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JM Boys Soccer: The Road to State
JM Boys Soccer: The Road to State
by Natalie Thomson
10/26/2025
The John Marshall Boys Soccer team makes its first State tournament appearance since 2014, a dream they've all had since they started playing. On Wednesday night the boys took on second-seeded Buffalo in the quarterfinals of the State tournament. The team put up an incredible fight, giving the Buffalo team everything they had and more. And even though they took home a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to put an end to this groundbreaking season, the team has a lot to be proud of.
The captains chosen to lead the team all the way this year were seniors Jon Boyer, David Carter, Zach Moos, and Noah Luther, and juniors Lennox Robinson and Elijah Sawatsky. This year, not only was the team 1AAA section champions, but seniors Franklin Melendez and David Carter were both announced as Class AAA All-State, Carter was also a Mr. Soccer Finalist. I talked to senior captain Zach Moos, a center back for the team, to find out what it meant for these boys to go to State. The Section 1AAA championship game was a cross-town rival matchup, John Marshall vs. Mayo, they played earlier in the season and a winner was never decided, they tied 0-0. “I think we know we are the better team, and we know they were scared to play us again,” said Moos. Confidence was a key factor to this team making it so far and the bond this team has is really special.
“This team really does feel like I’m playing with my brothers.” Zach said, family is a great word to describe this squad, and that is so important in having success throughout the entire season. “I met some of these guys at the beginning of the season and by now they are my best friends. The connection I have made with the whole team is something I have never experienced before being with JM soccer” the senior also said. With 12 seniors on the team, they couldn’t have picked a better year to make it all the way to the State tournament. Watching the program grow and get better each year has been very special for a lot of people, “It's the best feeling I could ask for,” Moos said. It is safe to say that even with the Quarterfinal loss, this team has had an incredible season and have accomplished a feat that a lot can not.
JM Football Tackles Cancer
by Natalie Thomson
Cancer has caused the second most deaths in the United States for over 75 years, approximately 40.5% of Americans will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives. That is why it is so important that every year a Tackle Cancer night is held by John Marshall Football, and other high schools all across the state of Minnesota. These cancer awareness nights have become a very significant part of High School football seasons across Minnesota. Randy Shaver leads the initiative with his foundation Tackle Cancer. Since 2012 Tackle Cancer has raised $4.1 million dollars, last year over $635,000 was raised.
I talked to JM Football coaches Kyle Riggott and Lucas Fisher to learn more about Tackle Cancer nights. Within the last 10 years these nights have become a huge thing at John Marshall and a tradition a lot of people know about. There are a lot of things our football team does to make these nights special and memorable. There are family tributes, players dedicate the games to somebody special in their lives, there are halftime fundraisers and donation buckets, and every year a new t-shirt is designed for the event and sold at the game to raise money. It is important that JM Football holds Tackle Cancer Nights for so many reasons. Mainly because it is an incredibly effective way to raise money for Tackle Cancer and raise awareness about all types of cancer. “It's a valuable lesson for players, to teach them that what they are doing is so much more than just football.” Said head coach Kyle Riggott. Cancer affects so many families in and outside of the JM community, it can bring the Rochester High Schools together when they are all working for something important.
While it may seem like the game dedicated to Tackle Cancer is randomly selected, John Marshall playing their cross-town rival Century is strategic. It started last year when both Century and John Marshall had their Tackle Cancer Night on the same day, the day the two teams played. It's a way for the teams to capitalize on the good crowds and raise the most money possible. This year, each school designed t-shirts and whoever sold the most and raised the most money won the “t-shirt battle”. The rival schools playing is a great way to get a lot of people to come out and support the cause. And on Friday night John Marshall took home a 27-20 win over Century, a good way to end Tackle Cancer Night.
Tackle Cancer Nights are very meaningful to a lot of people, including the football coaches. “We do a lot of appreciation nights throughout the year, and Tackle Cancer is always at the top of the list.” Said JM defensive coordinator Lucas Fisher. To the coaches these nights are a way to bring our community closer together, Tackle Cancer has a way of bringing people together to create one big family. It's important that as a school community we come out and support cancer awareness nights for any sport here at JM, not just football.
5 Questions for:
GRACE LUNDE
Fall Dance
By: Claranna Ostman
What is your role on the team?
Right now I am just a dancer but I hope to be captain someday, because that would be super awesome. We don't really have positions but we all work together to make a whole.
Name one person on the team that inspires you. How does that person inspire you?
Definitely Marissa, she's just full of fire and I love the way she dances. She's just so sassy and fun and she's really funny to be around and she's a great person, a great captain too.
What is the team that you most want to perform better than and why?
I don't necessarily want to perform better than any other teams. I want all of our teams to work together because as an activity we don't get the same recognition as sports, even though we letter as a varsity sport and require a sports physical. So I'm hoping all of us fall dance teams come together and work together to make our lives a little bit better.
What is a pre-game tradition/ritual that you or your team do?
So, before a game, if it's on a school day, we will stay at school and will get ready in one of the classrooms. It's just a really fun bonding moment, getting ready together, doing each other's hair and makeup. Running around like “where’s the face paint!?”It's a great time, and we have a lot of time so we don't have to worry.
If you could play any other Fall sport, what would it be?
I would probably do cross country even though I hate running. I just think that the environment there is just so great, and how everyone is supportive of each other. I just love seeing people do well in that sport.
5 Questions for:
PARIS VANDEBERG
Cross Country
By: Elizabeth Seavey
What is your role on the team?
My role on the team is that I am a JV (junior varsity) runner
Name one person on the team that inspires you. How does that person inspire you?
Aby Tri. She is so kind, so fast, and just such a amazing person and she is our age
What is the team you most want to win against and why?
I have not thought about it a lot, but i think mayo because they’re team is always so fast and it is a accomplishment to beat them on the team
What is a pre-game tradition/ritual that you or the team do?
Before a race we always do out chant and just do pep talks and stuff
If you could play any other Fall sport, what would it be?
Anything other than cross country probably tennis because when we played it in PE I always had fun with it
5 Questions for:
WESLEY THOMPSON
Football
By: Karise Smith
What is your role on the team?
I am a starting receiver and make sure the play comes together correctly and also makes sure the energy on sideline is positive and lift up others around me to have them play well as well
Name one person on the team that inspires you. How does that person inspire you?
Noah Becker, because he always has a positive spirit even when he is frustrated at practice or something does not go his way
What is the team you most want to win against and why?
Century Panthers, because they are a cross-town rival and those games are the most fun and most tense
What is a pre-game tradition/ritual that you or the team do?
In the locker room before the game, we sit in silence in the dark and then go out into the hall and stand with only the exit sign on and we hit the R sticker on the way out to the field.
If you could play any other Fall sport, what would it be?
I would dominate any of them, but soccer mainly because I used to play soccer
5 Questions for:
LAYNIE MEISTER
Volleyball
By: Asher Brown
What is your role on the team?
Learning how to be a leader as our team will be really young next season. Also to go out and play and do my best so the seniors can have the best season they possibly can.
Name one person on the team that inspires you. How does that person inspire you?
Serennie Lam, she inspires me because she always has a positive attitude and is my biggest supporter. She always has a good attitude and hypes the team up, she wants to win and that inspires me.
What is the team you most want to win against and why?
Century or Mayo. JM volleyball has been losing for so many years especially with 8 seniors we should use that to an advantage and work our hardest because this is the year and we should beat them.
What is a pre-game tradition/ritual that you or the team do?
A routine I always do is I go to Jersey Mikes and get my favorite sub but the team will always braid our hair together before the game to have the best game day hair.
If you could play any other Fall sport, what would it be?
I would be a soccer goalie.
5 Questions for:
SHANNON STRAIN
Bowling
By: Karise Smith
What is your role on the team?
JV Captain
Name one person on the team that inspires you. How does that person inspire you?
Claire Boynton because she is always so nice and kind and has a good attitude about everything even if we are really bad.
What is the team you most want to win against and why?
Stewartville because they have a really good team.
What is a pre-game tradition/ritual that you or the team do?
Always chant before we start and after every match.
If you could play any other Fall sport, what would it be?
Swim/Dive because I have friends do it and they all have a lot of fun doing it.
5 Questions for:
ABBY ARMSTRONG
Soccer
By: Karise Smith
What is your role on the team?
Center midfield.
Name one person on the team that inspires you. How does that person inspire you?
Ava Adams, she’s always welcoming and very kind, she’s also a talented player.
What is the team you most want to win against and why?
Against Mayo just because of the cross town rivalry.
What is a pre-game tradition/ritual that you or the team do?
Having a pasta feast the night before a game.
If you could play any other Fall sport, what would it be?
Never thought about playing a different sport thna soccer!
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