Longshaw and Shawnee boys' soccer growing together

STAFF WRITER

These days, it's not rare to see Caleb Longshaw battling multiple defenders, breaking free from double teams and muscling his way to goals.

It's a part Longshaw's game that helped him lead the Shawnee boys' soccer team in scoring last season, and it's helped him and his Renegades get off to a hot start this year.

And, really, it's a lesson to any soccer player on any freshman or junior varsity team anywhere.

"I remember coming in my first year and just being blown away by how much bigger and stronger the upperclassmen were then me," Longshaw said. "That was the hardest part for me, just adjusting to the size of some of the players and the physical nature of the game."

That was five inches and about 40 pounds ago.

Longshaw - now 5-foot-10, 160-pounds - led Shawnee's freshman team in scoring as a freshman. He led the JV team in scoring as a sophomore. He led the varsity team in scoring - with nine goals and three assists - as a junior.

And this year, he already has three goals and an assist for a 4-1 Shawnee team that looks like one of the top teams in South Jersey.

The senior striker's steep rise is especially notable because of the conference he plays in. A player going from junior varsity as a sophomore to one of the top scorers in the Olympic Conference speaks volumes.

"I think we definitely knew what we had with Caleb as far as talent is concerned from the beginning," said Renegades coach Ryan Franks. "But aside from just his physical development, he's improved because of the time he puts in on his own when no one is watching.

"I don't think you're going to find a stronger, faster kid in South Jersey, and it's due to all the work he's put in off the field by himself."

Longshaw's dedication has been infectious. And his rise has paralleled that of his team.

When he was a junior, Shawnee finished with a 7-9-4 record, an uncharacteristic losing season for one of the area's perennial powers. Last year, Shawnee finished 12-8.

This year, the Renegades have already knocked off Washington Township, the two-time defending Group 4 champion. And their only loss was in overtime to Cherokee, the No. 1 ranked team in the Inquirer's South Jersey Top 10.

"It's just about thinking larger than yourself," Longshaw said of the motivation behind his and his team's dedication to improving. "It's thinking about everyone else that you're playing for."

Beyond Longshaw's offensive prowess, Shawnee's defense has been a notable strength. And somewhat surprisingly so.

The Renegades entered this season having to replace one of South Jersey's star keepers, Dalton Wu, who graduated. So far this season, they've been rotating goalies Marc Hartmann and Ryan Hileman. It's not the most common strategy. But it's worked. Shawnee has allowed just three goals and recorded three shutouts, in five games.

For Longshaw, who thinks he might want to play in college but isn,t sure where, it just reaffirms his belief in the process.

In high school, growth comes in various forms. Longshaw credits some of his improvement to physical growth. That's definitely helped.

But when he looks at the way he's currently playing, the way his team is playing, he credits it more to the growth that comes from hard work.

"The start to this season just shows how strong this program can be," Longshaw said. "It's not always about being the best technical team out there. It's about how much you work, how much you can push through."