Soccer is a difficult sport which takes lots of endurance and skill. The games can be excruciating, lasting over 90 minutes with non-stop running, sliding, sprinting, and pushing. Soccer is not for everyone; but the ones who stick with it while putting in the time and effort will have the most fun and see the most success. Zachary Tholen is an athlete who has done all of this, and has definitely seen success in his three years on Varsity.

Tholen plays striker for Antioch’s Varsity, his sophomore year he got pulled up to Varsity for the first time. He played on Varsity from his sophomore year through his senior year. While being on Varsity he has accomplished many goals along with his team, but he may have never accomplished any of his goals without starting when he was young, and sticking with the game of soccer. Tholen has been playing since he was seven; sticking with a sport for that long takes real dedication, but you can not play a sport that long without enjoying all the experiences that come with those years on the field.

For Tholen, making the choice to stick with soccer ever since he was seven was a decision he would not forget. In his sophomore and junior year, which were his first two years playing for a Varsity team, he helped the team win regionals and advance all the way to the sectional semi-finals. Just being pulled up to Varsity is a tremendous accomplishment, especially as an underclassmen. Advancing further than the regular season was an amazing achievement. Unfortunately this year was a bit different, the boys Varsity soccer team fell short and could not win regionals for the third time in a row.

“[The season] did not end the way I envisioned it, I expected to win regionals. But we ended up getting kicked out of the playoffs in the first round,” Tholen said. “I think we were really out of shape, we just couldn’t keep up with the other team.”

It may have been tough to get knocked out of the playoffs so early during his senior season, but looking back at what he accomplished there can not be too much to be disappointed about. Tholen is a great athlete and has all the key components for an amazing soccer player. He has accomplished very much in his years at Antioch, and will not settle once he goes into college and plays for his club team, FC Lake County.