Coming off of a run to the substate final last season, the Knoxville Boys Soccer Squad is looking to take that next step to the state tournament this season. The Panthers are very senior heavy with 21 of the 27 goals scored last season returning to the team. Also back this season is goalkeeper Carson Cecil, who had 89 saves in 2024. One thing that all soccer squads in Iowa will deal with this season is ties. Overtimes during the regular season have been eliminated and Coach Dylan Mick thinks that is a good thing and his team is starting to warm up to the idea of playing a guaranteed 80:00 in each match.

Mick: “I said think of it this way, we play three 4A teams and we tied two of them and win one then that’s going to feel like a win, but on the other hand if we go out and tie and team that we’ve historically beaten, then it’s going to feel like a loss. This keeps the guy giving all they have for 80:00 and keeps teams healthier.”

Knoxville returns its top six goal scorers from the season ago including leading scorer Kaison Wilder, twins Joe and Jensen Finnegan, Ezra Schmidt, Max Magana, and Rylan Robinson. Knoxville is set to get the season underway Monday against Southeast Polk at Randy Wilson Track in Knoxville.