WHITEFISH — After a close loss in last year's Class A state championship match, the expectation to win for the Whitefish boys soccer team is strong as ever with a group of Bulldogs that is hungry to win it all in 2025.
With 10 state championships under their belt, the expectation every year for the Whitefish boys is to make it back to the title match.
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Last year, despite having the lead, Whitefish fell just short of their 11th title in a 3-2 loss to Billings Central that second-year head coach Eric Sawtelle hopes the team will learn from.
“We know that nobody's going to give us success, we know that we have to earn it,” Sawtelle said. “We know that we have a big target on our backs and we know that we have a great legacy in the past and we really have a huge desire to try to continue to contribute to that legacy and to gain some success in the present.”
For players like senior striker Jack Oehlerick, staying focused on the present has helped him and the rest of the team prepare for the challenge ahead.
“Everyone wants to win, and I think a lot more than maybe some of the other years,” Oehlerick said. “Some of the other years we might have had more talent, but this year we have more will, and I think we could easily do it.”
But these players have more than just a will to win, senior centerback Kyler Jonson says. They also have years of experience playing with each other, which has formed a special bond.
“I've been playing with these kids for all my life. I mean, our chemistry is at an all-time high,” Jonson said. “Now with coming into the season and, you know, we know how each other plays so it's going to be perfect for the time to come.”
Knowing he has a team with strong will and chemistry at his disposal, Sawtelle hopes this will all culminate in a championship win after last year’s tough loss.
“We left that game with a great hunger and desire to get back there again,” Sawtelle said. “We have quite a few returning players that were there and they know how close we were and they want nothing more than to get us back in that position to compete for it again.”
