, I need to hit pause and recognize the fellas standing beside me. I may be the guy holding the banner in the picture, but these four guys are the ones holding me up.

Connor Willis, A first-year coach with the mind of a seasoned veteran. His knowledge of the game and ability to teach on the fly during matches was an absolute game changer for us this season. I’m beyond grateful that a former All-State player, captain, and leader decided to come home and pour back into the program that helped shape him. He makes every one of us better and serves as that bridge to our players that every coach with a few extra gray hairs starts to appreciate more and more. Plus, he occasionally translates my old man references for the kids, which is a real public service.

Nolan Ethell; The human embodiment of a double espresso. The man just turned 40, runs a successful business, coaches his youth team, is an outstanding husband and father, and somehow still finds time to talk tactics at midnight, watch film, and entertain whatever ridiculous idea has wandered into my brain that day. He’s my sounding board, my idea filter, and often the guy who lends me a little extra energy when the season starts demanding more than you think you’ve got left in the tank.

Dan. If patience was an Olympic sport, Dan would be standing on the podium with a gold medal around his neck. He’s thoughtful, insightful, and has this uncanny way of saying exactly what players and coaches need to hear. I’ve always joked that he’s been my good luck charm since he started coaching with me, but truthfully, his impact runs much deeper than luck. He helps our players grow as people, not just soccer players, and that’s really what we’re all trying to do here.

Steve. The steady hand on the wheel. Quite simply, the best teaching coach I’ve ever been around. Every year I leave amazed at how much our JV players improve under his guidance. Steve teaches kids how to play soccer the right way, and they get better simply by listening, working, and trusting his process. He also happens to keep me organized, focused, and occasionally reminds me that pacing the sideline like a caffeinated squirrel isn’t always the best tactical adjustment. He lets me be me while making sure I don’t accidentally launch myself into orbit.

These four men are some of the finest role models I’ve ever had the privilege to know. People see wins, trophies, banners, and rankings. I see late-night texts, shared ideas, honest conversations, encouragement when things get tough, and friends who care deeply about kids.

Without these men, there is no Knoxville Bhoys Soccer.

I appreciate them more than I could ever properly put into words. I just know I’m awfully lucky to get to coach alongside them.

06/16/2026

Before we get back to handing out individual awards, I want to take a quick timeout and brag on the whole team for a minute.

This year, 15 of our 19 eligible players earned Academic All-Conference honors.

Now, I love a game-winning goal as much as anybody. Heck, I’ve probably celebrated a few of them hard enough to pull a hamstring. But this right here? This might be my favorite accomplishment of the season.

See, soccer is a funny game. Eventually the final whistle blows for all of us. The trophies collect dust, the jerseys get tucked away and the scoreboards get forgotten. But what stays with you is what’s between your ears and the habits you build along the way.

To have all 11 starters and 4 players off the bench earn Academic All-Conference is downright incredible. That doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because of discipline, hard work and a commitment to doing things the right way even when nobody’s watching.

It also says a whole lot about the village behind these young men; the parents who support them, the teachers who challenge them and the people who help them become the best versions of themselves.

As coaches, we spend a lot of time talking about building great players. The truth is, we’re trying to build great people. This group makes that job pretty easy.

Fifteen Academic All-Conference honorees. That’s something special.

Proud of you, Bhoys. Keep being curious, keep working hard and keep proving that being smart is pretty darn cool.

06/15/2026

Our final First Team All-South Central Conference honoree is senior captain and defender Drake Larson.

This marks Drake’s second consecutive First Team All-Conference selection, and if you’ve watched him play the last couple years, that comes as about as much of a surprise as finding popcorn at a movie theater.

Drake embodies leadership, dedication and hard work in every sense of the word. The young man set the tone for our team day in and day out, and a whole lot of what this group became was built off the example he set with his effort, toughness and consistency.

He wasn’t just a leader because of a title next to his name. He earned that respect every single day through the way he carried himself and the way he competed.

And the good news is, we’ve still got more accolades and recognition to share about Drake soon… because this young man’s story deserves to be told properly.

Proud of you always, Captain.

06/14/2026

Next up is senior captain Brett Watters.

Brett was named First Team All-South Central Conference as a defender for the second straight season, and that right there tells you just about everything you need to know about the consistency and quality he brought to our program.

And trust me, we’ll have more to say about Brett soon because players and leaders like him deserve their flowers.

Proud of you, B Watt

06/12/2026

The next few we’re gonna keep a little shorter because we’re doubling up on some honors, but first up is First Team All-South Central Conference forward Cael Cook.

The young man had an elite work rate every single night and became the kind of player opposing defenses absolutely dreaded seeing on the schedule. Year after year he grew as a player and was a pest in the very best sense of the word, constantly pressing, constantly running, constantly making life miserable for SCC back lines.

And trust me, we’ll talk more about Cael in a bit, because his accolades earned a little extra storytelling.

But for now, it’s safe to say he’s cemented himself as one of the great competitors this conference has seen.

Proud of you, Cael.

06/11/2026

Our next First Team All-South Central Conference honoree in the midfield is senior Jadyn DeHeer.

Now sometimes in soccer, a player finds a new position and it just fits like biscuits and gravy on a Saturday morning. That’s exactly what happened with Jadyn.

After spending most of his career in defense, Jadyn made the move to full-time winger this season and absolutely flourished. He saved his very best soccer for his senior year, and goodness gracious was he fun to watch.

Jadyn became an absolute nightmare on the flanks for opposing teams, especially come postseason time. At one point he carried the ball into attack over and over again against the #4 team in the state like he had a personal vendetta against their back line. I imagine a few defenders are still waking up in cold sweats thinking about it.

But what makes Jadyn special goes beyond highlights.

The young man started 63 of a possible 66 matches in his career. That kind of consistency, commitment and steadiness says a whole lot about who he is. He loved this program, loved his teammates and flat out loved the game of soccer. Few players I’ve coached have ever cared about the sport the way Jadyn does, and that passion rubbed off on everybody around him.

Incredible senior season. Incredible career. Proud of you always, Jadyn.

Knoxville Panther Bhoys Soccer

06/23/2026

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