Schmidlkofer a Bullpup for all seasons
The thought of getting out of his final class of the day and heading directly home strikes Shane Schmidlkofer as strange.
“I’ve only had a couple of days, really, when I’ve gone to school and not had a practice afterward,” said the senior forward and leading scorer on Gonzaga Prep’s boys soccer team, which hosts Greater Spokane League leader Ferris tonight in a match that starts at 6:30.
“I remember not knowing what to do when I was walking around after school with nothing to do. It felt empty – and weird.”
That’s understandable, considering Schmidlkofer will have earned nine varsity letters in three sports once his four-year stay at G-Prep ends this spring.
The 6-foot-1, 175-pounder will leave as a four-year letterwinner in soccer, having already registered 12 goals and eight assists this season. He has also lettered three years as G-Prep’s starting quarterback in football and two as a lock-down perimeter defender on the Bullpups’ basketball team, which won the State 4A championship last winter.
In an era when many young athletes opt to specialize in a certain sport, Schmidlkofer has chosen to diversify his portfolio.
“I played baseball, too, until eighth grade,” he said. “I just grew up in a sports family, with my parents being really supportive of me. I just love competing, no matter what it’s in, and even when I wasn’t at practice, I was out in the backyard shooting baskets or doing whatever I could to get better.”
Schmidlkofer claims his after-school athletic activities have helped him deal with his academic obligations.
“It helps me manage my time better,” he said. “I go to practice, and then when I get home, I’m always a little cramped for time. And that helps me buckle down and get everything done, whereas, if I wasn’t playing sports and had more free time, I’d probably put things off and procrastinate even more than I do now.”
Schmidlkofer plans to become a walk-on member of Eastern Washington University’s national championship football team next fall – but not as a quarterback, after separating his throwing shoulder and missing several games last fall.
Because of the injury, Schmidlkofer was unable to throw the football when he returned, and split his time between running back and receiver. He expects to be a safety at Eastern.
But with his final soccer season down to its final two regular-season games, Schmidlkofer’s immediate focus is on trying to help G-Prep finish among the top four teams in the GSL and earn a berth in the district playoffs.
The Bullpups (10-3 overall, 4-3 GSL), after starting the year with 10 straight victories, have dropped their last three matches after losing a couple of starters to injuries. Yet Schmidlkofer has remained as effective as he was in the early going.
“As a player, Shane has an uncanny ability to put the ball in the net,” G-Prep coach Matt Kinder said. “He has a calmness and composure in front of the goal that is difficult to teach.
“If he had focused solely on soccer during his high school years, I have no doubt he’d be a highly recruited Division I player. His combination of speed, aggressiveness, pure athleticism, ability to finish and to win balls in the air all contribute to his success, despite playing soccer only two or three months a year.”
According to Schmidlkofer, this soccer season has gone by much too fast – just like his entire high school career.
“Still, it’s been an amazing trip,” he said. “Last football season was hard to deal with because of the injury. But basketball helped take my mind off that. I mean, a state championship? It still hasn’t hit me how amazing that was.
“I can’t believe it’s almost over. Time flies by, especially when you’re playing three sports. You blink, and suddenly we have just a week left in the regular season of the last sport I’m going to play in high school. It’s been awesome, but I’m sure going to miss not putting on some kind of Prep jersey next year.”
Playoff picture
With two regular-season matches remaining, GSL powers Ferris and Mead are still positioned to meet for a third time this spring in the opening-round District 8 4A playoffs doubleheader that will be held next Wednesday at Albi Stadium.
Ferris sits atop the GSL standings with 18 points, followed by Mead with 17 and four teams – Central Valley, G-Prep, Lewis and Clark – that are tied for third, along with 3A Mt. Spokane, with 13 points.
The teams finishing third and fourth in the GSL will meet at in a 4 p.m. loser-out match in Wednesday’s opener, while the first- and second-place finishers square off in the 8 p.m. nightcap to determine the district’s No. 1 regional seed.
The third and fourth regional seeds from the GSL will be determined on May 8, when the loser of the No. 1 vs. No. 2 match and the winner of the No. 3 vs. No. 4 meet at Albi at 6 p.m.
Three of the four 3A teams in the GSL will advance to the district tournament, which will be held Monday and next Wednesday at Albi.
Mt. Spokane leads the 3A standings with 13 points, followed by University with nine, Shadle Park with six and North Central with none.
The No. 2 and No. 3 finishers play in a 6 p.m. loser-out game on Monday. The winner of that takes on the No. 1 finisher at 6 p.m. Wednesday to determine regional seeding.