The Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Crimson Bears girls soccer team will honor their senior players at 5 p.m. Tuesday on the Adair-Kennedy pitch prior to their cross-town derby match against the Thunder Mountain Falcons.
“You get to spend a lot of time with them on trips and at practice and things like that,” said JDHS coach Matt Dusenberry. “So you create a bond with all of them and you hope you have helped at least establish a life long sport that they will play later on in life.”
The JDHS senior girls are:
Mariah Kadinger – defense, No. 21.
Favorite food – Any kind of pasta.
Favorite music – I am not really picky about music.
Other pastimes – Painting.
Plans after high school – Study biology at University of Alaska Southeast and further my education to become a radiologist.
Advice to young players/students – Always have a positive attitude and have fun.
“Well Mariah didn’t get to have a freshman year because that would have been a pandemic year but she has been with us for three years,” Dusenberry said. “It has been great to see here evolve over those three years. She really learned the game, I believe her sophomore year might have been her first year playing soccer so it has been kind of cool to see her develop. She always seems to have a positive outlook about everything, on and off the field.”
Angelica Rodriguez – defensive midfielder, No. 25.
Favorite food – Mexican pupusa.
Favorite music – Mostly pop.
Other pastimes – Nap, read and eat.
Plans after high school – Study music and psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to become a music therapist.
Advice to young players/students – Take advantage of the summer school classes offered.
“She is a figure skater first,” Dusenberry said. “So we don’t get to see her a lot during the season because there is a big overlap in March and April when she needs to practice and go to performances and she just got back from a trip to California. It has been great to have her when she has been able to play to play. She is a gritty, hard nosed, tenacious defender. She has also worked on her credits so that she could graduate a year early.”
Helena ‘Leni’ Schilling – (German exchange student) defense, No. 8.
Favorite food – Sushi.
Favorite music – Most kinds.
Other pastimes – Hanging out with my friends, and playing tennis.
Plans after high school – After high school here I will graduate in Germany and I plan on taking a gap year.
Advice to young players/students – Always have fun.
“Leni is an exchange student for us,” Dusenberry said. “She lives with Cerys (Hudson) another player on the team. It has been great to see Leni in a team sport in Juneau, Alaska and kind of just try it out. She is always up for whatever challenge we throw at her.”