by Claire Carter | Staff Writer

Soccer, a worldwide phenomenon, has kept teenage girls at Johnson on a run from the start, but it was not until this year that the whole school caught on to the craze, by signing permission slips, and abolishing sleevery for their love of the game. The Johnson girls’ soccer team went to State this year, and although they came home with a loss, the community couldn’t be more proud of the way they represented our school.

“It was unbelieveable to go to State this year. We had these goals from the beginning so when we made it to Georgetown I was like ‘Wow, we’re here,’” junior Caitlin Schwartz said.

This year, the girls set out to win districts, regionals, get to state and win state. They looked forward to this moment all year, and having students there was an added bonus.

“Having a bus of fans come was awesome. As we were warming up we watched everyone just file in and it felt like it was a home game,” Schwartz said.

While the typical soccer fans cheer “Ole, ole ole ole!” our fans showed their school pride by calling the ref (in a green jersey) a pickle, or chanting “U.S.A.” as the national team keeper, Morgan Stearns, made a save.

“The Jungle at the soccer games was different from the Jungle at the football games because people were more excited since it was so far in playoffs and we were really eager to represent Johnson,” junior Jenna Lopez. “My favorite cheers at the game were ‘Take His Whistle’ or ‘You Can’t Do That’ because it just made the girls on the other team mad and the cheers helped unify our fans.”

Senior Allie Gerner, captain of the girls’ soccer team, shares with many others the excitement felt upon going to State. Upperclassmen experienced this thrill once before in 2011, but now realize they are the ones to set the example, rather than look to one.

“Now that I’m captain, there was more pressure on me, good pressure, to keep me focused and want to motivate and lead the team,” Gerner said. “My sophomore year I didn’t realize how hard it actually was to get to State, and this year we were all happy we could go there, and I’m very proud of my team.”