Steve Bado wanted to build a foundation in 2017.
He ended up doing a whole lot more than that.
The Jackson Memorial High School boys’ soccer coach started mostly sophomores and juniors last year. Bado expected the players to take their lumps and learn how to compete at the varsity level.
Instead, the young players helped Jackson Memorial post a 17-4-1 record while the team won the Shore Conference A South Division and reached the NJSIAA South Jersey, Group 4 state sectional quarterfinals. The Jaguars also advanced to the semifinals of the Shore Conference Tournament last fall.
“We were really good. We actually surprised a lot of people because we only had two seniors in the lineup,” Bado said. “It was nice with a young team that we experienced some success.”
Now Jackson Memorial, with nine of 11 starters returning, is a year ahead of schedule. Bado is still trying to temper expectations.
“Hopefully this year as they keep coming up, we can go a little further,” he said.
If the Jaguars stay healthy, they should be able to “go a little further.” Jackson Memorial has elite talent up and down the pitch.
Junior Dan Russo was the second-leading scorer in Ocean County last fall when he connected on 18 goals. Russo was rewarded with an All-Shore Conference A South Division First Team selection.
But Jackson Memorial is even better at preventing goals.
The Jaguars return three all-league defenders in Ronald Bantang, Joe Schlageter and Ben Schnaak. Schlageter, “our leader,” as Bado described him, is a 6-foot-6 center back. Schnaak is very good at winning balls in the air.
“Between the two of them, I look to win a lot of balls in the air,” Bado said.
This brick wall of defenders is backed up by another brick wall, goalkeeper Nick Kinsler. The senior started last year, as a junior, and recorded nine shutouts. Jackson Memorial allowed 16 goals as a team, in 22 games. Kinsler was honored with First Team All-A South and First Team All-Ocean County selections.
“I expect big things out of him again,” Bado said.
Most of these standouts have been starting for two years, and they did pretty well in 2016, too, finishing second in the A South and reaching the Shore Conference Tournament quarterfinals. In other words, a class of mostly juniors has more experience than most senior classes.
That experience has already paid off this summer. Jackson Memorial went 4-0 in a preseason tournament at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania two weeks ago. The Jaguars were playing against “some of Pennsylvania’s best,” Bado said.
“Guys were working hard,” Bado added. “They have been since their freshman year.”
Jackson Memorial opens the regular season against Pinelands Regional High School on Sept. 4. Jackson Memorial beat Pinelands, 4-0, in the Shore Conference Tournament quarterfinals last year.
