The 2006 and 2007 Notre Dame boys soccer state championship teams were part of a golden era of Notre Dame athletics.

 

Both teams are being inducted into Notre Dame Regional High School’s Athletic Hall of Fame on August 7 at the school’s Queen of Victory Evening of Excellence. 

The Notre Dame Athletic Hall of Fame Award strives to preserve the heritage and tradition of excellence in athletic programs at Notre Dame. Each year Notre Dame recognizes male and female athletes, teams and coaches from St. Mary’s High School, Cape Catholic, Notre Dame and Notre Dame Regional High School who have made a significant contribution to Notre Dame athletics. Hall of Fame members exemplify the highest standards of sportsmanship, and have brought honor and distinction to Bulldog athletics.

After winning its first state title in 2002, the program posted winning records over the next three seasons, but each year ended with a loss in the district championship game. The 2006 team finally broke through districts with a win over Sikeston.

The Bulldogs then beat Lutheran South in the state quarterfinals, propelling the team to a semifinal match up against West Plains.

That semifinal match started with a setback for the Bulldogs. A three-hour lightning delay at the Anheuser-Busch Center in Fenton forced the contest to move to a turf field; a surface in which the team had little experience playing. That obstacle didn’t affect the team for long, however, as senior Jack Wedemeier scored 10 minutes into the game off a cross from junior Ty Williams. Williams scored again with six minutes remaining in the game to secure a 2-0 semifinal win.

The team then faced off against St. Dominic in the Class 2 championship match up on November 11, 2006.

With seven minutes left in a scoreless game, junior Mark Himmelberg scored what would be the game winning goal off a corner kick. Senior Abe Dirnberger quickly put an exclamation mark on the game with a header to the back of the goal to give the Bulldogs the Class 2 State Championship.

Sophomore goalie Ryan Bass had 10 saves in the championship game.

The 2006 squad had a 26-1 record, ending the season on a 21-game winning streak.

Depth played a big role in that success, as Coach Brad Wittenborn routinely played 18-20 players in a game.

“I believe that I usually played more players than most coaches,” said Wittenborn, whose coaching staff consisted of assistants Jeff Worley (’88) and Matt Vollink (’97). “At state, it was important to me that a player have that memory of playing in a state championship. While most coaches fear a substitute will let them down, my experience was that the bigger the game, the harder a substitute would play as they did not want to let the team down. There is so much running in soccer, that the depth of our team allowed us to wear other teams down. I always felt like we would do better as the game wore on.”

Four players scored more than 10 goals on the season. Wedemeier led scoring with a then school record 30 goals. Junior Ryan Willen notched 21 goals, with Williams close behind at 20. Seven players had seven plus assists led by Dirnberger, Wedemeier and Williams.

 

The defense was also stellar, allowing just nine goals during the season. Bass, in goal, recorded a whopping 19 shutouts. 

 

The team still holds school records for most wins in a season (26), most goals in a season (117), most shutouts in a season (19), fewest goals allowed (9), and fewest losses in a season (1).

 

“The 2006 team had a great combination of speed and skill,” remembered Wittenborn. “We had an all-state goalie, Ryan Bass, who went on to be an all-American at Rockhurst University. We had great speed and depth on defense, anchored by (senior) Jordan Buchheit, the Southeast Region Defender of the Year. The midfield was deep and led by Missouri State Player of the Year, Jack Wiedemeier. Also in the midfield was Ryan Willen, who had a knack for knowing when to attack and when to relieve pressure. Up top we had Abe Dirnberger who had exceptional speed, and Ty Williams who was great at receiving the ball with his back to the goal and spinning free. While I have singled out some players, the depth, intelligence and comradery of this team cannot be overstated.” 

 

 

Even with graduating 10 seniors from the 2006 squad, and with a question mark in regards to Willen’s return for his senior season, Wittenborn still expected the 2007 team to be successful.

 

Willen, who considered sitting out his senior soccer season, as he was already committed to play division one basketball, ended up joining the team, and their quest for a repeat championship began.

 

Wittenborn said, “Obviously Ryan Willen’s decision to play made us much better, but we had a nice mix of experienced players and talented younger players moving up to keep expectations high. I had confidence that we would be good, because we had great leadership and character returning. Players that would model how to work hard and have fun doing it, and players that were self-confident and mature enough to encourage and teach young players.” 

 

The team went 16-4-1 on the regular season, and shut out their district opponents, and state quarterfinal opponent in Clayton, to advance to the state semifinals.

 

Not unlike the 2006 semifinal game, the 2007 semifinal game also saw some misfortune. The school’s bus broke down not once, but twice, on the way to the semifinal venue in Fenton.

 

“It was very stressful for me, but thank God the players took it in stride,” remembered Wittenborn. “I remember being thankful for Tim Garner (’93) being our driver. I think that I might have suggested that we leave that bus in the Meramec River and catch rides home with the parents.”

 

The coaches and players eventually made it to the Anheuser-Busch Center to take on Duchesne, and the Bulldogs came out with a vengeance. Williams scored off an assist from junior John Unterreiner. Willen and junior Brock Dirnberger also contributed to the first half scoring rally to put the Bulldogs up 3-0. The defense protected that lead and Notre Dame advanced to the state title game with the 3-1 win over Duchesne.

 

The championship match was against Smithville out of Kansas City.

 

Willen scored just 22 seconds into the game off an assist from midfielder Unterreiner. Thirteen minutes later he scored again, this time thanks to a free kick by sweeper Himmelberg. B. Dirnberger rounded out the first half scoring off an assist from Willen.

 

At the 59:32 mark, Williams scored the Bulldogs’ final goal to secure a 4-1 win in the Class 2 state title game.

 

Notre Dame’s defense limited Smithville to just three shots, with just one shot on goal.

 

The 2006 squad amassed a 22-5 record, with numerous personal accolades. Williams was named Regional Player of the Year and first team All-State, with Willen first team All-Region and All-State. Seniors Himmelberg and Mark Zimmer were named to the All-Region team, along with juniors Bass, Unterreiner and Joda Holloway. Holloway was also second team All-State.

 

 

Wittenborn said the success of the Notre Dame boys soccer program was built over time. He pointed to the 1995 squad as a breakthrough team for the program, even if it did not receive the recognition he felt it deserved from some of the state’s coaches, particularly those in the St. Louis area who selected the all-state teams.

 

“After that we tried to schedule more St. Louis teams and worked hard to earn their respect,” said Wittenborn.

 

He added, “I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that much credit has to go to Craig Billmeyer, who coached many of these players in club soccer, and the Noon Optimist Club that supported the team and soccer in general for years. I have also said many times before that coach Jeff Worley was instrumental in building the success of Notre Dame soccer.”

By the time Notre Dame captured back-to-back state championships in 2006 and 2007, the Bulldogs were more than just a talented soccer team. They were a group of teammates and friends who had grown up playing together with chemistry and trust. Inspired by the school’s first state title team in 2002, and strengthened by a core group that returned from one championship run to the next, these teams helped define a golden era of Notre Dame soccer.

That comradery showed in the words of the players themselves. After the 2006 title, senior Jack Wedemeier told the Southeast Missourian, “We had people texting us pictures of their [2002 state soccer] ring saying, ‘Get you one.’ It’s a lot of fun.”

The tradition of excellence within the program is cemented with the legacy of these teams. Many of the players, along with all three coaches, have also been inducted into the Notre Dame Athletic Hall of Fame as individuals, a testament to just how talented this group was.

“I believe that our sustained success was a direct result of having dedicated, intelligent students that took pride in not only the soccer team but the school as well,” said Wittenborn. “They took pride in all that it meant to be a Notre Dame student athlete.” 

Ryan Bass, Jordan Buchheit, Zach Capriola, Abe Dirnberger, Brock Dirnberger, Austin Gelsheimer, Brett Heischmidt, Mark Himmelberg, Joda Holloway, Matt Kiblinger, Richard Marquart, Chris McMillan, Luke Moll, John Oliver, Gary Ritchie, Josh Robert, Matt Rosenquist, JP Thompson, John Unterreiner, Jack Wedemeier, Ryan Willen, Ty Williams, Nick Wren and Mark Zimmer. Coaches Brad Wittenborn, Jeff Worley and Matt Vollink.

 

Ryan Bass, Brock Dirnberger, Taylor Essner, Joe Froemsdorf, Kyle Gartland, Mark Himmelberg, Joda Holloway, Ethan Huber, Matt Kiblinger, Blake Kirkpatrick, Chris McMillan, Jack Mocherman, Jimmy Obermark, John Oliver, Jacob Pewitt, Josh Robert, Brenton Ruopp, John Unterreiner, Trenton Vance, Austin Westrich, Joe Wiggans, Ryan Willen, Ty Williams, Nick Wren and Mark Zimmer. Coaches Brad Wittenborn, Jeff Worley and Matt Vollink.

Purchase tickets to attend the Queen of Victory event here.