Growing Up Fast

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Bellevue’s baby birds are growing right up.

And after reaching new heights a year ago – a historic season fueled by a fabulous freshman class - Bellevue West’s girls soccer team is on the hunt for more.

“That experience was great,” Thunderbirds coach Alan Carr said. “But they’re hungry to get back.”

The “back” he’s talking about is the biggest stage – Nebraska’s state tournament.  Carr and company notched the program’s first win there last May, knocking off perennial power Lincoln East in the quarterfinals.

It gave a team that often started six or more underclassmen a taste of what it’s like to play with some of the best the state has to offer.

As did the way the T-Bird season ended – a semifinal loss to an Omaha Marian team that they had beaten twice during the regular season.

“I think that’s already added a little more fuel to the fire,” Carr said. “Honestly, seeing that motivation and drive is going to be an important part. We’re going into this year with a team that’s going to be a little different than last year’s team — when we were going in as the underdog.”

The location of the target has certainly shifted to the backs of Bellevue West.

It’s part of the deal when you have the kind of success they did a year ago and bring back almost everyone.  All but one of the 110 goals the Thunderbirds racked up a year ago were by players again on the roster this season.

“Some of our most influential players last year were freshmen,” Carr said. 

 Yirah Sears and Vanna Reitsma - Class A’s top two goal scorers – garner the attention, and deservedly so. The duo combined for 68 goals and 43 assists a year ago.

The 35 goals and 27 assists from Sears — then a freshman — led the state’s biggest class. Reitsma, a Nebraska-Kearney commit, was just behind in both categories, finishing with 33 goals to go with 16 helpers of her own.

The duo pushed a Thunderbird attack that racked up seven wins with seven goals or more.

And it’s been more of the same this season.

West has ushered in another crop of standout freshmen while only replacing two seniors from a year ago.

They’ve hit the ground running, too. 

Sears has continued her torrid pace, racking up eight goals through West’s first four games – all wins.  The T-Birds outscored opponents by a combined 27-1 tally in that stretch, including a 3-0 season-opening win over one of Class A’s preseason favorites in Elkhorn South. They also added a 4-1 victory over Papillion-La Vista, a state tournament qualifier a year ago.

Then came the early-season measuring stick match against perennial power Omaha Marian.

Carr’s crew led on two separate occasions before giving up a late score in a 3-2 loss. It was another close affair in what quickly became one of the state’s top rivalries.

While he wasn’t ready to count moral victories, Carr said his side’s confidence was a key takeaway from the state semifinal rematch.

“Last year going into those games, we sat very defensively and tried to hit a counter,” Carr said. “Losing to (Marian), it hurt and it sucked. But I was proud of the way the girls played.”

The Thunderbirds split their next two — bouncing back with a win over traditional power Omaha Westside — before falling to  Class B, No. 1 Lincoln Pius X on Thursday afternoon.

It adds up to a 5-2 start entering the Metro Conference tournament — a milestone moment a year ago when West won the first conference crown in school history. 

Through the front half of the schedule, it’s been another fresh face up front that’s led the way.

Sophomore winger Josie Ryan has found the back of the net in five of Bellevue West’s seven games this season. Included in Ryan’s early output were a pair of hat tricks — both in one day.

Ryan tallied four against Class B contender Omaha Duchesne and three more against North Platte, running out to an early lead atop the Class A scoring charts.

“Great third option,” Carr said with a joking laugh.

Ryan got in the mix a year ago, finishing with 14 goals and six assists during her rookie season. But it was where she did her attacking from that was notable.

A threat up top for most of her youth career, Ryan played a key defensive role for the Thunderbirds last year.

“It was honestly not as hard as I thought it was going to be,” she said of the move to the back. “But I like (winger) a lot more.  I feel like I can connect better.”

Having an additional weapon on the edge makes the Bellevue West threat even more dangerous than it was a year ago.

Said Ryan: “You can’t shut just one of us down.”

Despite the early returns, Carr doesn’t expect Ryan to be stuck in one place for too long.

“She gave us so much stability in the back last year,” he said. “Naturally she’s an attacking player, a wide attacking player and we’ve obviously put her up there already. The thing is ‘how can you replicate her?’”

Utilizing Ryan’s versatility to his team’s advantage is a good start, Carr added.

“She’s starting in a high position for us this year, but I think she’ll move around a little bit,” he said.

They’ll need all hands on deck for a schedule that certainly jumped up a level in competition. Bellevue West played just four matches against state tournament qualifiers in the regular season a year ago – two against Marian, one each against Millard West and Papillion-La Vista.

Through just two weeks this season the Thunderbirds have already matched that number.

“We’ve got some really tough games,” Carr said.  “Those are games that will challenge us.”

Bring it on, Ryan says.

“I feel like we were super confident going in,” she said of the early-season big games. “It’s kind of intimidating at first, playing some of those teams - they are really good teams. I just feel like the more we play, the more confident we’ve gotten.”

“Discipline, drive, and dedication. Competitive spirit. A commitment to constant improvement. These qualities make great athletes and coaches. They also make great financial advisors. Northwestern Mutual advisors educate clients to make important decisions to live differently and achieve their goals of financial security. Learn more about joining our team. Karges Financial Group and the Great Plains District are proud supporters of Nebraska high school athletics.