Front to back: Hoyt, Kurk transition to defensive stalwarts to bolster QND soccer team

QUINCY — Jake Hoyt doesn’t have an explanation for how he ended up in such unfamiliar territory.

“Honestly, I still really don’t know,” the senior said of being moved from forward to center back to fill a void in the Quincy Notre Dame boys soccer team’s defense.

There’s really only one viable reason.

A master puppeteer once again pulled the right strings.

The top-seeded Raiders (14-6-2) head into Wednesday’s Class 1A Mendota Sectional semifinal against second-seeded Serena (21-3) having posted a pair of postseason shutouts — Peoria Christian is the only other sectional combatant to do so — while relying on a pair of center backs who had zero combined starts there when the season began.

“It’s the coaches pushing us that makes it work,” said senior center back Colin Kurk, who primarily had been a defensive midfielder the previous two seasons after playing forward as a freshman. “They know what we can do. They’ve taught us how to work back there and have pushed us to get better every day.”

With a need for speed and tenacity in back and a leadership void to fill, Raiders coach Greg Reis decided to lean on Hoyt and Kurk to transform into defensive anchors.

They trusted a coach with a history of maneuvering pieces to find the right combinations was doing it again. 

“He definitely pulled the right strings,” Kurk said. “He moves everyone into the perfect position to get the best out of them. He sees that in his players, and that’s why he’s such a great coach.”

This maneuver didn’t come without a few bumps in the road.

Deakon Schuette, a senior who had transferred to QND during the offseason, figured to fit in at center back since he had experience playing defense. However, the coaching staff found a better niche for Schuette as a wing defender, leaving Hoyt and Kurk to slide to the center.

With Rylan Fischer settling in on the opposite wing, the defensive foursome in front of junior goalkeeper Max Frericks took shape.

“I feel we all work together pretty well,” Hoyt said. “We talk to each other and make sure we tell each other where the marks are. We have good chemistry, which gives us an advantage to swing the ball from side to side and trust each other that everyone can do their job.

“We were all relatively good friends on the field before that, so everyone was willing to work with each other and kind of get it figured out.”

The ability to communicate is a most vital part of the transition.

“Hoyt and I are getting more comfortable directing people where they need to go,” Kurk said. 

That has required a change in mindset.

“I have to take my mind off scoring goals and more on preventing goals,” Hoyt said. “I have to find the players making runs, not being the one making the runs.”

His eyes need to be wide open, too.

“You always have to be watching other guys,” Hoyt said. “You always have to let your teammates know what you’re doing so they know what’s going on. So I think getting into the communication part and seeing the whole field have kind of been the biggest challenges.”

Sitting three games away from reaching the state tournament and five victories from winning the fourth state title in program history, the Raiders realize why Reis orchestrated these moves and how adept they’ve becoming at making it work.

“It’s been a tough journey,” Kurk said. “As the season has gone on, I think we’ve gotten a lot better with it. The communication at the back, the versatility back there with speed, keeping the ball and just the movement, it’s really come a long way.”