Drew Aggus
Special to the Citizen
While some students struggle with commitments to multiple activities, a few of Platte County’s soccer players faced the challenge head-on.
Isaac Havemeier, Carter Hays, Joseph Ibarra, Ian Lang and Zach Szabo all play key roles on the Pirates’ soccer team, as well as in the school’s band. Havemeier is a saxophonist, while the other four are all trumpeters.
While many fear the challenges of participating in multiple activities in the same school year, Matthew Bonsignore, Platte County’s associate director of bands, thinks that more students should attempt the feat.
“What we have found is that the kids who are busy and have a full workload and are involved in everything are actually our best kids,” Bonsignore said. “Our soccer boys are definitely an example of that. They all are some of our top players, and they all work really hard.”
Bonsignore is of the mindset that having his students participate in other school activities offers great opportunities for them, but communication between coaches is an integral part of the process.
“We have kids who are successful in everything that they do, including music and athletics,” Bonsignore said. “As long as the coaches are all on the same page, I think it’s definitely doable, and it’s something that we encourage.”
Five Platte County soccer players are also members of the band. From left: Joseph Ibarra, Zach Szabo, Isaac Havemeier, Carter Hays, and Ian Lang.
DREW AGGUS/Special to the Citizen
Recently, there was a jazz band concert on the same night as a soccer game. Fortunately, soccer coach Ashlyn Brantley and Bonsignore have a great relationship, and they were able to work it out easily.
In addition, there was a competition recently, where the soccer players were sent out immediately following its conclusion in order to make it to their game, which was set to begin shortly.
While having soccer games and band concerts on the same night is somewhat rare, it does happen occasionally, according to Lang, who is a senior goalkeeper.
“Like once or twice a year, we’ll have a band competition that falls on (the same night as) a soccer game,” Lang said. “If it’s a band rehearsal, we’ll go to the soccer game, but if it’s a competition, we’ll go to it over a game.”
While many experience the scheduling overlaps of band and other activities, no one understands better than Lang and Hays – the latter of whom is a senior midfielder/defender.
“We sometimes have to miss games because of band competitions,” Hays said. “I just like doing both, and I like having fun with it.”
While band is something that Hays and Lang greatly enjoy, soccer has been something to which they have been committed for almost their entire lives. They both joined the band in sixth grade, and they both started playing soccer around age four.
Lang is confident in his team and their abilities to go even further this season.
“We’ve had a couple of guys injured, so we’ve kind of just been muddling through the games,” Lang said. “But now we have everyone back, so I feel like we’ll be strong again.”
They won their district tournament games by a combined score of 10-0, so if they’ve just been “muddling through the games,” this team is about to get scary.
As soccer season approaches its end, the band is in the midst of a “very successful season,” according to Bonsignore, who is in his 21st year with the district.
The band was crowned grand champions at the Papillion LaVista South Titan Invitational in Papillion, Nebraska, and at the Tournament of Champions at Missouri Western State University. They also finished in second place overall at the Champion of Champions Marching Competition in Columbia – a historically-competitive competition.
The experience that these soccer players have — participating in both band and athletics — is not one that is unique to them, though. There are numerous sports and activities represented in Platte County’s band. Bonsignore said that the band prides itself on the fact that it is represented by almost every single varsity sport that the school offers.
And as Hays, Lang and Szabo are wrapping up their senior seasons in both band and soccer. Bonsignore had nothing but high praise for them, along with Havemeier and Ibarra, as they have all worked incredibly hard and managed their time well in order to be in this position.
“They’ve given a lot to both organizations, especially the seniors,” Bonsignore said. “They’re special kids. We’re definitely going to miss them when they’re gone.”